best gun blueing chemicals
03-31-2006, 11:01 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 137
best gun blueing chemicals
I'm looking for a better gun blueing kit than the one from birchwood. I'm happy with the rest of the products in the kit but the blueing chemicals suck I followed the instructions exactly and it came out blotchy and odd colorations. if anybody has any suggestions I would apprecitate any offered
03-31-2006, 02:21 PM
#2
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location:
Posts: 294
RE: best gun blueing chemicals
hello jager,
Lets start off by saying that you are not the first person that has used birchwood casey's gun blue and had the finish turn out uneven.
I have tried for the life of me to make the bluing come even. I have even tried polishing the bluing out with the finest steel wool and a coat of good oil. But I found that the darker spots seem to rub right off and show bare metal after I polish it. (I polish very very lightly too) I find that the lighter blue / darker grey spots seem to hold up well to the polishing,(Even whenpolishing is done harshly.) I assume that the bluing had taken to that area of the steel better and thats why it was harder to come off.
I too had taken every measure to wear rubber gloves,pre-polish, degrease 3 times and be as even and clean as possible.I followed the instructions to a T and still no even bluing.
However, I have found good success with blue wonder's gun blue. I have seen where some people do not have good results with this product also.
I have found good results. I find that if you follow the directions you will acheive a very dark even blue (its more like black) The only setback thatI have heard is that the bluing is not that sturdy. (some people have actually had the bluing rub right off (even with oil) directly after bluing.
I have a winchester model 12 that I restored with blue wonder's gun blue and it is fabulous. Its finish is "JET BLACK" and is 100% even. I can put the gun under all sorts of lights and the finish is even and black as possible. I also can apply oil and even polish with fine steel wool and the finish will never come off.
I believe the trick is applying the bluing when the steelis at the "correct" temperature. This is the tricky; but most crutial part. I found that I have made "weaker" or unstable bluing when I keep applying heat to the steel.
I find that ifI heat the steel up and apply (lets say the first 3 coats) it works better.During this time the steel is cooling slightly. I like to let those 3 coats of bluing stand for about 1 or 2 minutes, this is when I really start applying the coats. I have put on up to 15 coats on a gun. I apply 2 coats at a time and let the bluing (completely) dry and cool before I apply the next 2 coats.
I wait until the bluing almost turns a grey whitish color. (Wait until it is completely this color,before youapply the next 2 coats.) keep going untill you are reaching your desired darkness. Then apply the blue wonder's DEVELOPER. Let the developer stand (undisturbed) for 6 or 7 hours. Dont let it stay on the gun for over 8 hours; Itcould actually start taking the bluing off the steelin a black granular like form. (make sure to apply the bluing AND the developer with gloves. Dont rub the developer on the steel hard. Lightly glaze over the bluing with with a bead of the developer. Also, dont Ever apply the developer while the steel is still hot, infact dont even apply it when it is even slightly warm. Wait until the gun is COMPLETELY cool. I wait sometimes 20-25 minutes.
After the developer has sat for the 6 or 7 hours, you must remove the developer. I take a very very clean silicone cloth and saturate it very heavily with rem oil. Then I lightly "touch the heavily saturated cloth over the bluing. I do not rub hard at all. Just lightly let the oils slide over the top of it. keep saturating the cloth and wiping until all the developer appears off. (you will be able to tell. the developer is thicker than rem oil) You will see black on your cloth. this is bluing that was still in the developer. (dont worry about this)
Hopefully there are no bare spots in your bluing. If there is, this could be due oil remnants from improper cleaning or even not letting the steel completely cool. (even fingerprint oils can cause the bluing not to take) So take every precaution to be as clean and degrease the polished steel as possible.
After you oil your gun, let it stand overnight or atleast 12 hours. Then take your blue wonder's gun cleaner, and generously apply it to the oiled bluing. (Make sure to remove the the gun cleaner as quickly as possible after you apply it to the oil.) Do not work the gun cleaner into the blue. Dont even let the gun cleaner stay on the bluing for a long period. As soon as you apply it, wipe it off.
After you have completely cleaned the bluing of oil, take a hair dryer and heat up the steel again. Let the steel completely cool before applying another round of the gun cleaner. Again, apply it generously and wipe the gun cleaner off. Now heat up the steel so it is good and hot, and apply 3 more coats of blue wonder's gun bluing. Repeat the steps again for the cooling process before applying more coats of bluing. (2 coats at a time)
Do this untill the steel gets so black that it almost looks like gloss black paint. Allow the steel to completely dry and then applyblue wonder'sdeveloper. This time you will only let the developer sit for 2- 3 hours. After the 2-3 hours, you will repeat the the oiling steps after this with a clean heavily oiled cloth (making sure to remove all the developer)
It is at this point that you will have a very dark, very even, and very sturdy bluing.
It is a long process, and it took me even longer to find out what worked best for me. It was many times of trial and error, but this one seems to work best for me.
