I'm hijacking my thread, since you can't post new topics but you can edit old posts so I'm renaming the 94 & 700 thread to ask about sandblasting.

What are good ways of protecting the internals of a 700 for sandblasting? Great Stuff foam? Duct tape? Hot glue? I'm thinking of just using crumpled newspaper and masking tape but would prefer not to learn after the fact of something I forgot. The gun has an 11 degree target crown, I'm planning on just masking off the entire muzzle surface with a disk of tape.

Anything I've forgotten?

Thanks,

Mark

[ 09-30-2003, 04:34: Message edited by: MarkWhite ]

Mark, Brownell's carries all of the parts you are needing, www.brownells.com . The Model 94 part is called a "finger lever pin stop screw". (Big name for such a little part.) It'll probably cost you about $20 to buy all 3 parts new.

Mark

I haven't called them yet, but Brownells doesn't have a listing for the follower spring for a short action. Midway does but they don't have the "finger lever pin stop screw" (thanks for the name BTW). I was hoping someone here might have all 3 parts in one place.

The finger lever stop screw is different between the pre 64 and the post 64 Model 94 Winchester's.

Jim Wisner

767-156-990
should be bdl short spring. verify on phone first but that is what the brownells catalog says for a number......
woofer

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Mark, stuffing newpaper and using masking tape to seal the edges will work well. Either tape the muzzle well or use a rubber plug. Dont direct the stream of abrasives at the edges you are protecting, meaning the open part of the action. I use glass beads for bead blasting. Haven't had any call for it in quite a while though.

modeling clay works very well,and has uses in bedding also.

One: Don't sandblast. Use fine potters glass beads. Next time I am in the shop I will look up the bead size.

Two: Protect crown with two layers of duct tape, cut in a circle to fit over the end of the barrel. I use gasket hole punches to cut the circles.

Three: If blasting a barrel alone (which you should be doing, for bluing prep, as if you blast a barreled action, you never will get all the beads out, and bluing a barreled action is a no-no, as you will have the famous "salt blossom") plug the chamber with a fired case with dead primer, and wrap several layers of tape around the barrel threads and end of the chamber.

Four: Blasting the receiver: Don't plug anything. The fine potters beads will give a nice matte finish when the receiver is blued. If you plug anything on the receiver, you will wind up with mis matched texture and finish. Be sure to degrease the receiver before blasting, or you will contaminated the beads.

Be sure to remove all tape and plugs from the barrel prior to bluing.

I have blued several hundred rifles this way, works very well. Not as nice as a good rust blue, but gives a good hunter quality deep blue-black matte blue.

Another note, a good blast cabinet eats up a lot of air, my compressor is a 20 CFM. Smaller compressors and a wrong nozzle size on the blast gun results in low bead flow, low impact pressure, and a poor matte.

Same steps above work for bead blasting Stainless barrels and receivers, gives a nice non shiny matte finish.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

A little more info- this is a blued action with a stainless barrel. I am going to be finishing it with KG Gun Kote, so I don't have to worry about salt bloom. KG recommends Al Oxide (80-120 grit IIRC) as an abrasive, so that is what I will probably use but am not totally decided yet.

John, you're right about sandblasters eating the air! I shouldn't have a problem with mine though, it's a big boy . Thanks for the tip too of using an empty case to plug the chamber!

I also have a bunch of modelling clay, if I need to use any of that.

Thanks for the ideas guys!

Mark

Mark

I have been bluing, parkerizing and bake on finishes for a number of years now both on newly built projects and re finish/restoration of old guns.

I am in no way arguing with any other gunsmith's methods as what works well for one person may not work at all for another.

First of all if you are doing any kind of spray/bake on finish you should not use glass beads. You will have problems with the finish chipping easily at sharp edges like the muzzle. You are on the right track using either Aluminum Oxide or clean sand. The "paint" will have a much better surface to cling to.

On masking the barreled action. I use heavy tape like John Ricks or if you want the muzzle fininshed you can sand a taperd wood dowel and gently drive it in the bore. On the action end I use a wood dowel again, smaller than the chamber and wrapped with electricians plastic tape for a snug fit. Everything is thoroughly degreased to not contaminate the blasting media and to prevent beads/sand/Al-Ox from adhering. Blow every thing out with compressed air the best you can, carefully swab the interior with solvent and blow out again.

