best home bluing

dgac

I have a old carcano with a crack in the stock and about 10% metal finish left. I got it for a good price of free. I know how to do the wood but I've never refinished metal. What materials should I use? I got it to practice on so I'm open to any suggestions.

dgac

hillbille

I've tried almost all the cold blue stuff in the bottles from wally-world and the likes, there is one I have'nt tried its wonder blue google it if want they have instruction video, just got some from a local gun shop. they said they saw some demonstrated at a show and it worked just like they said, I got some just have'nt found a gun to try them on. anyone else used it? good or bad. the stuff in bottles is usually just for touch up ect. when I've tried to do large sections have had a hard time keeping color consistent, it seems to come out blochy and stripey.

11b6r

The various cold blues I have tried ranged from horrible to....well, kinda OK. Do not expect ANY of them to equal a hot blue or a rust blue. Just for grins, you COULD try a rust blue- consists of controlled rusting (hang gun in a plastic shroud with some steam or a humdifier) and carding off the light rusting- and repeat and repeat and repeat. IF you use a cold blue- no blue substitutes for polishing metal first. If you don't have a power buffer, you can use wet-or-dry fine sandpaper. On flat surfaces, use a sanding block to keep from rounding edges. Degrease the metal- and do not touch with your bare skin- cotton gloves if you must touch. Warm the metal slightly- hair dryer works. Do not apply bluing solution with steel wool- it will react with the steel wool instead of the rifle. I use a NEW toothbrush- clean, no oil on them out-of-the-package, and they are 5 for a buck at Dollar General. Of course, you can also Dura-Coat one, or camo it up. Even use a high temp spray paint (suitable for charcoal grills) and have an evil black rifle![:p]

WillRuss

Here are a couple that I've used with great results:
Van's Instant Gun Blue - http://www.vansgunblue.comBlue Wonder - http://www.bluewonder.us/BlueWonderGunBlue.html
Van's is by far the easiest to use and fastest, and produces a grey or black color, depending on the length of time applied. It's great for small parts like screws, too - just degrease, heat with a hair dryer, then let them soak for two minutes. Instant black!

Blue Wonder produces a nice deep blue but has to be wiped on as several coats. Small parts and crevices are a pain. I did have a shotgun barrel turn out beautifully, though.

greystone

I've used cold blues over the years but only for touchup. I'm doing rust blueing now and have done 5 guns in the last year but there's a learning curve there too. This is the product I use and it gives a nice satin blue. It takes some time and effort. The end result is going to depend on how well metal was prepared to begin with. I don't use tents but I use a box big enough to hold barrels,etc. You also need a tank to do the boil off. One of my hobbies is to restore old 22 rifles. If you are going to do just one gun then maybe have someone els do it or find a cold product that will give somewhat acceptable results. Anyhow metal preparation is the key.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=950056

FWAddit

If you want to try something a little different, you might brown the metal instead of bluing it. I have used Birchwood Casey Plum Brown solution (sold for use on muzzleloader kits) to refinish an old .22 that came to me with worn bluing and a little surface rust. I like the color fine, and the browning seems to be more durable than cold blue. Not as durable as hot blue, though.

bugmantraap

The best home blue out there is blue wonder. they used to have a video to show you how to use it on their web site. I used it on a sporterized 03a3 bottom metal and barrel touch up and you couldn't tell the difference from the original blue.For touch ups, it will not adhere to the exsisting blue so you just have to match it . You heat the barrel with a hair dyer or I used a propane torch. When it is about 125 degress you start the process. Check it out it really works. trapper

Wehrmacht_45

Cold blues are only good for touchups. Why don't you try some Aluma Hyde II from Brownells. Rattle can it on, let it cure per directions, and you hav a nice matte black finish.

Otherwise I have done hot water bluing with Herters Belgian Blue with great success. Just need something you can boil the parts in.

OleDuk

+1 for 116br

OleDuk[:)][:)]

Wolf.

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This depends on what your interests are with this gun.

If you want a quick and dirty job, I'd get any of the cold blueing solutions and use them. AS EARLIER STATED: Surface preparation is everything. Take the time and most cold blues will be acceptable, but half-assed surface prep = a so-so end result.

If you are interested in making this gun a test bed to gain more experience doing various gunsmithing operations, you might want to try, as greystone said, the acid blueing method. This is interesting, because the color you get depends to a large extent upon what acid or acid compound you use. Once again, though, surface preparation will determine the quality of the end result.

Acid blueing is nothing more than hanging the prepared gun parts:
(a) inside a humidity cabinet with
(b) heat source,
(c) a pie plate full of water and
(d) a small plate of acid compound, either a commercial preparation or your own recipe.

The humidity cabinet can be a wood frame covered with visqueen, cardboard or thin plywood, a large appliance cardboard box lined with visqueen, an old refrigerator, etc., that you can keep pretty well free of outside air.

The heat source can be a 75 watt light bulb.

The air inside gets warm, the plate of water and the acid compound begin to evaporate. The warm water vapor and acid fumes deposit on the steel and the steel begins to oxidize (rust) The acid causes the steel to color. Next day, you remove the parts and card them (scrub with steel wool or a soft wire brush). This removes the light coat of rust, leaving the color. You boil the parts in a pan of proper size, make sure they are clean with no oily residue and put them back in the humidity cabinet for another treatment, repeating as desired until you are satisfied with the color.

There is an old book out there, circa 1935(?) by R. H. Angier called Firearm Blueing and Browning. The book's been reprinted numerous times, so a copy should be available somewhere for $10 - $20. This is a very interesting, informative and educational book with various early gun finishing processes and containing probably 100 or more different blueing and browning recipes for acid rust blueing, plus many other useful pieces of information.

ern98

Brownells oxphro blue in conjuction with hot water bath gives a decent finish which is similar to the rust blue finnish. Metal prep is the key. Remove all oils and other finishes and you can get good results as long as you will be happy with a matte blue finish.