[kritter]

ok here ya go, and i'm not responsable for your actions.

It all started out with a 200 dollar 28-2 that looked kinda rough. and had someone's name engraved in the side of it..

step 1. strip the gun ,, take everything off and out,,,

step 2 look for trigger rebound spring...it flew off somewhere when you took gun apart.

step 3.. this was the tough part. remove old blueing, the method i used was a blasting cabinet with bakeing soda, it's abrasive enough to remove the blueing with out damaging the markings..

step 4 go over the gun with fine, 400 grit wet dry sandpaper wetted with a light oil,,use a backer to keep the flats flat and try not to round off corners,, follow the contours of the gun... this is the time when any pit's will show up , you can work a little harder on these area's.
i went a little futher (1200 grit) and actually polished to mirror finish. but, when you get done your gun should look like this,,

i went a little further and changed the barrel to six inch,,,

anyhow
step five.. now is the time to clean the gun to prepare for blueing..( i used dawn dish washing detergent, but have found out that simple green first works better) the gun has to be spotless and free of all oil.

I used "radocy rust blue" and just followed the directions.. did it on the stove top in a old cooking pot.. you have to boil water and keep it at a boil, it's what keeps the gun hot.

i found out if you place the gun in the water first then bring it up to a boil, once the guns hot you remove it from the water,, remember it's hot, use caution..
apply the blueing soultion with a soft cloth ( old hunk of t-shirt) allow the gun to sit and the gun will form a "scale" of rust ,then place back in the boiling water, the "rust" will turn to a black scale.
the "scale" is removed by, "carding" with 0000 steel wool,, then a rewash to remove oil and back into the water to reheat.

this is repeated several or more times or untill you have the color you wish,, it's messy and yes it does take a lot of time, but when your done or at the color your happy with, for your last wash, i found if you use bakeing soda added to the water it will stop the blueing process..

now remove the gun off to the side, coat with oil and let set for a few days,,you will discover that it will devlope a scale on it one more time, this can be buffed off with a rough cloth,,(old towel)..

then oiling as normal will keep the finish looking normal, or applacation of a wax will help also
anyhow this is how i did mine..
it was my first attempt and if you wish to try yourself i suggest you try on a "beater gun" and see if it's something suitable for you.. i don't know how it will hold up to a normal hot blue. but for me, after almost a year, it seems to be doing ok..

next to a factory finish for comparison...

this was just a little project of mine you may wish to try to help "pretty up" some not so nice looking firearms at a low cost.
and lastly , thank-you for reading my rambilings...

 

[Ralph G]

Hey Kritter ,
I remember when you did that .

Great Job !!


Ralph

 

[onenut58]

Hey that looks pretty nice. You ever try any of the Blue wonder gun blue.I re blued a old browning high power with it that a guy had stripped the blueing on before he died. It came out deeper and more glossy than the slide which he hadnt striped. Kind of like looking at a older model 41 barrel and then turning the gun up side down and looking at the frame. The frame is a more polished deeper glossy finish than the barrel and slide .I did it at my kitchen table with hair dryer and piece of paper towel in about a half hour.No mess no stink, You can surf it up in you tube they have videos showing how it works etc.It comes in gun black or blue. I used the blue.For useing it for touch ups I am told it works best if you get the gun black to and hit the bare spot with the black then put the blue over it. I havent tried that but plan on it later on.

 

[DHENRY]

onenut58
Good observation on the M-41.
The M-46's often have trigger-guards from the high-polished M-41's, and when you flop the gun upside down it's a real revelation!
You guys are doing some fine-looking re-bluing work!
Don

 

[Keith44Spl]

Great lookin' job!

Dave

 

[MOONDAWG]

goodjob01 klgasilBRVO kjdfjemnd

 

[gnash]

Kritter...

That is some fine work...You are a talented craftsman..

gnash

 

[blastfact]

Good rust blue job! Thats some classic work.

 

[J3GA]

That looks very nice, certainly better than the job I got done by a prominent gun refinishing company.

 

[guner]

Ordinary toilet bowl cleaner works great to remove blue. It's something we all have around the house.

 

[Joe in Fl]

Looks Great!!

 

[Barksdale123]

Nice, I guess you found the trigger spring. I guess you could pick up a beater real cheap and turn it into a master peice.

 

[jamo002]

Would a 6" buffing wheel on a grinder be a mistake to use, assuming correct selection of buffing compound?

 

[insanetaxicat]

WOW... that looks great...and I have an old (no safety so it's pre 68) Beretta 950B that could really use some love...

 

[andremajic]

Looks very nice. You are right on the money in preparing the gun for bluing. Remember, everything that shows in the sanding job will show thru in the final finish.

 

[andremajic]

Would a 6" buffing wheel on a grinder be a mistake to use, assuming correct selection of buffing compound?

I wouldn't recommend using a powered wheel or anything powered for that matter. You can dish out screw holes and make a wavy finish on your part too easily. In the S&W factory they use up to 30 wheels with an experienced polisher to get the finish right on just one model of revolver.

Use a flat backing block for the flats, and pick out curved dowels and items that match the contours to back your sandpaper. Keep all the sanding in the same direction, if possible.

To match the factory finish, start with a fine grit of sandpaper, like 600 grit on a small section, then slowly go lower in grits, to 400, then 350, etc on the same spot until the scratches match the original finish.

An obvious re-blue job is when the gun is much shinier than the factory finish, or the grit polish doesn't match on certain parts of the gun.

Andy

 

[bearcat6]

I used to do quite a bit of rust bluing. It's better than hot blue and will outlast it. Gun makers used use it all the time but then hot bluing was faster and cheaper. All the older Lugers and Mauser pistols were rust blued. I had good results with the bluing solution from Brownells' It is a lot of work but the results are worth it.

 

[dbluefish]

Ordinary toilet bowl cleaner works great to remove blue. It's something we all have around the house.

Clean a toilet?

 

[Diabloman]

Would a 6" buffing wheel on a grinder be a mistake to use, assuming correct selection of buffing compound?

YES......DON'T DO IT! TAMPICO WHEEL FIRST...trying not to wash out lettering.
I use Naval Jelly and Hot water to remove the old blueing. Use a 400 grit polishing
wheel and GO EASY.

 

[Diabloman]

FWIW....I use Naval Jelley and Hot Water to remove the old Blueing. then I hand polish
the big parts to a 400 finish. You can fix alotta boogered places and bring back an Old
Warrior to near NEW condition. Those Dadgum rebound springs are a PITA...! Get ya
a Rebound Tool and Life will be easier. FWIW