Gun blue

[Steve355Participant @steve355]

Evening

I have in the past been using gun blue to “antique” O1 tool steel parts. I’ve had mixed results. I always try to get the part scrupulously clean and grease free (with degreaser or meths) and then follow the manufacturers instructions, which involves placing the part in a dilute solution for a while.

I often seem to get inconsistencies in the finish, swirl marks, dark patches etc.

Does anyone have any tips for using these products, or other approaches to try?

 

thanks

Steve

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Im sure this has come up before but im blowed if I can get anywhere with the search function.

[Pete RimmerParticipant @peterimmer30576]

What gun blue do you use? I have some G96 which gives a nice even cover so long as you degrease thoroughly but by ‘eck it’s not cheap.

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Steve, which gun blue are you using ? several different ones available, what’s the typical size of the parts you are bluing ?

Most of these are only suitable for small parts or small areas, bigger area more problems, more likely to be uneven or blotchy. Ah! Pete is a faster typer than me

John

 

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Eventually found one of my old posts on the subject, hope it helps…

Rob

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Been doing a bit of cold blueing of Myford ML7 parts. I’ve previously tried a Jenolite paste blue which did work, but not a great finish, so I splashed out on some Phillip’s Cold Blue Solution and I’m much happier with the results. Method used is as follows:

Immerse part in general purpose thinners (modern equivalent of cellulose thinners) and shake it around for a bit to degrease.

Remove from thinners with tweezers, wipe with paper towel and hold in the flame of a blowtorch for a few seconds (until any condensation disappears).

Immerse in solution – I used about 1 part blue to 2 parts tap water – and then, what I think is the most important part, keep brushing all surfaces with a new, clean paintbrush.

Keep doing this for at least five minutes, I went as high as ten minutes on some parts.

Remove from solution, dunk in clean cold tap water.

Remove and spray with WD40, then use fingers to liberally coat all surfaces with new motor oil (20W50 as I had some handy, not synthetic).

Leave for about 24 hours, wipe dry and apply a thin coat of Renaissance Wax with fingers, wait a few hours and buff with soft cloth.

Lovely dark blue, almost black finish that seems to improve slightly over the next few days. I think the heating and brushing are the key points to make it work well.

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[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Here is a link to a video showing a quick rust bluing process using household chemicals USA but I guess the same products will be available here.

I haven’t tried it, I have done lots of rust bluing and caustic hot bluing but this looks an attractive option ?

John

PS a good cold blue dip is the UK made Philips cold blue — contact me if you need this.

Edit — the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmv58Z3RZ9c

 

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

For getting a consistant finish, great attention must be paid to the preparation. Degreasing in multiple stages is a must. Try to get a generally consistant finish on the steel first, but the process can be repeated fairly easily if things don’t quite turn out satisfactory. My efforts have never been as good as the gun barrels I have seen, but they have many years of practice and handed down methods.

[Steve355Participant @steve355]

Thanks all for the input. The stuff I have is the Phillips brand.

I was watching a YouTube video last night of someone doing it. See here

at 12 minutes in. He just paints it on neat and it magically turns black. I tried the same with the Philips stuff and it didn’t do that!

[Fowlers FuryParticipant @fowlersfury]

True, there was a lengthy ‘post’ on the subject prior to the err…upgrade of site.

Good advice above here about critical importance of preparation. I’ve had success with a product purchased from the NRA shop at Bisley ~ but that’s long gone. However it’s available here:-

https://www.mcavoyguns.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p1905_Birchwood_Casey_super_blue.html

Obtaining an even (non-patchy) coating is feasible with that product. The invaluable tip given at Bisley years ago was “after application and washing etc, rub onto the surface black shoe polish, leave for a while then polish off with soft cloth. Repeat the shoe polish treatment regularly to avoid rust formation.”

[Steve355Participant @steve355]

Actually I had a go at it, painting it on neat straight off the grinder. It went very blue immediately. Maybe that’s the secret. Wouldn’t work for guns though.

 

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

I’ve had good results with G96 on several guns back in the day. They call it a ‘creme’, but I’d just say it’s a paste.

I degreased the parts as best I could with meths, washed them in very hot, strong washing-up water and painted the stuff on with brush while the metal was still hot. Then wash again with fresh hot water to get the chemical off, let it dry and cool. Finally oil up. Even olive oil can work well.

The pic’s 20 years old, but it still looks the same today.

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