Ok you guys help me out here. I have mostly stainless synthetic guns at the present and was thinking about having a "pretty" gun made next year. There are a variety of differant type of blueing being applied nowadays it seems?

I loved the deep deep dark blue color almost more black really then blue. What should I ask for or is there someone in particular to send it to for this step? Someone that kind of specializes in this sort of thing?

Tex

Tex,

If you want a pretty rifle then I would have it cold blued, or rust blued . This is the old way.

Todd E

Texas_Hunter,

Listen to Todd. When rust blue is done the old fashioned way it is truly spectacular. Surprisingly nowadays it is not that expensive but it does take some time to do it. You don't just dip it in bluing salts. Each application builds on the one previous and generally only one coat is done per day. I've done as many as 30-40 coats per rifle depending on how each kind of metal takes to the process. But boy oh boy what a finish! It looks like you can reach down through it. Up to a certain point in time all Sporting Mausers were finished with this process.

Bill

If you want it real pretty, the key is in the polishing job. Look over some of his other jobs and form your opinion on those.

Al B,

Only metal to be hot or caustic blued can be polished. Metal to be rust blued has to be bead blasted so that the acid has some texture to act on. But metal prep is very important to any final finish as it lays down the basis for the end result.

Bill

I use a soft wire wheel, as opposed to bead blasting, same effect..I use a cabinet and put the goop on by hand, dip in boiling water then ice and cord..I repeat this process until I get a nice even finish...I prefer a lighter blue color than most, simular to a bead blasted caustic blue...but much finer..

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Ray,

We use the wire wheel for carding after it comes out of the cabinet, then go to the hot water then the acid. I think that it accomplishes the same goal just a different sequence. We also card after the final application then spend quite a bit of time working in coats of oil into the finish. For those that have never seen rust blue, it is not as dull as the description leads you to believe. It has a deep, deep, rich luster. It also wears extremely good. I guess I'm not too prejudiced!

Just some more thoughts.

Bill

Bill

Do you prefer a commercial formula of acid or do you mix your own?

If you mix your own, what is your favorite formula?

Craftsman,

It's a widely available formula that you have to mix up yourself. It's not hard, just tedious. I'll have to look it up and post it.

Bill

How much should I expect to pay for a very nice bluieing job done "the right way" as you gentleman describe?

And one more weird question. I have heard there is a special process that only a few know how to apply that allows a true blued looking finish on a stainless gun? Does anyone have any info on who does this type of work? It may be expensive but it sounds like the best of both worlds?

Thanks so much as always!

Tex

Regarding formulas, there was a thread on them dated 4/09/01 if anyone wants to look it up. An easy way is to use the "search" feature, located in to upper rights section, next to the FAQ's.

Bill T.,
Same thing, different sequence, I do polish the steel, and then cord it prior to my first application of blue, then cord between applications...

Poster ?,
A good true rust blue job should bring about $300. and more from some folks..

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

The best formula is found in James V. Howe's Modern Gunsmith. In the Bluing chapter it is formula #6. It can be mixed up by the user but be careful. Remember the bores MUST be protected. If you need the formula let me know.

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LSF/375

A matte or silk sheen with traditional hot tank bluing is a good alternative. No reflections to scare game and to my eyes a pleasing finish. The matte is obtained by blasting. It certainly beats a poor polishing job.

Just a word of caution. All the best bluing in the world is no good if you end up with a tricolour rifle ie barrel and action one colour, mounts another and scope yet another.
If you pay attention to detail you can get steel scope mounts blasted and blued the same and even some scopes like a Swarovski Nova if you can find a smith who knows about them.

My own rifles are probably cheap in terms of wood and engraving etc and yet the quality engineering is displayed to best advantage because every single piece of metal from barrel to scope is exactly the same colour and sheen.

If you are used to stainless you will need to use some extra care with a blued finish. Allways wipe down with an oily cloth after use even if it didn't get wet. Choose your oil with care, ones with rust removers will remove your bluing gradualy (eg WD40 ever wondered why it's dark every time you wipe your gun over?) and when you've shot a deer pay meticulous attention to not touching the gun with bloodied hands.

The first scratch you'll scream at, after a couple of years it'll aquire a priceless patina that says 'this is working tool but well cared for' After a life time it'll be practicaly silver and a treasured piece. Good luck.

[This message has been edited by 1894 (edited 10-12-2001).]

The problem I have with bead blasting and a hot blue is that you create little craters that hold moisture and cause rusting....

In a rust blue, perhaps these craters are corded away by the wire wheel application after each dose of blue....

Also one must not forget the Charcoal bluing process which is really nice...It was used on colts and early Winchesters, very very nice....The only one I know that does this is Doug Turnbull..His work is always exceptional...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I would definately rust blue, or hot water "rust blue" Never cold blue. The finish is never near as durable as hot or rust blue and looks like cold blue, cheap.

I use Mark Lee's rust blue solution. It is actaully a hot water blue.
I bead blast with a fine grit. i card with the .025 SS wire wheels from Brwonell's.
The carding will end up erasing the bead blast and give you a nice dull sheen that looks wonderfull when next to an oil finished walnut stock.
A trick with the Mark lee's is to, at the end, when your last coat is carded, instead of soaking in baking soda water right away, leave out for two hours before soaking.
This will give you a deeper color and rid you of most any SMALL streaks or spots that are so easy to get doing this type of blue.

Celt

My experience with bead blasting and caustic hot bluing has been differant. The metal is very rust resistant. It could be my technique differs somewhat. I hand polish to 400 grit then bead blast with the very fine glass beads. I like this finish because it looks very much like slow rust blue but not near as much work.

I have observed that if one sand blasts the metal then blue for the heavy matte finish used so much for law enforcement and military type weapons that they are very easily rusted. I think due to the fact that sand blasting actually abrades or cuts the metal leaving sharp craters. Where as glass beads will actually peen the metal and leave a burnished effect. If you look at fine sand under a microscope it will look like jagged rocks where as glass beads look like little marbles.

I used to work for a prison system as an armorer. We had a lot of Remington 870 P shotguns that were sand blasted and parkerized. I was constantly fighting rust on them. The metal was like sandpaper, when you wiped them down with an oily rag they would actually shred the rag from the tiny sharp edges left from the course sandblasting.