I have about everything required to start rust bluing my barrels. Need to know what works best to protect the bore and threads from the boiling water. Have heard of using shalac or stock finish, anything better. Dont like the idea of wood plugs or threaded rods in the bore. Thank You

FORGET IT!...

In all seriousness, it is not possible. If you use oil or other coating, it corrupts the blueing process chemicals. If you plug the barrel, as the heat increases the risk of explosion when the plugs blow out... AIN'T WORTH IT. You can apply cold blue hot, by heating the metal with a torch before you swab it on, but that is about the only way I have heard of. (Taught me by a friend/ part time gunsmith.)

On the "other side of the coin..." Your finish will be a molecule or three deep. Maybe 5. The first couple shots and it is gone. It will come out with the cleaning. Unless you are talking a .22 rimfire. Lead bullets and you might have to fire a couple boxes. It is a "controlled rusting process" and anything that cuts copper and "corrosion" will cut it apart from the friction of the bullet...

Am. Rifleman had an article on barrel wear couple decades back. The scientific concensus was that each shot the nitrogen gases produced by burning powder react with a tiny layer of barrel steel. The nitrides formed are scrubbed away with the next shot. Heavier loads cause more reaction. Higher temperature/pressure. (.30/30 will last alot longer than a .300 Magnume, any.)

Dunk the whole barrel and don't worry. You won't know the difference unless you can shoot 1,000 times better than I and that still won't be all that great... luck.

quote:

Originally posted by iiranger:
FORGET IT!...

In all seriousness, it is not possible. If you use oil or other coating, it corrupts the blueing process chemicals. If you plug the barrel, as the heat increases the risk of explosion when the plugs blow out... AIN'T WORTH IT. You can apply cold blue hot, by heating the metal with a torch before you swab it on, but that is about the only way I have heard of. (Taught me by a friend/ part time gunsmith.)

On the "other side of the coin..." Your finish will be a molecule or three deep. Maybe 5. The first couple shots and it is gone. It will come out with the cleaning. Unless you are talking a .22 rimfire. Lead bullets and you might have to fire a couple boxes. It is a "controlled rusting process" and anything that cuts copper and "corrosion" will cut it apart from the friction of the bullet...

Am. Rifleman had an article on barrel wear couple decades back. The scientific concensus was that each shot the nitrogen gases produced by burning powder react with a tiny layer of barrel steel. The nitrides formed are scrubbed away with the next shot. Heavier loads cause more reaction. Higher temperature/pressure. (.30/30 will last alot longer than a .300 Magnume, any.)

Dunk the whole barrel and don't worry. You won't know the difference unless you can shoot 1,000 times better than I and that still won't be all that great... luck.

It is possible. Simply paint the bore with lacquer then remove when done. I've used wood plugs but you will need to keep the solution off the muzzle or it will leach into the bore. No need to protect the threads.

Whether the bore NEEDS to be protected is a matter open to debate, much debate but it can be done.

I have used soft wooden plugs tapped into the bore at the muzzle and into the chamber with no ill effects when boiling to convert the broowne to a black color. You have to have something to hold onto while handling the barrel after degreasing because you can't touch the steel!

As Rem721 says, DON'T let any bluing solution get onto the surface of the muzzle. Leave the muzzle bright....

quote:

Originally posted by John in LV:
I have about everything required to start rust bluing my barrels. Need to know what works best to protect the bore and threads from the boiling water. Have heard of using shalac or stock finish, anything better. Dont like the idea of wood plugs or threaded rods in the bore. Thank You

John,

When you are done place the barreled action in water displacing oil for an hour or so. It will remove any water trapped within the action/threads.

What kind of rust blue solution are you using? When I was in Gunsmithing school we used Mark Lee solution and it works great.

Corbin

quote:

Originally posted by corbin shell:

quote:

Originally posted by John in LV:
I have about everything required to start rust bluing my barrels. Need to know what works best to protect the bore and threads from the boiling water. Have heard of using shalac or stock finish, anything better. Dont like the idea of wood plugs or threaded rods in the bore. Thank You

John,

When you are done place the barreled action in water displacing oil for an hour or so. It will remove any water trapped within the action/threads.

What kind of rust blue solution are you using? When I was in Gunsmithing school we used Mark Lee solution and it works great.

Corbin

The water displacing oil is a given however you have me puzzled by your statement about removing oil from the action/threads. When rust bluing, the barrel & receiver should be seperated.

Mark Lee's express blue is fine when you want a job done quick but it is prone to multi colors. There are better choices on the market.

In the past, used lacquer to coat the bore and when the job is finished, cleaned it out with paint thinner or acetone. It worked ok but, IMHO, is an unnecessary step.

Now when I rust blue, I leave the bore unprotected in the boiling water. When the metal is removed from the water, it dries immediately.

After carding, I run a clean patch using a degreased rod through the barrel to remove any crud left from the water. I do this after each boil.

I have yet to see any adverse effect on the bore using this method.

I quit worrying abouit a while back, too. I do exactly what Mauser98 does with no ill effect.

Dear John:

My sole experience with rust bluing chrome moly barrels and Mauser receivers was with the Mark Lee solution. I left the barrel bore open and after the final soak in the bicarbinate solution to stop the rusting chemical reaction, I found no ill effects in the bore. I just scrubbed it out, hit it with acetone or brake cleaner, and oiled it.

What I would do next time, and what I do on my Mauser receivers when I rust blue them is to fill "all" the holes threaded and non-threaded, including the barrel threads in the receiver with Permatex silicon sealant at least one day before I rust blue. I found that by rust bluing the receiver and barrel threads, I ended up with a little more thread slop than I would like in a high pressure fitting. Same problem with the scope base threaded holes.

I did not see any adverse or reactive effects to the bluing with the Permatex in the holes and threads.

You can handle the barrel, just use new heavy duty dish washing rubber gloves and wash them with distilled water. You can pull the barrel out of the boiling water by the threads and use a tight finger at the muzzle and you won't disturb anything in the finish. If the water is too hot with only the gloves on use a clean piece of "U" shaped stainless steel wire at the threaded end of the barrel to lift it out.

The hot water didn't bother me, because I've been a motor head for thirty years, and am used to burning my hands in hot oil, coolant, exhaust manifolds, etc., so the gloves were enough.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

Yale,

If the Mark Lee solution left you with sloppy threads then I submit the threads themselves weren't right to begin with. His solution just isn't that agressive. And even with more agressive solutions I've never had the thread fit loosen.

Dear Rem:

I am a perfectionist, and the barrel and action finish after the first job wasn't right. It was my first foray into rust bluing at the time. So, you are correct in that after the first time, the threads were still okay. It was a pre-threaded and long chambered Pac-nor.

I re-blued it twice more until I had an acceptable finish. After the two additional re-bluings, I had a slightly sloppy barrel thread and scope base screw fit.

My mistake was twofold: 1. surface preparation wasn't perfect (I had a painting business in high school and college and kicked myself for a less than perfect surface preparation on the steel, because I knew better) and 2. I sanded the barrel and receiver surface to a 400 grit finish, a bit too smooth. I now have the receiver surface either sandblasted or sand it to a 220 grit finish with the bottom metal and barrel surfaces sanded to a 320 grit surface. The evenness and color are now much better overall.

The key is surface preparation, using acetone after warming the barrel up to open the pores, thereby removing all the oil in the steel and not sanding the surface too smooth.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis