Enfield enamel

[l)arthPau|]

Hi, all. I am trying out my first gun restoration project on an old beat-up #4 Mk. 1 I found at a local gun shop. The original black enamel has almost worn completely off the bolt and other areas. I bought a bluing (sp?) kit that I think will work well. Should I take the rest of the enamel off the parts before I blue it? Also, how could I go about getting it off if I decide to? Thank you.

- Paul

 

[JeffC]

Acetone...

use steel wool and wear gloves .

 

[stans]

Be warned, cold blue is not nearly as nice looking or as durable as rust blue or hot blue. Cold blue is little more than a surface treatment and it will rub off with use.

 

[gamachinist]

Jeff C said:
"Acetone...

use steel wool and wear gloves"

gamachinist adds:

In a very well ventilated place or wear a respirator,
unless you want a buzz..................
Or a terrible headache!

 

[Desert Dog]

On the Enfield I cleaned this paint off of, I had better luck with a brass scraper. The paint was so old and brittle, it chipped off the metal very easily...

 

[dfaugh]

Paint stripper

works fine, won't hurt wood or metal (I use "Strypeeze")...Wear gloves it'll burn skin (not badly). Let sit a few minutes then steel wool it off. much faster than steel wool alone. Don't believe all the bad things about cold blue...Follow directions, and it may require repeated applications to get good finish....But I've done complete barrels and actions with it, and had people ask which gunsmith did the beautiful bluing on my guns. Some were done years ago and are holding up quite well...easy too tough up anyway if needed. For good results surface must be A)very clean-no oil, not even fingerprints and B) polished as smoth as is practical.

 

[l)arthPau|]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Now I'm not so certain I'll screw something up, hehe.

- Paul

 

[Noban]

I recommend you stick with the "original" paint finish. I had a beater painted Enfield that I stripped with industrial paint stripper. It literaly disolved and I wiped it off with a towel. I then applied two coats of Rustoleum high temperature grill paint (spray can) and baked the action/barrel in the oven for 3 hours at 450 degrees. The finish is diamond hard and looks just like the originals.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I took the peeling paint off my Ishapore 2A Enfield, and under the paint was a finish that appears to be some kind of parkerizing. Bluing would be sort of pointless on that gun without some major prep work. Maybe some day I'll just paint it black.

Regards.