blueing question

[GMG]

There is also Rust bluing.

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/metal-bluing/specialty-bluing-chemicals/classic-rust-blue-prod22820.aspx

[shooter1975]

U want hot blue then send it off to Two Rivers Arms; they do bluing to match the Yugos they build...afaik, the toxic byproducts from the hot bluing process is a no no in Calif

+1 for Two Rivers Arms. They do amazing blue work. Tim is a great guy to deal with!!

[Varg Vikernes]

I like Rust blueing.

Cold blue is a joke.

[langss]

I have used this with good results, both the cream and the liquid. What ever your using it on has to be "Squeaky Clean" Follow the instructions on the bottle.http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...-prod1072.aspx

[GMG]

Rust blued, 1919a2.

[Whiterabbit]

Mukak, I also recommend fast rust blue (not quite the same as slow rust blue, but very close). The finish is very handsome, will match in "color style" more with the age of your rifles, and is among the most durable of blue finishes.

I like Mark Lee's Express Rust Blue from Brownells.

I suggest rust blue because your tank only needs to contain boiling water, not hot salts at high temperatures. And that represents the hardest part of your journey. Finding or making a tank large enough to fit your barreled action. I couldn;t find C-channel large enough so I ended up finding some square tube and cutting one side off then capping the ends. Some people have luck with PVC pipe then just pouring boiling water in. I do not think I would do it that way.

But the process is easy enough. Get the metal hot but not boiling. wipe on the chemical 100% external surfaces. it will flash rust. Boil for 5 minutes to convert the flash rust from red/brown to black/blue. Remove from the water and "card" the scale off with a soft brass brush or steel wool. What is left is a very thin layer of blue.

Repeat 5-15 times and you end up with a thick layer of blue.

Mark Lee product is cheap and will come with full instructions as well.







You will spend more time and money working out your tank to boil a rifle barrel than you will on buying the blue chemical.

[Whiterabbit]

Hard to see, but I also rust blued this rifle in 510 wells express







I forgot to mention, if you goof rust bluing up, it's easy to strip and you can re-do it. so nothing is permanent. (just like any blue.)

[JonnyD]

I recently did a hot caustic salts blue with great success.
I am no expert, but here is what I did.

I bead blasted the metal to give an even, matte finish but you could just as easily polish it. The main thing is that any blemish will show under the blue.

I degreased the metal by boiling it in a TSP water solution, following the solution mixture listed on the box.
The parts will rust fast after degreasing so work fast, although, I tested a spare part that rusted after degreasing; it blued the same even though I left it rusty going into the salts.
Stainless pot or graniteware pot only; NO ALUMINUM

hot water rinse.

Make sure you wear a respirator and goggles or full face respirator, chemical gloves and aprons.
This stuff is nasty, so don't skimp on safety equipment.
Have some vinegar on standby for accidents.
I keep a fire extinguisher around too.
Do this all outside.

I mixed my own salts using 1 gal distilled water, 5lbs lye and 2.5lbs sodium nitrate. You could sub sodium nitrate for potassium or ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate will create a ton of ammonia gas so you may want to avoid it for that reason.
I used a granite-ware pot, stainless may work but I am not sure about that. NO ALUMINUM!
I used a free standing propane burner, like those used to brew beer.

Add the lye slowly while heating the water, then the sodium nitrate.
Bring to a boil. Mine was operating at about 275F degrees.
add distilled water as needed for boil off... be very careful doing this as it is a volatile reaction when that water hits that basic solution.

I found that 20 minutes gave me a good black.
If the part is removed from the bath, cleaned and not dark enough, put it back in.
I found that angling my barrel into the bath half at a time did not give uneven results; i cannot see any difference on the two halves or at the overlap point.
DO NOT PLUG THE BARREL. pressure will cause the plug to blow out.

when the parts are removed, I put them in hot water to dissipate the salts and then into a second hot rinse where I scrubbed them off with a nylon brush.
It helped get all the salt out of the nooks and crannies by letting the parts sit for an hour or so in the second water rinse after scrubbing.

I cleaned everything again with a nylon brush before drying and oiling.
I only oiled after I was happy with the finish.
I found that thin oils worked great for water displacement.
I used wd40 and Birchwood Casey gun oil spray, Or you could buy oils intended for water displacement on gun parts.

I have no pictures at this time, I will post some when I get a chance.

[El Trollo Mejor]

bored and i got an AK and a couple of Mosins i would like to BLUE

what brand do i use

and can some1 dumb it down to me, never blued a gun before

Brownells rust blue. Let the mosin rust, boil the parts, sand off the rust, rinse, repeat. Bluing is easy but time consuming.

[JonnyD]

I have no pictures at this time, I will post some when I get a chance.

here's some pics of the setup, the stripped parts prior to degreasing, and the finished, oiled blue parts.

The whole process was pretty easy and the results are fantastic if this is what you are going for.
also, I used black steel wire to hang the parts.

note the mid-point of the barrel; I angled it in the pot a half at a time and there is no evidence of that overlapping finish.