I have a model 94xtr Winchester and the receiver has turned a rusty looking color. no Idea why. Maybe acid or something on the hands. The rifle was mfg. in 1981 really nice wood and checkering, and it has never been shot. Safe Queen. the only one I have. No value to anyone but me. I was thinking of getting it re-blued. Has Anyone sent a rifle to Winchester for a bluing job, what was the out come?
Posts: 2134 | Location: Ohio | Registered: 26 June 2000
Winchester is no longer in business. The “new” Winchester will not work on your rifle. You are better off finding a local gunsmith who will properly polish and blue it for you.
Before you do anything try liberally coating the affected area in Kroil, let it stay on it over night. Then take some fine steel wool with Kroil on it and carefully scrub the rust. You will remove it and save the remaining blue. If you scrub too hard and don't use Kroil you will remove the blue.
Posts: 5604 | Location: Eastern plains of Colorado | Registered: 31 October 2005
Likely problem is that the receiver is cast and they had a lot of problems blueing them and then having it last. The flecking you see is typical. Some receivers were iron plated and then blued.
Rust blueing won't work. I've seen Dicropan M work and Dulite has a product that they claim will blue it. There is an outfit in SC that can titanium nitride it with a dark blue finish. Looks like rust blueing. I guarantee you that won't come off!
Posts: 3780 | Location: SC,USA | Registered: 07 March 2002
Originally posted by Bobster: Likely problem is that the receiver is cast and they had a lot of problems blueing them and then having it last. The flecking you see is typical. Some receivers were iron plated and then blued.
Rust blueing won't work. I've seen Dicropan M work and Dulite has a product that they claim will blue it. There is an outfit in SC that can titanium nitride it with a dark blue finish. Looks like rust blueing. I guarantee you that won't come off!
Yup. You're right. It's a plated receiver. Don't strip it off because it won't take a blue. You will end up having to get someone to paint it. That's worse than what you have now!
Just sayin!
When I was a kid. I had the stick. I had the rock. And I had the mud puddle. I am as adept with them today, as I was back then. Lets see today's kids say that about their IPods, IPads and XBoxes in 45 years! Rod Henrickson
Posts: 2542 | Location: Edmonton, Alberta Canada | Registered: 05 June 2005
Dicropan M was used like a hot water blue. Let me contact the 'smith that did it and I'll see if you two can connect. He did sandblast the receiver prior. I tried to rust blue it with no effect.
Bob
Posts: 3780 | Location: SC,USA | Registered: 07 March 2002
I polish these receivers and leave them bright. That looks better than a purple blue job, or the flaked finish they naturally get, or, painted. They are some sort of cast iron alloy.
Posts: 17275 | Location: USA | Registered: 02 August 2009
Thanks for all the information. not too much you can do unless you want a shiny or a maybe a blotched plumb receiver. the kroil did make it look a little darker. Ill try a few applications.
Posts: 2134 | Location: Ohio | Registered: 26 June 2000
94's in those years were made from some weird graphitic cast steel. They were iron plated and hot blued over the iron plating. Polishing them for caustic blue removes the plating and the base metal will not blue very well, if at all. I have had excellent results with Pilkingtons rust blue on one, and others were polished bright and then clear Gun Koted with all the other parts and screws blued. Looked quite nice.
Jeffeosso, I was thinking about that a few days ago, the most claim its an electro platting. you would think someone has figured out Winchesters process. I sent an Email to Winchester to see if they would recommend anyone.
Posts: 2134 | Location: Ohio | Registered: 26 June 2000
Doug Humbarger NRA Life member Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club 72'73. Yankee Station
Try to look unimportant. Your enemy might be low on ammo.
Posts: 8350 | Location: Jennings Louisiana, Arkansas by way of Alabama by way of South Carloina by way of County Antrim Irland by way of Lanarkshire Scotland. | Registered: 02 November 2001
Winchester was set up to do them by the thousands for more than 10 years in a manufacturing scenario. Seems like the plating and then bluing process for only one or two receivers would be way too much trouble, unless you are dying to experiment. Slow rust bluing worked excellent on the ones I have tried. Much more durable than the original finish, too.
Originally posted by jeffeosso: anyone ever try replating them? just wondering
Frank Brownell describes how he and a partner did some back in the sixties. The article is in one of the Gunsmith Kink books. The process and equipment they came up with was not reliable.
I’ve redone a bunch of them but was never asked to make one glossy. I beadblast then acid etch before boiling in Brownells’ stainless salts. They come out looking nice.
John Farner
If you haven't, please join the NRA!
Posts: 2944 | Location: Corrales, NM, USA | Registered: 07 February 2001
