Marlin 336 refinish

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badkarmamib

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My first gun was a JM Marlin 336 in .30-30, that I still have. I took it hunting as a teenager, and put it away without a proper cleaning one year. Took it out the next year, barrel exterior was orange. Stripped and cold blued. Looked like crap. A couple of years ago, I reattempted, taking my time and following directions. Looked much better, but, in LED light, rust is still visible under the bluing, and it still gets surface rust occasionally, that wipes right off. The rifle itself is sentimental, the finish is not. I over-sanded the walnut at one point, so, cosmetically, she ain't the prettiest, but I still love her. I am trying to decide if I should leave it as-is and pay better attention to it, send it off for CeraKote (pricy), or try AlumaHyde. I know AlumaHyde won't be as durable as CeraKote, but it will be easier for me to touch up, and WAY less expensive. Possibly thinking of synthetic furniture, too. Thoughts?
 
Post a few pictures.
The wood can probably be refinished.
How about a professional reblue?
I've used Alumahyde and Gun Kote. Both work really well but they also require good metal prep. It's all in the prep work and temperature. Gun Kote should be baked.
 
Rust blue would look good on it IMO. Metal prep is the key to any type of blueing. I have used toilet bowl cleaner to quickly remove old blueing. It also will lightly etch the surface. Once the old finish is removed polish to the look you want, keep in mind blueing won't hide anything. With rust blueing it is possible to get a layer of oxide to cover some small imperfections, but it will take time and effort. Degreasing is critical and keeping any fingerprints off as the job progresses. As to the wood, it looks to have shrunk around the receiver, you may end up replacing it, once it's sanded it might really stand out as being too small.
 
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