Re-Blueing

[FX Hunter 19]

Just curious if anyone has done a full barrel cold re-blue, how did it turn out and which product did you use, I have a bottle of 44/40 supplied by Brownels in the US and found that to be the best product for even large touch ups but I have never done a full barrel, there may be a better product out there apart from Birchwood Casey which is as effective as tap water.

[Gav 1,708]

Something I've never tried, would be interesting to see how you get on though, plenty of pics please, and good luck!

[Meece 1,957]

I've never had  much success with any of the cold blueing fluids. They're either the wrong colour and there is no depth to the surface.  I just can't see how wiping a surface with a pad can give an even covering. It's always going to be streaky. This is why barrels are done in tanks of fluid. Another aspect is how well the base is cleaned and polished to start off with.  If the base is uneven and scratched you ain't going to finish with an even deèp mirror  finish. What is the barrel off of ?  Shotgun/ rifle ?

[philpot 4,927]

I must admit that after trying a couple of the cold treatments many years ago and found them to be totally useless, I have not tried again but I have been told that Hoppes produce a treatment which apparently works well although I have no direct knowledge myself. The downside to this is that it is very hard to get hold of but if you want to try, Edgar Brothers are the importer and it was priced about £23 if I remember correctly.

Here is the link:-  https://www.shootingsports.edgarbrothers.com/pages/Gun-Blue-Kit.aspx

Phil

 

[Meece 1,957]

I look at it this way. If I needed a ( probably a double barrel shotgun ) reblacked then I would take it to a specialist barrel blacker, of which there is one not that far away to get a superb finish.  On the other hand  If it was just a barrel that needed a tart up I would have a go at finding out what is needed to do the job and get some plastic tube, blank it up and fill the salts mix and see how it went. If you got the hang of if, you could even do other people's barrels and make a few Bob.  The main thing is that the barrel has to be completely stripped of ALL blacking and greased finger marks ect. Then to get a  miror  finish the surface must be buffed to a mirror finish.  Some barrels are brown and not black or blue.  If non of the above is available or wanted you could  spray paint it with an aerosol can

Ps is their a YouTube vid?

Edited November 2, 2019 by Meece

[bigmac 97kt 13,732]

4 hours ago, philpot said:

I must admit that after trying a couple of the cold treatments many years ago and found them to be totally useless, I have not tried again but I have been told that Hoppes produce a treatment which apparently works well although I have no direct knowledge myself. The downside to this is that it is very hard to get hold of but if you want to try, Edgar Brothers are the importer and it was priced about £23 if I remember correctly.

Here is the link:-  https://www.shootingsports.edgarbrothers.com/pages/Gun-Blue-Kit.aspx

Phil

 

Iv tried loads and found hoppes to be the best but as you say phil it hard to find

its got a lot to do with the prep of the barrel as well

atvbjimmy

[FX Hunter 19]

Thanks for all the great suggestions, the barrel is from my Krico .22 WMR and as I had reasonable success in the past blueing bits and pieces or touch ups which is why I asked for opinions. I never attempted a full barrel, sounds like that might be stretching the capabilities of these cold blue solutions. I tried it regardless a few nights ago, and as said above it simply lacks depth and darkness, it is not streaky but just looked like thin blueing does on a worn surface, I polished it off and sent it away to a gunsmith, he charges $160-$180 AUD which to be honest I didn't want to spend on the rifle but after polishing her up and re-doing the woodwork she will look a million bucks, I'll post some photos once she comes back, I guess cold blue is OK for maybe screw heads or slight scratches, but definitely not a full re-blue.