reblueing

[old semperfi]

i know this has come up before but has anybody had any luck with a cold blue process.i am redoing a tc hawkin and id like to try to redo barrel myself. old semperfi

[jack404]

old semperfi, recently i tried a Birchwood Casey kit , besides the need for good hot and cold water , surprised the heck outta me , i've now done 6 rifles , mainly old LE .303 ,

and i can apply the same tricks to "patina" a rifle , for want of a better term , just like my own acid and oxide mixes ,

follow the instructions ands like any blueing , you get out what you put into it

clean it all to a eveneness and go from there as per the instructions

for a blueing kit, its the first one i liked and i've written the company to say so

you need 3-5 coats of the blueing mix to get dark but thats ok , it get's there nicely

lousy pic's i know , sorry

pic 1 stripped and rust remover treated before sanding and polishing

its was rusty as heck outside ( good bore though)

pic 2 , fake wear patina , rifle looks well used but good cond and original

its a very flexable kit once you get into it ...

[goofy]

Cold blue is NEVER better then hot blue!.Cold blue does not last.Cold blue will ware off. It WILL rust again.
If you do the prep work hot blue will be cheper in the long run.Find a smith who will add your preped steel to a batch he is doing.I charge 50-75 to run pre preped steel through a batch.So if you want a blue that will last have it hot blued.

[CHW2021]

These guys are right, BUT, if you want to do the cold blue at home use Brownells oxpho. It is possible to easily get a presentable finish and it is literally wipe on/wipe off and buff. Personally I like it and have had excellent results for what I have done.

Read the directions, individual results may vary, subject to standard disclaimer ect............

[The Duke]

They right about the Oxpho..Only 'cold' blue that will give decent color to large areas...But still not as durable or deep as hot salts...

You may want to read up on rust bluing...Done properly this will produce a blue that is in some ways better than todays hot salts...Time and labor intensive, but simple to perform...Dont know for a fact, but Brownell may have some rust bluing solution...

Essentially rust bluing involves polishing and degreasing the gun....swabbing on an acid solution, waiting for the thing to rust, carding off the rust and redoing the acid application, repeating the process until you get the color you want..Takes a week or more...depending on the temp and humidity in your area...Can be helped along if you put the swabbed gun in a closed box with a light bulb inside to provide some heat...This will speed up the process...

[old semperfi]

thanks for all he info guys,what do you think about powder coat compared to dura coat?this will not be a hunting rifle or foul weather gun.i plan on only informal target practice. old semperfi

[jack404]

i dont like the idea of powder coating unless they've manage to lower the required heat to get a long lasting heat proof finish

[StoneChimney]

Powder coating is also thicker and fills in markings and decreases tolerances.

[clamman]

I just did a cold blue on a freinds Remington 512 and it turned out perfect. Took four coats to get it right. Follow the instructions exactly and you'll be happy. Like others said it will rust pretty easy, so keep it oiled and away from humidity.

[Helix_FR]

Powder coating still cures at 425. SC is right about the tolerances. People that know how to powder coat right have the silicon to plug those areas it screw holes and rails but the downfall of it is that once it chips, it goes.

[doubleslover]

It isn't difficut to get a great looking job with cold blue, I have done a few. Question is how durable is it? That being said, the next guns I do I am switching to the slow rust blue method. It can be done at home. As mentioned, it just takes time and being careful.

[old semperfi]

just used a cold blue called g96,i put four coats on my hawken and it looks as good as new.im not sure how long it will last but for 10 bucks its great. old semperfi