quote:

Originally posted by 22WRF:
So, you all take your barrels off of the action for this job?????

I did until I realized it was unecessary. A good proper neutralization and thorough drying are enough.

John,

If you wish I will xerox some instructions and illustrations done by John Bivins (he used to write articles for Rifle circa 1980). The directions and Illustrations are directed toward building a "rust bluing cabinet".

Also, the 1/2 moon/blue moon/moon pie barrel and gunsmith supply in Columbia Falls, Mt. sells Gun Goddess bluing solution and all sorts of rust bluing supplies. He will also send instructions and diagrams for a rust bluing cabinet when you buy some supplies from him. Those supplies are very good.

As soon as a local finish grade carpenter finishes my cabinet, I will post pictures. We have 20% humidity in this part of Idaho, so a cabinet is pretty necessary.

LD

I tried a few different solutions and got more frustration than bluing done. Tried the Mark Lee stuff, and even some concotions from R. H. Angiers book. (Great book on blueing by the way..) I managed to create some blueing but my biggest issue was trying to get it to look consistant. Maybe I should try one of those wheels.. I have had some degree of success with Dicropan IM of all things though. It is interesting stuff. A bit different from most other express blues.

Have any of you gents done the cabinet method or do you mostly use express blue?

Never used a cabinet just because the Texas Gulf Coast is so humid.

Not saying this applies to you but I think some folks get uneven or spotty results because the metal prep is uneven, not the bluing. The slightest difference in surface treatment will be exagerated by rust bluing. The polish has to be very uniform, regardless of the final grit size. I think that's why a lot of people use a very low pressure grit blast after polishing.

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:
I tried a few different solutions and got more frustration than bluing done. Tried the Mark Lee stuff, and even some concotions from R. H. Angiers book. (Great book on blueing by the way..) I managed to create some blueing but my biggest issue was trying to get it to look consistant. Maybe I should try one of those wheels.. I have had some degree of success with Dicropan IM of all things though. It is interesting stuff. A bit different from most other express blues.

Have any of you gents done the cabinet method or do you mostly use express blue?

I use the cabinet method. Haven't used any of the express blues. I use either Gun Goddess or Laurel Mountain Forge solutions. Both work very well, Laurel Mtn. is IMO a bit more "user friendly". One thing to keep in mind, there is no such thing as too clean when it comes to cold rust bluing. Degrease, degrease, and degrease again. A very light application of the bluing solution is all that is needed. I usually
leave the parts in the damp box 6-8 hours, any longer and the pieces may develop pitting from the rusting process. Remove the pieces from the cabinet and water boil for 5-10 minutes. Some guys use distilled or rain water, here I use tap water, it works fine, YMMV. Then card the pieces with steel wool or a wire wheel. I prefer the wheels over the steel wool and run the wheel right around 600 rpm (+/-). Repeat the process until you are satisfied with the results, 6-8 (+/-) applications is average/typical. The results are, indeed, worth the time and effort.

Forgot to mention, I get my carding wheels from Jim Baiar's Half Moon Rifle Shop.

My directions was hell bent on useing a clean cloth with every wipe down. I did this, but is it really that necessary?

I'm not sure what you mean by "wipe-down" but I never touch the metal with anything but the carding media from start to finish. I keep my carding wheel on that drill and have both dedicated to bluing. Lately I've been using a long stainless cleaning rod to handle the hot barreled action. I can hold the handle and tip and never touch the parts.

I would think that anything more is just increasing the odds of contamination. I also ditch the latex gloves and use a new pair each cycle.

quote:

My directions was hell bent on useing a clean cloth with every wipe down. I did this,

Should have made it more clear! When applying the blue...new clean rag, new clean gloves, and uncontaminated blue solution! This I did and why I used more of the solution then need be...But I think the failure has to do with the heat and humidity...will be building a damp box. I suspect its like hot caustic blueing, when it come to cross contanation, the cleaner everything is the better the end results!

quote:

Originally posted by srtrax:
When applying the blue...new clean rag, new clean gloves, and uncontaminated blue solution! This I did and why I used more of the solution then need be...

I have read that you want to use less rusting solution each pass, as too much solution can remove the rust from the last round.

I believe Pilkington's directions state that the cloth should be saturated at the beginning, then placed in a zip-lock bag after each pass. This way the rag has slightly less solution each pass.(at least that's the way I remember it, but I am often FOS)

Contamination should not be an issue if everything is clean.

I understand now. I've only used Gun Goddess, primarily because it has always worked well for me.

It is applied by putting only enough on a cotton ball to dampen the surface of the particular piece. Less is better; one barely damp cotton ball will treat an entire barreled action. If it gets a wet look you've used too much and it will streak because the rusting is uneven. The cotton is tossed each time so there's no chance of contamination. A 4 oz bottle is enough for 6 or 7 long arms.

quote:

but I am often FOS)

Thanks Jason, that sounds like something I'll try next time.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
Never used a cabinet just because the Texas Gulf Coast is so humid.

Well, I sure wished I had one this weekend. I had to do some small parts for a friend and had hell getting the rust started due to the cold spell and low humidity. I finally had to put the parts on a paper towel, add a few drops of water to the paper and turm a glass upside down over them to trap the moisture. It still took overnight to generate the rust coat I can get in a couple of hours in open air during the summer.

The air around here is dry and I use this plastic box with a lid. I like it because I can look in to it without opening it.

I put water in the blue pan and put all my small parts, up to an action size on the expanded metal. There is some fine nylon mesh for small screws and the like.

I use warm water for the first go-around and only let it stand for an hour. Boil and card then about three house after that for the other rust time.

Has worked well for me and everything from the local stores.

That's what I needed, Michael! Is that rack brass or cadmium plated?

Out of curiousness, do you plug the bores to prevent any internal rusting?

First, you wouldn't plug the bore because the internal pressure from boiling the barrel is likely to pop the plugs out. You might want to coat it with lacquer. I've found no reason with the way I do it. Because of the normal humidity here, I'm usually done with the whole process in 4-5 hours. That's well before the bore gets a chance to rust. But I think if I were using a cabinet or other artificial means I would be inclined to coat the bore.

quote:

Originally posted by raamw:
Out of curiousness, do you plug the bores to prevent any internal rusting?

I've coated the bore with lacquer then removed it with acetone when the job is done. The process worked but I decided it was an unnecessary step.

Now I degrease the bore before starting the job. When the barrel is removed from the boiling water, it drys immediately. I run a clean patch using a degreased rod through the bore to remove boiling crud.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
That's what I needed, Michael! Is that rack brass or cadmium plated?

It's plated, I think its for a paint roller if I remember correctly.

The fine mesh is some sort of wall repair tape.

All very hardware store.

I'm am not set up to do barrels. Before I send a barrel off for blue I fill the bore with shellac, drain it and repeat two to three times and let dry.

When I get the barrel back I fill with alcohol and let it dissolve the shellac.