I looked in Dunlop's "Gunsmithing" for tips on metal prep for bluing. He touts hand polishing using progressivly finer abrasive cloth through crocus cloth and a final pass with a steel wire brush with .005" diameter or less wires prior to bluing. Is this pretty much gospel or do some of you guys do it differently?

I'm gonna try jeffessos' method when I get a chance. Sand/bead blast then scotch brite pad.

Rich

Well I vary my metal prep depending on the type of bluing I will be doing. I use draw files, stones and abrasive paper. If rust bluing is called for I usually only polish the parts to a 240 grit, then use A medium scotchbrite with a liberal dose of WD-40.(evens out the polish marks) For a high polish hot blued gun I will polish to 400 grit then use the scotchbrite again. KEEPING THE LINES AND CORNERS SHARP IS THE MOST INPORTANT THING!!. I personally do not know anyone who duplicates Dunlops method. I am sure it will give great results, but there have been major advancements in abrasives since then.

Funny how everyone polishes different. I take all my barrels to at least 600 grit if not 800 for rust bluing.

I use wet/dry paper on blocks exclusively. I generally use WD40 for lubing the paper, though sometimes I use water.

Brent

Thanks Guys. I intend to try the scotchbrite as a finishing step. I don't like working with wire wheels anyway. Backed up abrasive paper with a possible scothbrite final pass sounds good.

Brent,

With 600 grit and rust blue, do you get a Weatherby shine finish or a matte finish. I've always heard 320 grit for rust blue so it had some coarseness to grab on to.

Thanks,

Steve

Steve, it depends on how you do it. I don't know what a Weatherby shine is - I don't have one, never have. I build 19th century rifles and want a historically correct finish so I polish them a bit more, use open air instead of a humidity box, about 10-12 hrs between boils and I water down whatever blueing compound I am using so that it's not too agressive.

It's not matt (personally, I hate matte finishes), but it's not gloss either. Whatever you want to call it, I like it. In a 400 grit polish the scratch lines of the grit are distracting and unacceptable in my opinion. Of course, I don't end up with an 800 grit finish if that's what I start with, but it is much nicer than a 400 grit finish.

just takes experimentation to find what you like.

Brent

Brent,

I'm glad to hear it. I like the durability of rust blue, but I also prefer a higher polish. I think I'll try a high polish rust blue.

Thanks,
Steve

bead blast then .005 STEEL wheel?
i like my shark skin finish, thanks for bringing it up rich..

i PERSONALLY don't like mirror polished bluing.. and i have had better results from 400ish, rather than 800 is, in rust/hor water bluing...

the .005 wire will give you a nice matte finish, but don't bother going to a high grade finish then card it

jeffe

Steve,
Try this - for your first coat or two, use an almost dry pad - very very little bluing solution. go over the barrel several times, but with a barely damp pad. See www.winrest.com for some good tips. I don't use them all, but I use that one.
Brent

800 will not get you a mirror finish. You will get a satin or semigloss at most.

Brent

Well correct me if I am wrong here but I think that Brent and jeffeosso are talking two different types of rust bluing. Brent is describing a true rust blue process. This will not produce a matte finish, more of a semi-gloss. Sounds to me like jeffeosso is talking about Belgian bluing. This is a lot faster form and the acid is very aggressive. This produces a matte finish. When I said I only polished to 240 grit on rust bluing projects this is because I am Belgian bluing. There is a real big differance between the quality of the blue these two processes produce. The belgian blue being inferior.

Brent,
fair enough, as h20 pointed out, we could be talking about different processes. .. 800 gr is a bright mirror in hot bluing. wincheser uses <220gr beads for their matte finish, and I don't generally go past 400 to hotwater blue, as I tried a higher polish (belts and sanders, not hand sanding) and could not get belgium blue to "bite" as quickly as I would like.. gun goddess WILL bite quickier, but it's far more aggressive...

so, I think that 800 and being thrown in a hot blue makes a mirror brite finish.. and I agree it won't give you, after all the etching, a mirror finish if rust blued. that is due mostly to the differences in the processes

My finish "mirrors" pretty closely, a 19th century Winchester blue. I don't have any 20th century rifles.

Brent

Brent,

Does rust-blue cover the silver braze/silver solder lines on sights and recoil lugs?

quote:

Originally posted by skl1:
Brent,

Does rust-blue cover the silver braze/silver solder lines on sights and recoil lugs?

Not that I've tried, but the short answer is no.

Brent