What the best blueing remover that you guys have used that not only works well, but also works fast? This is for caustic blue, by the way.

Muriatic acid. Removes it on contact. you will have to make a solution of baking soda to counteract any left over acid after washing it down.

I've used that before, but I'm kinda leary of it due to the fact that you can easily etch the material. I'd like to find something that was a little safer, if that's possible.

Bye the way Chic, I looked for you at Reno, but all I saw was a vacant booth. Must have been doing some looking yourself when we came by. Sorry I missed you. Maybe next year.

matt---

All of them have phosphoric and muiatic acid in them. Naval Jelly works very fast on hot dip blue but leaves behind a residue of rust resistant phosphorus (think silver Parkerizing). It has to be polished before rebluing.

The best way to strip without a residue is Muriatic used cut half and half with water. DON'T use in the bore!!! Adjust the mix until the blue leaves and the metal remains just slightly frosted.

Like Chic said, baking soda and water will kill the action.

Good seeing you in Reno.

Thanks guys. Guess I'll go back to the same system I've been using. Kinda hopeing somebody came up with something better, but I'll survive. I've been wanting to give the Naval Jelly a whirl, but haven't been able to get a hold of any of it. I looked through Brownells and haven't seen it. Maybe I'm blind, or they don't put in an obvious location.

Nice to finally meet you too Jack. Did you get a chance to tour the taxidermy shop near the airport? It's called Animal Artistry. They were supplying the majority of the mounts at SCI and from what I'm told, they take care of all of the Cabela's stores' mounts as well. My cousin has been working there for a little over a year, so we stopped in to get a look at the work. Pretty impressive, to say the least.
How'd you like that weather. Friday is a record high of 73deg., and it snowed Saturday. And I thought we had weird weather over here.

Matt, sorry I missed you too. Jack and I were running a contest to see who would not be in their booth the largest part of the show. I think I beat him but Steve Nelson won hands down for the overall group. I think he put out all his rifles from the hallway and that was as close as he got. I consider that cheating.

BTW, the agent used to create a French Gray engraving is a weak solution of Mutiatic acid also. I have spent many hours with rust bluing and a tooth pic. Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrape ad nauseum.

matt--

Look at the hardware store or paint store for Naval Jelly. I've never seen either without it.

I've been through Animal Artistry several times. Great place and smells better than the old Jonas Bros. in Denver.

Vinegar works pretty good as a blue and rust remover. Regards, Bill.

To my utter disgust, I've learned that good 'ol Mountain Dew takes off blueing like you wouldn't believe. Break a bottle in your packsack, and your Combat Commander will never be the same again...

I can't compare it to other products since I have never used any but vinegar has took the bluing off of a few rifles for me pretty effortlessly. I do know from a mishap of my brother-in-law that cat pee will also do a fine job of stripping the blueing from a new 45-70 Marlin.

Birchwood Casey Bluing Remover has worked well for me. But I guess cat pee would be cheaper if you can get the cat to cooperate.
Dale

Yes you have to polish it before reblueing...
So use chrome-polish(Sonax for cars for example) with a small drilling mashine and a felt-drill! The blueing will be removed.
It works perfect and you do�nt have to polish either.

[ 02-07-2003, 13:46: Message edited by: Safarischorsch ]

bead blasting does the trick, too..

I hate the STENCH of BC rust/blue remover... and white viniger or acetic acid will take it right off... In any case, make sure you rinse/wash the metal afterward... and, if you are not going to drop into a bluing process immediately, then you need to oil NOW!!!

anyone ever use evaporust?

Should the cat pee be diluted or used full strength?

Well hell, I suppose if cat piss, vinegar, and mountan dew will take it off, then Massengil should too!!
The muratic acid is sounding better all the time.

Matt--

I've never tried Massengil for rust removal but it's the best stuff I've ever tried on a skunked dog. I mix it in with a can of frozen grapefruit juice and a gallon of water. It works WONDERS!!

A friend has a gunsafe with a small hole in the back (for a heater?). Some mice found their way into the safe which is in his garage. Mouse pee makes a mess of blued firearms. If stored muzzle down, they might not be able to sit on the muzzle and pee on the barrel.

RUST!!!

Try toilet bowl cleaner, the commercial stuff. It wil out strip any thing I have tried. Use with caution it smokes and bubbles, the fumes chokes you too. But it works fast and it's cheep.

Bluing & parkerizing remover,
Here I am Konfused in Kalispell all the while half certain it is another age thing, but gee fellers what in hell is the problem with the commercial-read that industrial Butyl Cellusolv/Phosphoric acid preparations available in most automotive pro-paint distribution outlets?
You cut it 2 to 1 if you use it at room temp, 4 to 1 ( cut with tap water) if you use a vat and heat it to about 125 deg F. It does leave a wipe off with a rag residue and if you dunk it in the vat for about 30 seconds the blue is gone, gone gone. You can get a fair idea of the durability of the various rust blues by how many seconds it takes vanish. The toughest to get off was the pre-war F.N. / Browning blue looking blue. It used a hot boil of lime water and selenous or selenic acid in solution. Never could find out the combination of acid to lime water, but the blue came off a little slower because the phosphoric acid had to first get through that lime coating minimal though it was. The Sherwin Williams (OPEX) automotive paint supplier sold Metal-Prep brand , made in Detroit. There were other brands one of which was available here and called "Duo- Etch". When I learned a few things about removing fender wrinkles and shrinking the over stretched metal The body & fender guys used this stuff on the bare sanded steel and body solder if they were going to have to leave the painting 'til next day. You cold water rinse after the blue is gone, and instead of blowing off dry with air hose it is easier to boil the parts and let them air dry. Reason sody pop is a good blue remover is because it contains Phosphoric acid, So ,too, does Naval Jelly. Read the labels ! If you don't like Phosphoric acid then you can use Citric acid ( comes as crystals) or Potassium Bi Sulphate- also crystals. It turns to acid in the presence of iron compounds. I read all these threads with real amazemant. I have spent a lot of years diligently not coining the money in the gun trade by doing things the hard way- especially when it appeared I might be getting near entry level to the official poverty line. Most of the descriptions of how to -preceeding this show me that I'm going to of necessity have to learn far more about how to do things the hard way. Sheesh. Makes me tired just to think about it.

Ok there you have it the master of all that is metal has spoken...If T. Burgess hasn't figued it out by now, then it cannot be figured out, that I assure you...

Blood is pretty efficient judging by my rifle

Since blueing is rust, try this:

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm