Re-Blueing A Gun

Guys,

I was wanting to know how to go about re-blueing a gun,the right way? I tryed to re-blue it the other day with so-so results.My problem is that the gun barrel had a light coat of rust on it w/in an hour after i re-blued it.Why?. I used Birchwood/casey,,blue & rust remover,,, Rub'd the gun down good with steel wool & some places with 320g sandpaper..Then i gave it a good rub down with the rust & blue remover.blued it with,Formula 44/40 instant gun blue made by brownells,inc. the barrel is the only part that i am having trouble with. Does anybody have any ideas? or info that might help me out?

Thanks in advance

A professional that can hot blue is the short answer.

I have had ok results with cold blue soaking the surface with oil first then cleaning off rust with fine steel wool or usually a dremel with the non metal brush. After you must clean off all oil. Blue is also a rust and will not work on an oiled surface. Acetone is a good cleaner before bluing.

John,

do you thing if i lightly heated the barrel,or the blueing that it would work better than cold blueing?. The gun had no rust on it untill i reblued it.the gun belongs to a friend of mine and it was painted flat black, when he brought it to me.under the paint was bare metal.steelwool and sandpaper got it to a shiny shine.no rust,no pitting,no nothing.but the second i put the blue on it and it had time to dry.boom there was a light coat of rust on it.the longer it sat there the worse the rust became.

Thanks for your help

I don't think heating with cold blue will do you much good and you risk more damage to the gun than good.

You are probably beyond what cold blue can do but as far as the rust I think it is the metal prep (not being clean / dry). I did a pretty rusted revolver that I had to take down to bare metal in many places but never experienced the rust you describe. I did the; remove rust, clean, blue, clean, and re-blue 3 or 4 times at about 2 min intervals. After still did about 3 more treatments. Ok but not the same as hot blue or plating.

Two of the best gun plating companies I know of are: http://www.trippresearch.com/

#Guys, # #I was wanting to know how to go about re-blueing a gun,the right way? I #tryed to re-blue it the other day with so-so results.My problem is that #the gun barrel had a light coat of rust on it w/in an hour after i #re-blued it.Why?.

What did you clean the gun with to remove all traces of oil?

******** 'The highest function of ecology is the understanding of the consequences.' Pardot Kynes, Initial Report to the Imperium DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES (Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson) ********

Try Van's Instant Gun Blue...this is the only do it yurself blue that actually works....I've done three old shotgunbs with it now...its awesome http://www.shootersolutions.com/vaningunblu.html

I have used acetone,denatured alcohol, and i even tryed vinegar.

#I was wanting to know how to go about re-blueing a gun,the right way?

Willie,

Just wanted to let you know that in the May 2003 issue of SHOOTING TIMES there is a short article about removing rust from a gun. The article basically discusses the use of various steel wools and oils and does not seem to get into any detail.

Might not be much help for your problem that you discussed, then again it might be worth checking into at the library.

******** 'The highest function of ecology is the understanding of the consequences.' Pardot Kynes, Initial Report to the Imperium DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES (Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson) ********

The rust is the blueing itself continuing to work. Blueing is rust thats how it works. It oxidizes the metal. I found that putting it on with steelwool and then buffing evenly with the steelwool sturated with blueing until it beads off makes a even bluie. Then I let it sit until it rusts good. Then buff the rust off with steel wool. until it shines and then coat with oil and let it set over night. then clean it and rebuff. Really the best thing and cheapest to prep the barrel yourself and take it to someone who can hotblue it. I have guy locally who does it for $35 if I prep the metal. It can run more If I want a real high gloss finish. High gloss requires more buffing.

Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson)