Is it a good idea to reblue a gun at home?

Question

I have a old side by side that i would like to reblue and revarnish, i have looked at a few blueing kits and think that i could manage the job. Is this a bad idea and if not what are some recomendations for blueing kits? thanks and have a great day

Answer 1

Brownells Oxpho-Blue is the best of the 'Home Blue' products,

and it doesn't match the durability of a real hot-blued finish.

I was quite happy with the appearance of a barrel that I did with it,

but less so with the rust protection it provided.

Do take care. The solution is very toxic. Wear gloves.

Discard containers and absorbents used safely.

There are some new 'bake on' finishes that are more durable.

Answer 2

If you take your time, strip the old finish well, and thoroughly degrease the metal, you can get a good blue job at home.  However, there are some special tricks you need to use on a SXS double.

Here is the advise my old gunsmith Mr Bud Walters gave me when I talked to him about home bluing an old Stevens M-311.

Mr. Bud told me to follow the manufacturer's directions about stripping and degreasing the the metal.  From there on are a few deviations.

Before you apply the bluing solution, take the racks out of your oven and place the barrel in the oven and heat turn the oven on to 200* F.  Let the barrels heat until they are uncomfortable to hold, probably about 15-20 minutes.  Do not let them get too hot or the solder will melt ruining your barrels.

Remove the barrels from the oven, and while still hot, apply the bluing solution.  After you allow the solution to work, and have buffed it with steel wool, apply a generous coat of mineral oil and return to the oven as before.  Remove, buff with steel wool and degrease, and if you need another coat, repeat the heating before applying the bluing solution.  After you've gotten the metal as dark as you want it, repeat the heat and mineral oil treatment at least twice.

You will get a deep lustrous finish that approaches the looks of a good hot blue job.

BTW, if you send it to a gunsmith for bluing, he will probably do the same thing I've advised.  You can't use the same hot blue process that can be used with rifles and barreled shotguns.  The heat of the bluing tank will melt the solder holding the barrels together.

I used Birchwood Casey's Cold Blue for my project..

Good Luck,

Doc

Answer 3

Looks like the other people have got this question handled. But I would suggest you find something to practice on before you do it on your gun.

Answer 4

I ve never been able to make em look as good as id like. It does the job but you wont get factory beauty out of it.

Answer 5

It depends. Would you be doing a complete redo with cold blue? That often times has streaky results and leaves it just as prone to rust. I've done a complete cold reblue a few times. And I've gotten better with practice. If it is a gun that doesn't have any collectors value, and you just want to fancy it up, then I would say go for it.

A couple tips. Use the blue/rust remover to get off any blue. The original won't be the same color, so you need to get down to steel. Use some latex gloves since the oils on your skin will show up in the blue. The oils act like a barrier against the solution. You can use a brillo pad or automotive sand paper (800 or above) to get off any stubborn rust or blue. You'll find as you get down to the metal that there might be black spots where corrosion once was. Get rid of it as best you can, or else it will show up darker than the bluing.  When it is shiny, and consistent colored metal, wipe it down with a dry rag to get rid of the dust. Then use gunscrubber or other fouling solvent to make sure all of the metal is squeaky clean and oil free.

Lots of people recommend using steelwool when applying the solution, but I find that the solution reacts quickly and once it blues something, it quits working. So it actually blues the wool and then doesn't do much to the gun metal. If you have a clean washcloth(that you wouldn't mind ruining) you can soak that in the blue solution, and then rub the gun with that. (It takes a second or two get to get dark)

Now here is where practice comes in. Touching the metal with blue makes it turn black, but if you make one pass down the gun, and then come back to get the rest, you find that the edge of the black from the first pass is a different shade than where you just covered. Hence, the streaks. It can be very frustrating to find that you can see every time you picked up the rag to get another spot. It is almost like you have to do it all at the exact same time. Which is something you should try to do. That is why you should soak the rag and try to get as much of the gun metal as you can in one continuous pass. When you have to stop, then make sure to do the same thing the next wipe, and make sure the solution is fresh.

Then let it dry, and do it again. After the second time, look for any streaks and then take some very light sandpaper and gently brush the spot to try to blend it in. Wipe it down with a dry rag, and then reblue again. I would say to do about 3 or 4 coats of reblue while lightly sanding streaks in between. When you finish, make sure it is nice and dry and clean. This next part is optional but I think it adds protection and makes it look better. Buy some spray on clear lacquer finish and put on two or three coats to protect the new blue. Make sure to avoid drips!!!

I was extremely pleased with the results I got when I followed those steps I just described. It was someone else's gun and they had left it sitting in the garage and it turned into a rust rod. But when I was done with it, it looked like a new gun.

Have fun.

Answer 6

From my personal exprience with blueing is at the Birchwood Casey kit sold at Walmart is horrible.  Hoppes products ae good, if you can find it(as they discontinued the #9 blue.

Brownells Oxpho-Blue is the finest cold blue I have ever used.  It is very easy.

As for whether or not you would wish to do this at home-  Do you have any blueing experience?  Do you feel you could comfortably complete this?

The important thing about bluing, is that when you are using the rust remover, DO NOT LET IT COME INTO CONTACT WITH SPRINGS!

Follow directions, and take your time.

Answer 7

in my experience those 'cold bluing' kits are okay for covering minor blemishes, but for doing an entire gun, they do NOT work well

Further, the bluing really fades to 'slate grey' after about 5-10 years.  Oh sure, it looks okay for a year or two, but a gun is a 100 year lifespan tool

Finally, if your old sidebyside has ANY value, rebluing it will flush that value right down the drain, unless done with the utmost care and eye for perfection, and even then it can still reduce the value of a gun

Answer 8

I have seen blue kits come and go for 40 years - and I have never seen good results from any of the stuff sold in stores.  These products are only good for a small touch up here and there.

There are allot of very good affordable coatings available that can be quickly applied by your local gunsmith or sent out and done.  Turn around is pretty quick.  The proceedure uses electrolosis to apply a thin uniform coating on the firearm and then it is dipped in solution to cure and harden.  After seeing how well these work - I would never consider using a blue kit again.

Hope this helps