The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Cold blueing Tips?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Cold blueing Tips? | Login/Join |
| One of Us |
I'm in the process of refinishing my grandpas .22 a remington sportsmen. I was gonna cold blue it with birchwood casey kit,...have it stripped and sanded and wanted some advice before I started blueing. Many say warming the metal before blueing helps the blueing to take,...usually submerging in hot water or taking a hair dryer to it. Has anyone put the metal in there oven at warm or 200 degrees? Other then potentially getting grease on the prep metal is there any other draw backs to doing this? Also have read to apply with steal wool and rub it in, continually applying until get the color I want. What grade steel wool 0, 00, or 000? Any other things to watch out for would be appreciated,..it is only 100.00 gun but with the time I've already put into it I don't want to mess it up now. Thanks in advance, | ||
|
One of Us |
Use 000 steel wool or finer. Make sure the metal is thoroughly decreased. I would use the Brownell's stuff instead Ox-44 or whatever they call it it. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
|
One of Us |
Best advice is don't. Get it hot salts blued or personally I'd rust brown it. The finish will look better and will last longer then cold blue. It's cheep and easy it's just time consuming. out side of that,,,, Brownell's stuff is better. Formula 44/40 seems to be the strongest and most forgiving. Get two bottles. Make sure the steel is chemically clean. Use rubber gloves. and don't get any oil dirt or anything on the steel while bluing. Once you have it blued wash it in baking soda and soak it for a week in penetrating oil. Cold blue is an acid and it will continue to react till it's neutralized causing a beautiful cold blue job to turn to crap over night. www.KLStottlemyer.com Deport the Homeless and Give the Illegals citizenship. AT LEAST THE ILLEGALS WILL WORK | |||
|
one of us |
 However if the rifle meant anything to me I would not cold blue it.As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
|
one of us |
+2 on not using cold blue. Rust bluing is even easier that a complete cold blue on a whole firearm. And it won't stink, either. Spend some time searching the forums and in amonth you will know enough about the process to do your grandpa's gun for the same money and it won't end up looking like a piece of crap. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
|
Moderator |
It will sink like mad but go ahead. I prefer the brownells brand due to color and smell. Most important thing is degreasing. You can try boiling plumb brown. It will go black and won't smell. Try it first on scrap opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
|
One of Us |
I only use cold blue on small touch up jobs, but I've found the Birchwood Casey paste to be a pretty good product. ----------------------------------------------------- Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Proverbs 26-4 National Rifle Association Life Member | |||
|
| One of Us |
I dunno...I am pretty much a maladroit and I cold blued a replacement bbl on a Mod 19 and it came out just fine. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
|
| One of Us |
IMO, the only cold blue worth screwing with is Brownell's Oxpho-Blue. | |||
|
Moderator |
For cold bluing I have had good luck with a 2 component method. I use Brownells Oxpho Blue and also their "Dicropan T-4". The Oxpho blue is supposed to give one of the most durable finishes, but IMHO it does not look that nice as a finish, it can appear somewhat grayish and I have a hard time getting it to look even. However it will make a nice base when you are trying to touch up a worn area. The T-4 gives a pretty nice finish. So what I do is apply the Oxpho first, then after the 5 or so applications I wash and dry it one last time and then do the process again with the T-4. It will give you a nice looking finish that is also quite durable. How I like to apply the cold blue is with a toothbrush, put some blue in a paper cup or plastic shot glass and just dip the toothbrush in it and scrub away. I've also used steel wool and scotchbrite (works OK on rough surfaces but scratches too much IMHO for a polished finish) to apply it but I like the toothbrush as it keeps your hands cleaner. Follow the directions on the bottles but I like to put on a good coat of oil afterwards and let it soak overnight and wipe it down the next day. (I don't know if it has any effect but it makes me feel better). As mentioned, rust bluing is not that much more work and about the same cost for materials when you buy 2 different bottles of blue but if you are not set up to boil or feel more comfortable doing it this way first it is what I'd suggest trying. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
|
| one of us |
Make that +3! Cold bluing is very thin compared to a hot blue or a rust blue. And it looks like schitt. I'd leave a gun in the white and let Nature take it's course before I'd cold blue an entire gun. With as easy as it is to rust blue, Parkerize, or even some forms of hot blue, there is no reason to screw around with cold blue for anything other than touch-ups. | |||
|
| One of Us |
That is also the best I have tried. Hugh | |||
|
| One of Us |
Thanks for the advice so far, The only thing holding me back from hot blueing would be having a tank big enough for the 24" barrel. I like the idea of leaving it in the white since it will be used on the range, vermin control and an occassional nostaliga hunt with the nephews. Other then keeping it well oiled is there anything I would have to worry about by leaving it in the white? | |||
|
| one of us |
I'd leave it unoiled for a while (several years). When you see rust, knock it back with 0000 steel wool so it doesn't pit. Wipe it with a clean cloth after handling it to help even out the rust too. If you want to speed up the inevitable process of rusting, try this stuff. Works great and will give you a decade of brown with a few days work. LMF Rust Brown | |||
|
| one of us |
Several of us made our "tanks" from aluminum gutter. Cut a piece the length you want, buy two end caps, crimp them on with pliers and seal them with hi-temp silicone auto gasket material in the tube. I set mine on two auto jack stands high enough to put my shrimp boiler burner underneath. A turkey fryer would work as well. I get a hard boil in the center third but the far ends always turn black without having to reposition anything. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
|
One of Us |
The best cold blue is Brownells Oxpho Blue. A warm barrel, and degreased with Brakleen spray first. Wipe on with rubber gloves, and soaked in Oxpho paper towels. Rub hard, and change towels between coats. Let sit overnight, wipe with WD-40, and heat with a bernzo torch, until the metal just smokes a bit. Rub with more WD-40 while hot(turn OFF the torch first!). Bakes it into a nice black! Hippie redneck geezer | |||
|
One of Us |
You definitely can NOT hot blue in aluminum tanks; it eats aluminum. Rust blue, yes, but not hot salt blue. Your tank will self destruct in a few minutes with hot salt blue in it. steel chicken feed trays work, sort of. Best is to make a real steel tank; stainless is best but expensive. That last post about heating it with a torch with Oxpho blue, works the best if you have to use cold blue. You can spray paint it too. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia