Is there an easy way to do this? Is sandpaper/steel wool the only options? How do you get into those impossible to reach places? Is there a secret chemical dip to remove it?

How about using a glass bead blast (not sand!).

Naval jelly will also remove it, as does soldering flux if you are not careful!

Vinegar and scrub with a toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly with water when finished, cold water first and then use boiling water to heat the metal up and enhance evaporation. Spray a coat of WD-40 when it is dry.

clr .. or toilet cleaner... some folks say cokeacola

need to kill with a base, then rinse

You can use the acid that folks put in their swimming pools,and talk to your fire dept about their foam that they put in their water.

quote:

You can use the acid that folks put in their swimming pools

Diluted muratic acid will remove it faster than you can think about it. Degrease first helps.

I used some white vinegar because I had it on hand tonight. It seemed to do a decent job, maybe the stuff was old though. Tomorrow I am going to try the Muratic acid trick. It seems that stuff is Kryptonite for blue! Thanks for all the replies fellas!

If you want it dead clean and don't mind the trouble, here is a sure thing. Get container long enought to hold the part. For a barreled action, I use a piece of metal gutter with the ends capped. Lay enough aluminum shavings from a machine shop or something like that all along the bottom. Place your parts over the aluminum shavings and pour in about a 12oz cup of Hydrocloric acid and stand back. You can get the acid from Home Depot or equivalent in the pool section. Its pretty cheap, only about $5 a gallon. There will be a heck of a lot of fumes and "smoke" but when it cools down and you take it out the metal will be clean. Be careful that there aren't any non-metal parts included. It works great. Wash it off afterwards and bead blast for finish or polish how you want it.

yeah, that will release the blue .. and alot of H2 ..

if you are going to use acid, use heavy gloves and a rag .. and have a tub of slightly ph high (8-9) ready to dunk it in ... wipe it down, might tried watering it down first, then dunk it ... acid may also eat solde,r brass pins, alum. pot metal, etc ....

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
yeah, that will release the blue .. and alot of H2 ..

if you are going to use acid, use heavy gloves and a rag .. and have a tub of slightly ph high (8-9) ready to dunk it in ... wipe it down, might tried watering it down first, then dunk it ... acid may also eat solde,r brass pins, alum. pot metal, etc ....

That reminds me, when I was a kid, we would take AL foil, put it in a coke bottle. Then we would add some lye and water, cap it off with a balloon and have a balloon full of hydrogen. We'd tie 'em off, let 'em go and try and pop 'em with our BB guns before they got out of range. That got boring after a while. Well, knowing that hydrogen is explosive, I wondered what if I tied a string to the balloon, lit the string, and let it go. The fire balls were quite impressive! I'm gonna' have to try it again, maybe next time the grand kids come up for a visit.

Dilute HCL. The pool acid is about 34% I think. That's way too strong. Pour 1 cup of acid into 2 cups of water. Don't pour water into acid. There is no need to use any aluminum. That just generates a lot of hydrogen gas. Neutralize in a cold solution of a base like lye or sodium carbonate. Wire brush the metal and finish to desired level of polish. Or you can get a bottle of Birchwood Casey Blue Remover.

Boric Acid(roach powder) and oxalic acid(wood bleach) work well also. Mix up a 5% by weight solution in hot water. A 15 min bath does a great job and leaves a nice matted finish.

I'm assuming you plug the bore when doing a barrel?

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
I'm assuming you plug the bore when doing a barrel?

Absolutely. The only way I put acid in the bore is if I've got active rust in it.Then only for a few minutes. The old treatment I believe was 5 minutes with 10% nitric acid. Afterward you will need to polish the bore.

Will automotive break cleaner remove blue?
Matt

Brake cleaner will not remove blue.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
knowing that hydrogen is explosive, I wondered what if I tied a string to the balloon, lit the string, and let it go. The fire balls were quite impressive! I'm gonna' have to try it again, maybe next time the grand kids come up for a visit.

Your Grand Kids must love coming to visit you. They will have memories to last a lifetime. I remember things done with my Grandfathers nearly 60 years ago that still bring a smile.

Von Gruff.

Another is Metal Prep , get at auto paint and body supply


I remember as a little kids getting in big trouble, swats and grounded, for doing some of the things at home that Grampa had showed us in his garage. I think grampa got a nasty phone call too.

quote:

I think grampa got a nasty phone call too.

+1 I got a few of those!!!

quote:

Originally posted by airgun1:
Brake cleaner will not remove blue.