On high grade classic barreled actions I often polish to 400 grit then bead blast with very fine beads for a finish that rivals a rust blue. It holds oil well and is very rust resistant. I know it is not as beautiful and duable as rust blue but it is a good alternative when you cant afford the extra cost.

I blue with the barrel and action assembled. After bluing and cold water rinse I boil the parts in distilled water for 15 minutes. If it is an old gun being refinished the factory fit of barrel shoulder to action ring may not be precise I will add a little bit of Brownells Bleed Out Neutralizer to the boil out bath. I have to deal with preventing bleed out in many other type firearms as they are full of pins and other parts that are pressed, screwed or fitted in some manner not designed to be routinely disassembled. I have not had any bleed out to my knowledge when the parts are carefully boiled out as described. After boil out and the parts are still very hot I soak them in water soluble oil, hang them up to drain over night and the next day rinse with solvent, apply good gun oil and assemble.

Craftsman, I know a gunsmith in Wichita Falls. Is you him?

Mark

When grit blasting for coatings, we use a fired case in the chamber of the barreled action, with a little paper towel on top of it foer good measure.
To protect the crowns, we use corks of various sizes for different bore sizes. This will allow the muzzle to be blasted, but still protect the actual crown. Use large enough of a cork and lightly hammer it in the bore. This will make the cork expand and compress against the crown so do damage is done.

Taping off the entire muzzle works well too, but be carefull, I have blown the tape off before and had a mess. That why I jam corks in there now.

Celt

I agree, its "different strokes for different folks", each person has his own method.

I do not use any bake on finishes, only do hot caustic matte bluing and some rust bluing.

And I have 7 tanks in my setup, including neutralizing bath, hot water bath after the nuetralizing, water displacing oil, etc. I like to blue with the action out of the barrel. Reguarding assembling a blued barrel, my barrel vise does not slip, and I use a 0.020" hard card stock shim around the barrel, so the bluing is not marred. Same for the action wrenches, they fit well and do not marr the finish.

And, for grins, I send the hard use guns to Robar for the incredible black Roguard finish, with NP3 on the internals.

Lots of choices avaialble today for finishing guns.

Ok a couple more questions for you guys-

I was planning on masking off the entire muzzle while blasting, then finishing it with a wood plug stuck in there. My way of thinking is that will leave as unblemished a muzzle as possible and still have some finish on it. If the Gun Kote on the end blows off oh well I would rather have an accurate 20 caliber than a nice looking muzzle.

Does this sound like a good way to do it?

Also, it sounds like other than plugging the chamber there is not much concern for glass beads at least, inside the action. Is this true? Is it also true for Al Oxide abrasive? Doesn't really matter because I plan to seal it off anyway but am curious.

John Ricks (and others who only blue):

How do approach finishing a gun with a blue receiver and stainless barrel?

Thanks!

Mark

M Pursell

Yep it's me. Haven't heard from you in a while, email me. I got my hands on a heat treat oven so I can color case harden soon.

Mark White

Sand or beads in the action: If you thoroughly degrease the action before blasting it is no big deal to get it cleaned out.

Blue action - stainless barrel: Plug the muzzle and chamber as usuall, tape the parting line (front of action) with electricians tape then back up 1/4 inch and tape a heavy duty trash bag to that twice (two layers of plastic) and you should not have any trouble. Just remember not to direct the nozzle at an angle that would allow the beads to be blown under the tape.

Craftsman,

Sorry I didn't phrase my question better, what I meant to say was what are the options when you have a blued action and a stainless barrel (or it could be the other way around I suppose) and you want to do some sort of finish that hopefully will make them less contrasty and more similar to each other. I was wondering what are the options besides bake on finishes?

Thanks,

Mark

Mark White

If you are talking about a stainless barrel and a chrome moly action you can bead blast both together then run them through the bluing tanks, usually the barrel will have a light grey cast, some people like that.

You can blue every thing together then mask off the action and bead blast the barrel, it actually looks pretty good with either wood or synthetic stocks.

Or you can send it out to a smith who has the special chemicals to hot blue stainless steel. It is called Oxynate 84. It will look like a normal hot caustic blue. One caveaut, there are rumors that it will lightly etch the bore, not good.