I was thinking about electroplating various metals onto steel, and I came up with a notion I have a hard time escaping. There will always be a spot where the wire was attached to the plated metal part. That point of attachment, like the spot Achilles' mother had hold of when she dipped him, will not be exposed to the electroplating bath, and it will end up as bare, unplated metal.

Going a step further, I figured, and I want to be corrected on this, that any coating applied to metal parts can only coat the parts of the parts that aren't supporting the weight of the parts.

So what happens in a bluing bath? Do you have to stir the pot so there aren't basket marks on one side of everything?. What do they do in electroplating to make sure the spot where the wire went gets electroplated? Use two or three coats and move the wire around in between?

H. C.

When you're blueing with hot salts, the salts will normally run around 275-290deg. For most mild steel your temps will be at 280, give or take depending on elevation. One thing that is absolutely crucial though, is the fact that the salts are at a rolling boil. This boiling effect will work it's way into the areas that are touching the basket or blueing rack. Most parts allow you to agetate them on the racks or basket in the salts, but the boiling effect that you create with the salts ensures that you will get total coverage. But, as common sense would dictate, you are better off trying to minimize the amount of contact that the rack has with the parts. The most important part, aside from the rolling boil, is the agetation that must take place in the first part of the blueing stage. You don't want to place the parts in the salts, and then just let them sit. If you do this, you will most likely encounter spotting now and then on larger parts.

Along with Matt's comments, I have special racks for the receivers where they are suspended internally. Barrels also. I blue with the barrel out of the receiver, makes for a better job and the dreaded "salt blossom" around the receiver ring is totally avoided.

Yes, with proper equipment, a blued barrel may be installed in the receiver without marring the bluing on the barrel or the receiver.

Something to really watch for is water quality in the neutralizing bath and the hot water rinse bath. I moved the shop in 1995: Previous water came from a glacier fed river and was very good for bluing. Present water supply comes from a reservoir, and the algae treatment chemicals placed in the reservoir cause tiny white specs to appear on the blued parts. Took some time to pinpoint the cause. I now used distilled water and have no problems.

Makes one wonder if all the chemicals dumped in water reservoirs are damaging to one's health. "Hey Joe, pass me another glass of that cancer causing water."

Super duty barrel vise with 1" diameter aircraft grade bolts (stronger than grade 8), brass bushings bored about 0.020" over the barrel diameter, and a card stock shim is wrapped around the barrel, between the barrel and the bushing. Bushings are split on both sides. I use ordinary file folders to cut the card stock shims. Vise is tightened with a 3/4" drive ratchet with a 30 inch handle. Vise is mounted on a frame made from 4 inch channel and 1" plate, this frame is bolted to the concrete floor with 6 each 3/4" diameter Hilti concrete anchors. It does not slip, even on those horror story Enfields and rusted Mausers, or the newer M70's and M700's with the psuedo loctite goop on the threads.

Action wrenches are custom machined to fit the actions (I have 7 action wrenches). And the wrenches are machined large enough to take a copper shim, plus the card stock shim, between the action and the wrench. Action wrenches have 24 inch handles. The Remington wrench has a special attachment to index the recoil lug, and, as the Remington (and several custom actions) are round, I use a card stock shim wrapped around the action, plus an index bolt screws into the front action screw hole. And, for those tight ones, a pipe cheater is leaning on the wall behind the vise.

Forget about all those hardwood block "Inserts" and lead or babbitt bushings, epoxy bushings, etc. They will just get you into a lot of trouble. Been there, done that.

Somewhere I have photos of all this junk, will post later.

John, thank you kindly, appreciate the info.

-tincan

Re: bluing barrels.

I have a Win. M64 that though it has some minor handling marks, appears to be unfired. I could swear that the bore looks blued. Is it possible that this is so? Wouldn't bluing the bore affect accuracy? I guess it's not a problem for RemChesters and the like, but what about custom guns?

thank, Rob