help blueing of barrels

mountain luke

New member
Tried re-blueing some barrels with birchwood blue and did not work to satisfaction. Would not darken any where close to factory or to where it would look good.

I cleaned these barrels to a polished finish and cleaned with denatured alcohol and wore clean rubber gloves. Fairly sure barrels were cleaned to specs.

Any suggestions on different blue to use and/or techniques.
 
You really cannot match a factory hot blue with cold bluing. I know that is not what you want to hear, but that is pretty much the way it is. If it could be done gunsmiths wouldn't bother to offer the hot blue. Also, even if you can match the color the cold blue just will not hold up as well as the hot blue.
That said, here is some tips you can try...first off, alcohol is not a good degreaser, so get some naptha {I think it says "V M and P Naptha" on the can} or M.E.K {methyl ethyl ketone} for your degreaser. I have used lighter fluid or acetone to some degree of success. Pour some in a glass container and soak a piece of fine steel wool in it to degrease it as well. Let the steel wool dry good. Next warm the part up that you are trying to blue just before you apply the bluing. Make sure you put the solvent away BEFORE you start to warm the part up. Close the can and get it completely out of there,and also the rag you used to wipe it on and off. Next wipe on the cold blue and buff the spot with the dry degreased steel wool. First time it might look as if you didn't do anything. Keep heating, applying and buffing until the part is as blue as it is going to get. That is about the best you can do.
Once in a while you get a piece of steel that just will not take the blue...I don't know why or what is on it to cause this, but there is a powdered cleaner similar to Comet called "Zud" get some and try scrubbing the part with Zud and then go through the process again. Sometimes you need to degrease some parts more than once, even the steel wool. The steel wool will blue too, no big deal. Don't use stainless steel wool or bronze or copper. Plain old ordinary steel wool. Warm means "hot to the touch", but not so hot you cant touch it without getting burned. It doesn't mean glowing orange either. There are many brands of cold blue out there...I have tried them all and can honestly say they are all equally worthless. Cold blue works better for a trigger or hammer or other small part...barrels, I doubt it but you can try.
The best toughest bluing possible can be done at home, it is called rust blue. You need to be able to boil the parts submersed in water.
 
A company called Blue Wonder makes cleaning fluids and also blueing. I saw it used at a gunshow and it looked like it worked really well. I have a tube of their cleaner and it works pretty good. I'm not even sure they are still in business but the products work good.

I did a google search and you can get it online.
 
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Never did get a decent looking cold blue on any barrel I tried with a Birchwood Casey product and a barrel is easier to cold blue than a receiver.

As pyscodog suggested, the Blue Wonder cold blue kit has worked pretty good for me. 2nd to Blue Wonder on satisfaction of finish for me, has been Brownell's Oxpho Blue. The Oxpho is easier to use than blue wonder and costs less. I've seen a barreled action done by a gunsmith using Oxpho that was reallllllly nice looking. Owner of a gun store that showed me the Oxpho blued barreled action for a truck gun he had built was very impressed with it too. But suspect, the gunsmith dipped it in a tank/trough of Oxpho to get the results.

Anyway, with the Blue Wonder, you can apply numerous coats with it and it should increase in darkness/coverage leading to a decent overall finish that does wear well. Mind you, Blue Wonder will oxidize/rust during its curing period. You darn well better keep it well oiled during this time. Also, metal prep for application of Blue Wonder is more critical than with Oxpho. Don't need to concern yourself about oxidation/rust with the Oxpho either. Oxpho wears fairly well too, but you need to make sure your first coat of it is done right. Meaning use numerous pieces of soft absorbent cloth, each wet, not damp, to apply it. More Oxpho you apply in first application, frequently using a fresh piece of cloth, the better should be the results. This is true for Blue Wonder too.

By the way, I've watched one of the creators "aka Chemical Willi," of Blue Wonder Cold Blue demonstrate it at a couple of local gunshows here in the Houston, Tx. area, where it orginated as one of the RB line of gun products. Earlier post, mentioned seeing it demonstrated using a shotgun receiver with great results. Reason the shotgun receiver was used, like I watched "chemical Willi used, was basically because the softer metal in a shotgun receiver takes a cold blue much better than a hardened rifle receiver.

Having written this, chuckle, nothing better than a good hot blue job or rust bluing.
 
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Ya, I know cold blue wont get to where hot blue will. But I have seen several done at home cold blue finishes that come out real good and dark. I like to work on guns, bullets, bows and arrows and I need to get some barrels and pistol slides refinished so I am giving it a shot instead of gunsmith.

Thanks for the info: I will try the oxpho blue, wonder blue and nu-blue. Maybe I will get lucky and find a good one.
 
Forgot to mention, there are two kinds of Oxpho Blue, one a liquid and other a creme. Most users seem to prefer the creme version. I kinda do too, but also use the liquid. Prefer the liquid for dipping small parts, such as screws, into it.
 
I tried the blue types: oxpho blue, wonder blue and nu-blue.

I liked the Nu-blue the best. It actually turned out fairly dark. I used 4 coats and followed the directions. Its not a factory finish but it did turn out good.

the oxpho and wonder did work ok. The Nu-blu tuned out darker and was easy to apply and work with.
 


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