rebluing advice?

jay.b

hi all. sorry im sure this has been asked before but im re finishing my semi auto and im looking for advice on what products to use for rebluing the barrel? whats the best brand to use and so on. im repainting the action too, it wasnt great when i bought it so im giving it a facelift with a nice custom paintjob. ill post step by step pics if anyone is interested? thanks in advance

Sika98k

The reblueing kits available in most gunshops are only for touching up blueing on a barrel where it has worn away or got thin through contact/friction in say a gunslip.

If you go the whole hog and strip the barrel back to the white I guarantee you it will end up looking manky.

Been there,done that.

Hibrion

You could go with a duracoat. It wouldn't look out of place on a semi.

daveob007

go onto youtube,,plenty of videos about different ways of reblueing.

Double Barrel

JB
I am no expert at this but i have done a few for myself. I tried my hand on a junk set of barrels just to see and they turned out ..... well let me say, not impressed. Back to the drawing board.
Well I've learned a few things an get a passable set of barrels.

I only rust blue.
Mainly because I don't have the space or desire to set up and maintain a caustic bluing station. You have to have running water and a way to keep three tanks boiling and then there is chemical disposal.

Rust bluing is the cheapest and simplest for the home DIY / and Gunsmith to do and is the deepest, richest, best wearing, longest lasting bluing that is used by any gun manufacturers today. It is NOT the same as cold bluing, which is a rub on chemical conversion, mainly used to touch up minor blemishes (some people swear that they can "COLD BLUE" whole guns, barrels, or actions and they look real good but, it is still cold blue.

If you were to purchase some of the worlds most expensive long guns, they will more than likely be rust blued. Don't write this off as an option, the only reason major gun manufacturers do not use rust bluing is that it is very labour intensive, tedious, and time consuming. Caustic bluing can be done in virtually a few hours and can be automated while rust bluing requires many manually applied coats of Rust, Boil, Buff, Repeat to achieve it's final form.

A couple of steps that are essential to a good quality finish.

As with most things the finish is only as good as the prep.

Take the barrel polish up to 320 grit. I like to use scotch bright ultra fine grey pads to burnish the barrels. Boat supply or auto paint shop 3M product # 3M 7448

The coarser the polish (grit) the blacker the 'rust blue' finish generally appears. Just guessing because it doesn't reflect as much light & colour back.

Some solutions just naturally give a different shade than others. The type of steel in the barrels effects the finish.

Most rust coatings will turn over at less than a boil ( 100C - 212F). To be sure bring the solution in your tank to a soft boil.

Make sure you are getting a thorough carding with the steel wool. It can work, but sometimes it is not as effective as a wheel, at least that's what I've found. That can effect the final finish usually leaving it dull.

Double Barrel

JB
This book will give you the details and more. It is old and the term's out of date but it's all there.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Firearm-Blueing-Browning-R-H-Angier/dp/0811706109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324073486&sr=8-1

gunhappy_ie

Excellent info Double barrel.

I have been looking into parkerising as a side project for the last while. Ive an old rifle that the park is almost worn through on. As with the bluing its a costly process with dangerous chemicals but I have the tanks/stands/heating elements. So far Ive spent far more on the cost of the set up than the cost of the gun :P

jay.b

thanks for that db. your a font of knowledge! i've decided to paint the barrel rather than try to reblue it. i'll stick to what i know:o
i bought the gun not so long ago (second hand) and it looked a bit tired. hence the custom paint job is to freshen it up. thanks again:D

Longranger

Can you rust-blue over a few days or does it have to be done in one session?

Double Barrel

After polishing is completed, the barrel surfaces must be completely degreased before rusting. I boil the barrels in a mild solution of potassium hydroxide which removes all greases and oils.

After degreasing, the barrels must be handled only when wearing gloves--either rubber or cotton depending upon whether the barrels are wet or dry. The rusting solution is applied to the barrel surfaces. I use a 1 inch wide foam paint brush for this. The rusting solution should be applied as uniformly as possible but it is not extremely critical. The barrels should then be allowed to rust from 12 to 24 hours. I use a humidity controlled chamber,( a wooden box with a door and a light bulb) but if the conditions are right just hang them for rusting in a barn or garage.

After carding, the rusting, boiling and carding process is repeated until the desired black/blue finish is obtained. The exact number of passes depends upon the rusting solution, the barrel metal compisition and the humidity during rusting.
This site is a good sourse of information but he is using US products that to my knowledge are not readily available here anymore. At one time they would ship some of them.

http://www.hobbygunsmith.com/Archives/Aug03/HowTo.htm