I'm using Pilkingtons, receiver looks great - but the bolt isn't even rusting?

Figured I'd let it sit awhile longer, the rust turned to a great black oxide after boiling on the receiver. Carded and reapplied, not going to look to bad for a first effort if it keeps going the way it has so far.

The bolt's another story though...

Mauser 98/22 if it matters.

Find out whatever is on the bolt and get a patent for it real quick!

fireball-

I notice no one's eager to tackle this question.

Mainly, I hate speculation, but in this case... since even the professionals sometimes recommend incantations to accompany the potion....

Pilkington's is not known as an "agressive" rust blue solution.

Was the bolt too shiny? It's common to bead blast, or treat the parts with acid so as to create a little tooth on the metal. So the potion can take hold.

Also, Walsh--not a particularly good book, but he did have the steel of Mauser parts analyzed--suggests that the Germans added copper to some parts to prevent corrosion.

I'll be interested to read comments from the professionals, as I've been tempted to blue a couple of bolts. I've grown to hate the shiny look on my gun parts.

What I'd like to know is how to prevent scuffing the blue where, say, the extractor runs around the bolt?

flaco

Are you trying to do the whole bolt or just the handle and knob? I generally polish the bolt or engine turn it and just blue the bolt handle. Run some emery cloth strips over the bolt and give it another shot.

I have been painting black lacquer on the parts of the bolts I do not want to blue and then covering them with masking tape.

Here's probably what happened.

If the bolt handle wont rust blue, it was probably polished with an animal fat buffing compound, and ran at high speed/temp. I know, i've done this myself. It makes no difference when you are going to drop into a 300d salt bath..but...

Acids and fats.. well, since the main ingredient in most rust blue is a weak nitric acid solution (weaker, to a point, is MORE reactive.. go figure).. and the fat has penetrated the surface/pores/grain structure of the bolt... here's a couple things you can do to have a consistant finish throughout your rifle, without bead blasting only one part...

here's some things to try, in increasing aggresivness

NONE of these are good for leaving unfinished/oiled/etc...

0: all this assumes you have degreased the bolt and the steelwool!!... wash and SCRUB the bolt handle down with a "simple green" or "purple clean" degreaser... probably should be a hot (very) water soloution. rinse and try bluing

1: vineger... glacial or any other strong one.. pour enough into a throw away cup or can, with a new tooth brush (these don't have oils in the brushes, that's why a new one), scrub the bolt handle alot.. rinse and try bluing... but this might have already turned grey when you rinse it

2: rinish toothbrush out well and scrub bolt handle with toothbrush and bakingsoda... this will give it an ultrafine surface finish, and if there's "something" on the surface that wasn't removed with the 2 options above, this should cut through it ...rinse and try bluing

3: retry 1 above, but with the vinegar HOT

4: darn.. still didn't work? got a stove/propane torch/big ligther? assuming the bolt is still clean from above, this MIGHT get results, at least enough to frost for the first pass...
(assumes bolt is torn down, of course)
a: prepare cup of water and some tooth picks.. this will be your heat gage
b:have your steel wool degreased, in a ziplock, with a soaking SOAKING amount of your blue agent
c:heat bolt handle to where a drop of water, from the toothpick (again, no oils, see) just sizzles really good. you are NOT trying to melt anything here, just changing the starting energy of this reaction.... quence the bolt handle into the steel wool (your DID take it out of the bag, right? )

5: Then you can emery the hell out of it!!

remember, there's more than one way to skin a cat, and not all of them involve putting his head in a bootjack and tugging on his tail


Chic,
i think most masking tapes have some oils in them.. could be wrong, but an acetone wipedown, just before, probably wouldn't hurt.

jeffe

Are you bluing and original handle or a new one? I have had trouble with Pilkingtons not biting hard enough on some steels. In the past if I was going to have trouble it would be on the bolt handle. I quit using it and went to a more aggressive solution like GunGoddess or Mark Lee Slow Rust.

Roughing up the surface does help the solution get a good bite on the metal. Make sure you degrease your steel wool with acetone. I do not advocate heating parts and then applying solution. This can cause the solution to over re-act and you can cause serious pitting in a hurry with some solutions.

A little more information, and an update.

I had blasted the complete bolt with 80 grit glass beads at about 40 psi, nice matte finish, then degreased

Ended up boiling the bolt anyway, even though I couldn't detect any surface rust. It colored well for the first application, but not quite as dark as the first dip on the receiver.

Unsure of why it didn't color, but its taking color well now. I'm getting ready to boil the receiver for the third coat, and the bolt for the second.

For those of you who are interested in this process, I'll start taking some pictures. I've been rather apprehensive over the past few years to start this project.

Probably haven't got $45 wrapped into this whole project, as I'm using the side burner on my grill for the heat source.

Chic, just curious why you don't engine turn after bluing? I've done a few bolts now and I polish the rust blue away from the areas I want bright. Am I doing something wrong?

high nickle content

In another thread Mark Lee suggested using aluminum oxide as opposed to glass beads for hard to take metals, it gives the metal a better "etch" and helps the soloution to take hold.

Since acetone is now regulated because of methlabs and can be hard to find, a good alternative to acetone for degreasing/priming is Vodka. No, not in your glass, on the metal. Everclear is even better.

Man, I don't know about where you live but every home improvement center in Texas has acetone in at least three different container sizes.

Now I know what all the speed freaks are doing hanging around Home Depot!

Tiggertate, I do engine turn after I rust blue. I just want less to clean off before I do it, hence the lacquer and the tape.

fireball, don't expect this to give you a good coat in one, two or even 3 applications. I use a minimum of 6. Sometimes the last two don't seem to do a lot but they even out the texture and color. Might also ask if you are using a damp box or if you live in an area with high humidity. Rust bluing needs some moisture in the air.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
Man, I don't know about where you live but every home improvement center in Texas has acetone in at least three different container sizes.

Now I know what all the speed freaks are doing hanging around Home Depot!

I stand corrected. I guess I havent really looked very hard for acetone. I got the idea of grain Alcohol from Angiers book, it is an ingredient in a good number of soloutions and it does work pretty well. In fact I just did a Springfield with some today.

I could be wrong. I didn't know all those midwest states were regulating Sudafed until I went in a store to buy some. Fortunately I am way too fat to be a speed freak so they let me have a box without a blood test .

Harry,
as of monday or tuesday, sudafed (etc) is now a behind the counter/must preset ID thing here, too!!

i hear red kwik scratch matches are on the list, to...

what ever happened to sniffing burlap!!
jeffe