I hope this helps and goodluck.
Oxpho blue also is supposed to be very sturdy, but its only drawback is that the bluing doesn't seem very dark. ( I assumed you wanted to get a close match on a dark bluing color)
Lets start off by saying that you are not the first person that has used birchwood casey's gun blue and had the finish turn out uneven.
I have tried for the life of me to make the bluing come even. I have even tried polishing the bluing out with the finest steel wool and a coat of good oil. But I found that the darker spots seem to rub right off and show bare metal after I polish it. (I polish very very lightly too) I find that the lighter blue / darker grey spots seem to hold up well to the polishing,(Even whenpolishing is done harshly.) I assume that the bluing had taken to that area of the steel better and thats why it was harder to come off.
I too had taken every measure to wear rubber gloves,pre-polish, degrease 3 times and be as even and clean as possible.I followed the instructions to a T and still no even bluing.
However, I have found good success with blue wonder's gun blue. I have seen where some people do not have good results with this product also.
I have found good results. I find that if you follow the directions you will acheive a very dark even blue (its more like black) The only setback thatI have heard is that the bluing is not that sturdy. (some people have actually had the bluing rub right off (even with oil) directly after bluing.
I have a winchester model 12 that I restored with blue wonder's gun blue and it is fabulous. Its finish is "JET BLACK" and is 100% even. I can put the gun under all sorts of lights and the finish is even and black as possible. I also can apply oil and even polish with fine steel wool and the finish will never come off.
I believe the trick is applying the bluing when the steelis at the "correct" temperature. This is the tricky; but most crutial part. I found that I have made "weaker" or unstable bluing when I keep applying heat to the steel.
I find that ifI heat the steel up and apply (lets say the first 3 coats) it works better.During this time the steel is cooling slightly. I like to let those 3 coats of bluing stand for about 1 or 2 minutes, this is when I really start applying the coats. I have put on up to 15 coats on a gun. I apply 2 coats at a time and let the bluing (completely) dry and cool before I apply the next 2 coats.
I wait until the bluing almost turns a grey whitish color. (Wait until it is completely this color,before youapply the next 2 coats.) keep going untill you are reaching your desired darkness. Then apply the blue wonder's DEVELOPER. Let the developer stand (undisturbed) for 6 or 7 hours. Dont let it stay on the gun for over 8 hours; Itcould actually start taking the bluing off the steelin a black granular like form. (make sure to apply the bluing AND the developer with gloves. Dont rub the developer on the steel hard. Lightly glaze over the bluing with with a bead of the developer. Also, dont Ever apply the developer while the steel is still hot, infact dont even apply it when it is even slightly warm. Wait until the gun is COMPLETELY cool. I wait sometimes 20-25 minutes.
After the developer has sat for the 6 or 7 hours, you must remove the developer. I take a very very clean silicone cloth and saturate it very heavily with rem oil. Then I lightly "touch the heavily saturated cloth over the bluing. I do not rub hard at all. Just lightly let the oils slide over the top of it. keep saturating the cloth and wiping until all the developer appears off. (you will be able to tell. the developer is thicker than rem oil) You will see black on your cloth. this is bluing that was still in the developer. (dont worry about this)
Hopefully there are no bare spots in your bluing. If there is, this could be due oil remnants from improper cleaning or even not letting the steel completely cool. (even fingerprint oils can cause the bluing not to take) So take every precaution to be as clean and degrease the polished steel as possible.
After you oil your gun, let it stand overnight or atleast 12 hours. Then take your blue wonder's gun cleaner, and generously apply it to the oiled bluing. (Make sure to remove the the gun cleaner as quickly as possible after you apply it to the oil.) Do not work the gun cleaner into the blue. Dont even let the gun cleaner stay on the bluing for a long period. As soon as you apply it, wipe it off.
After you have completely cleaned the bluing of oil, take a hair dryer and heat up the steel again. Let the steel completely cool before applying another round of the gun cleaner. Again, apply it generously and wipe the gun cleaner off. Now heat up the steel so it is good and hot, and apply 3 more coats of blue wonder's gun bluing. Repeat the steps again for the cooling process before applying more coats of bluing. (2 coats at a time)
Do this untill the steel gets so black that it almost looks like gloss black paint. Allow the steel to completely dry and then applyblue wonder'sdeveloper. This time you will only let the developer sit for 2- 3 hours. After the 2-3 hours, you will repeat the the oiling steps after this with a clean heavily oiled cloth (making sure to remove all the developer)
It is at this point that you will have a very dark, very even, and very sturdy bluing.
It is a long process, and it took me even longer to find out what worked best for me. It was many times of trial and error, but this one seems to work best for me.
I hope this helps and goodluck.
Oxpho blue also is supposed to be very sturdy, but its only drawback is that the bluing doesn't seem very dark. ( I assumed you wanted to get a close match on a dark bluing color)
