# Gun Bluing Question



## Setter Jax (Jul 18, 2011)

Has anyone heard of Blue Wonder Gun bluing products?
I've read the reviews on this product and they are mixed. Either it worked very well or it didn't.  I have an old double barrel Spanish shotgun that I thought about restoring, but before spending the money on a bluing kit I thought I would get recommendations.  Thanks.


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## miles58 (Jul 18, 2011)

The best cold blue I've run across is Oxpho blue from brownells.


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## Iam99x (Jul 19, 2011)

We use Birchwood Casey. It works just fine.


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## monkeytoys (Jul 24, 2011)

bluing is all about the prep work.  the metal needs to be clean and oil/contaminate free or it will not look good.  I spent 5 or so hours doing my old blackhawk.  It looks good, but it was very time consuming.   I'd bet that most of the bad reviews were caused by poor metal prep.  If I started a cold bluing project, I'd do it when I have plenty of time and didn't have to worry about being interrupted.

follow the instructions and you shouldn't have a problem.


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## WGSNewnan (Jul 25, 2011)

its definitely all in the prepping. if you want a beautiful gun you have to do the work. cold blue works well for touching up small scratches etc but if you intend to refinish the whole gun to an even finish - well - you better get out the sandpaper ( up to 2000 grit) and get to polishing that metal. its not easy and is time consuming but in the end - if done right - will look wonderful.
and btw - i second the oxpho blue from brownells. i have never used any other cold blue that comes close.


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## Wild Turkey (Jul 25, 2011)

glass bead blast the metal to clean. It does the best job ive seen.
Most machine shops or powder coating places will blast for 20 bucks or so.


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## Clarke123 (Aug 23, 2011)

miles58 said:


> The best cold blue I've run across is Oxpho blue from brownells.



I've used this as well, with both fairly good to disappointing results.  The surface has to be absolutely oil-free, and the applicator has to be something like an absolutely unused NIB soft toothbrush. 

It's not bad for minor blems, but be aware that nothing like this will give you a new hot-blue look !


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## seaweaver (Aug 23, 2011)

I have done  Ospho ,Birchwood Casey and Blue wonder.
Sometimes the BC was fine. the BW changed color rapidly but would not Fix so it would come right off.
The best blue I have done is rust bluing.
You have to be careful / old Double barrels as they may be soldered together and you do not want that weakened.

cw


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## boneboy96 (Aug 23, 2011)

I bought a shottie today that has been stripped of all blueing.  Aside from looking like a poor chrome job, I am thinking about reblueing it.  What do I need to look for and approx. the cost?


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## seaweaver (Aug 23, 2011)

(dusting the "sounds knowledgeable" diploma hanging on the wall)
it depends what it is worth, and what you would like it to be
and If you are looking to quick flip(I know that Itrader Number!) or can put some repetitive time into it.

Working from a clean gun, both of you could do the BC and have mixed results. Some times I swear it is the nature of the metal that will or will not take a simple blue. I have reblued end to end an old marlin in one long night of TV baseball and got fantastic results....an not. It simple repetition but demanding no deviation of process. Wipe, sit, cold water rinse dry , light buff, repeat and no hand oil or spilled beer.
The rust blue is the most labor intensive...or really slow as each stage involves growing a coat of rust and part boiling in water...again oil free. The other factor in growing rust is even growth/propagation . This is controlled by humidity and temp in an open environment(not as easy as it sounds) or ideally in a (plywood )box w/ hangers for parts, water pan and a light bulb.... and vent control.
The best RB is about 11 cycles...or 11 afternoons @ an hour each(once you are dialed in). The blue is incredible, very durable(very) but is not the black blue of a hot chemical dip( that is the part about which you must be careful w/ old side by sides and low temp solder welds). The key is...not to stop at 7 like I did! it still is bullet proof(truck gun) but more cycles would have really boosted the luster(lust builds kinda exponentially)

There were several guys here much more knowledgeable than I (they guided me) but for the life of me I cannot remember their names. I think one named Chris was a master at gun stocks and had them in his Av. He and I have traded threads on it moons ago.

Hot dipping is the modern way. A gunsmith will do it or farm it out. The Bluer will wait till he has enough guns to make if financially worth heating a vat of chemicals and do them all at once as once they vat cools the chemical is shot.
The key here is vat temp for the old side buy side. An Experienced guy knows how to manage  temp and gauge the solider strength.
I have no idea what this costs now. The Marlin I sent to New Haven for reblue (had to be in the last tank) was $110 w/ all the tricks and tweaks the marlin guys would give you. Ain't nobody gonna do that now.

cw


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## jglenn (Aug 24, 2011)

on old double barrels you want to stay with rust bluing to keep from having issues with your sight rib

a modern variation of rust bluing is Brownells Dicropan IM.


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## boneboy96 (Aug 24, 2011)

"There were several guys here much more knowledgeable than I (they guided me) but for the life of me I cannot remember their names. I think one named Chris was a master at gun stocks and had them in his Av. He and I have traded threads on it moons ago."

You are referring to Chris Knerr from Acworth GA.  I checked and he hasn't logged onto Woody's since last dec. 11th.   I hope he's ok...I've been to his home and shop many times in the past and always enjoyed my visits there.  Perhaps he's living the dream on his tugboat out on the waters!


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