Break cleaner removed all the blue from my cast bullet moulds. Just wondering.

rudi's bbq sauce will remove every bit of it!

Toilet bowel cleaner will remove it so will navel jelly. The toilet bowel cleaner will lightly etch the steel and leave it a dull grey. I usually pour it into a small container and use an old toothbrush to scrub the parts, not immerse them in it.

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:

quote:

Originally posted by airgun1:
Brake cleaner will not remove blue.

Break cleaner removed all the blue from my cast bullet moulds. Just wondering.

I've never had brake cleaner remove any blueing. Are you sure it was brake cleaner?

I am betting it was aluminum molds and it wasn't blue.

They were lyman leaded steel moulds.

Hard to say what they coated those with. I have never seen brake cleaner affect gun blue in the least.

Also I have been meaning to add that some folks here sure use some harsh methods to remove blue! I tend to be a little more gentle on the old barrel than some folks here. I don't like my bore getting remotely exposed to harsh chemicals any more than I have to, i.e. hot dip blueing, rust blueing etc as the limits. Sure the bore is plugged but the plugs were made to with stand blueing methods. Some of those removers might have the capacity to eat away the plugs and harm the bore. Not worth the risk to me. I prefer to remove the blue gently with vinegar and a scotch brite pad and also using a tooth brush in the nooks and crannys with steel wool as a last resort on stubborn spots. Pink toilet cleaners do a quick job on other parts, but not my choice for the barrel!

Well after doing some research on the Muratic acid, I decided against it (this even after buying a gallon). It seems like this is a great way to cause steel to rust. Maybe this is true, maybe not, but I didn't want to risk it.

I used vinegar and a fine wire wheel on my Dremel to remove blue from the small internal parts. I have the frame and slide pretty well taken care of on the outside and easy to reach places, but there seem to be some impossible to reach places inside the frame.

Naval jelly is very effective and easy to use.

Just apply it and rinse it off with hot water. No elbow grease needed.

Only problem is that last time I went looking for it at the hardware store I couldn't find it.

A spicy bloody mary will remove the blue from your duck gun.

quote:

Naval jelly is very effective and easy to use.

Just apply it and rinse it off with hot water. No elbow grease needed.

Only problem is that last time I went looking for it at the hardware store I couldn't find it.


MR

Did the punk kid behind the counter give you a look like you were from outer space when you asked for it? I had to get a vacuum check valve for the brake line on my truck a few years back, got one of those looks. Glad I didn't ask for a pet cock.

What is the goal here? Refinish the pistol? Great, polish it properly,then refinish properly. Send it to someone who can do a real blue job. You saved money on the polish and someday, with practice, you will do a better job than he can. There is no earthly reason to dip the thing in acid for anything to be done at theis level of sophistication. The remaianing blue will help show whare you have been. Polishing should be done with wet dry paper backed with a file of other dead flat object. Work down to at least 320 grit.

Never ever polish a gun with out a backer. No buffing wheels and never , EVER, let the Dremmil in the same room as a gun! Dremmils have no use in gunsmithing. Really, Dremmil tools have trashed huge numbers of guns. I know it seems logical and tempting but step away. Save it for shining pennies or whatever they are for.

This is an old beater 1911 and this is the first time I have had it completely apart, so I am using it as a learning experience.

The goal is to rebuild the gun and refinish it (better feeding and extraction). I got a spring and pin kit from Brownell's and a Kart EZ fit barrel. As much as I'd like to have it professionally blued, the resident gunsmith wants $180, and that's a little pricey for me right now. So for the time being I am going to Duracoat it.

Thanks for the polishing tip, I will give the wet/dry 320 a go. Should I start with a few applications of heavier grit first? If so, what?

That looks like a good project. It is a shame you don't have a friend who is a gunsmith or at least a gunsmith who has been blueing for a lot of years. Most gunsmiths around here would be finishing that blue job for you for $50.00. You may have to wait 2 weeks until they get enough guns ready for blueing to make it worth their while.

ETA: That 320 is the rough coat. I would switch to 400 then 600 in a hurry. You may use a bit of a heavier grit if you are changing the contours of the feed ramp and ejection port, but make sure you know what you want it to look like, i.e. copy a known model's.

I would recommend you not duracoat that. Duracoat works fine on non-moving parts such as AR 15's etc. Take a look into home parkerizing kits. I know folks who do it on the kitchen stove. There are also mail order outfits that offer metal finish way more affordable than $180 for a 1911!!