Really disappointed

[Jeff olson]

Not sure if my expectations are too high or if I'm screwing something up. Parts are cleaned meticulously and polished. Using Birchwood casey perma blue and super blue. I am not getting the deep blue I was hoping for. My pics suck but holding the breech bolt next to a 1890 that has also been reblued. No idea what was used on the 1890. Any suggestions? Does oxphlo produce better results?

 

[Hugger-4641]

I have not tried Oxblue yet, but I can tell you Super Blue work better than Perma Blue and I heat my parts in oven to about 150F for 20min or so before applying . I get a darker finish this way and I can apply multiple coats before rinsing.

 

[Jeff olson]

I have not tried Oxblue yet, but I can tell you Super Blue work better than Perma Blue and I heat my parts in oven to about 150F for 20min or so before applying . I get a darker finish this way and I can apply multiple coats before rinsing.

I will try that

 

[Hugger-4641]

I will try that

Don't skimp on the fine steel wool either. The cleaner and smoother the metal is the better the results. I totally wear out a bun of 0000 steel wool when I polish my parts.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Yup, try the oven trick.

 

[JohnKSa]

Typically, you can repeat the application process several times with a cold blue and get a deeper finish. Keep repeating until you don't see any more improvement.

 

[Jeff olson]

Typically, you can repeat the application process several times with a cold blue and get a deeper finish. Keep repeating until you don't see any more improvement.

This is after 6 applications. I think I'm there..

 

[JohnKSa]

Yup, that should be enough.

You could try Dicropan T-4 from Brownells. According to them it provides a very dark finish. They do say that Oxpho is their toughest cold blue.

 

[edwardware]

Clean (denatured alcohol or acetone), Heat (hairdryer, heatgun, oven), Apply while Scrubbing gently (degreased 0000 steel wool), and repeat.

You'll get there, but it does take a minute. I think you can get darker than that with heat, but you won't achieve Colt Royal Blue.

 

[Roverguy]

Dicropan T-4 has worked well for me with extensive cleaning, polishing, degreasing and heating in advance but you will never get a deep blue comparable to rust bluing. A moderate but uniform gunmetal grey, like an older gun that has faded a bit, is the best you can achieve with cold bluing in my opinion.

 

[Sovblocgunfan]

I usually use oxpho and heat, with a few rounds of each until satisfied. Then oil to finish.

 

[jmorris]

I have only used 44/40 original formula and oxpho blue. I should probably just throw away what’s left of the 44/40, haven’t used it since I tried oxpho.

 

[Jim Watson]

The guy who refurbished my guns after The Incident has his own method for whole gun bluing with Oxpho Blue. He has but doesn't bother to use hot blue tanks, if he has a job calling for that, he turns it over to another shop. He will rust blue double guns and vent ribs he thinks might be soft soldered.

 

[mm93]

I've never had any good results with most cold bluing, with the exception of Oxpho Blue from Brownells! Oxpho Blue with proper prep, and application gives a beautiful dark finish, and looks much like the old rust blued finishes. I recently blued this new barrel I did on my Remington Hepburn rifle:

 

[a5werkes]

I use both Brownells' Oxpho-Blue & Formula 44-40. I find that the metal prep is the key to a satisfactory result, whether it be a single small part or screw, or the entire firearm. I have observed the smoother the metal finish the better the take of the cold blue. I like to use a heat gun, really just warm the object up to hot touch, and apply with oil-free #3 / 4 OOO steel wool, using small wads of fresh steel wool for each application, linear in direction on receivers / barrels and long parts. Then apply something like Barricade spray. Done.
Here's a family hand-me-down disaster Winchester 1903 .22 Automatic that looked like a sea anchor with baling wire to hold the forend to the barrel and a fractured buttstock waist. Found some fancy wood for stock fitting and elbow grease. Used Oxpho-Blue. Runs like a sewing machine. I authored a technical Manual on the rifle.

 

[Jim Watson]

Looks good.
How are you fixed for .22 Win. Auto ammo?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I use both Brownells' Oxpho-Blue & Formula 44-40. I find that the metal prep is the key to a satisfactory result, whether it be a single small part or screw, or the entire firearm. I have observed the smoother the metal finish the better the take of the cold blue. I like to use a heat gun, really just warm the object up to hot touch, and apply with oil-free #3 / 4 OOO steel wool, using small wads of fresh steel wool for each application, linear in direction on receivers / barrels and long parts. Then apply something like Barricade spray. Done.
Here's a family hand-me-down disaster Winchester 1903 .22 Automatic that looked like a sea anchor with baling wire to hold the forend to the barrel and a fractured buttstock waist. Found some fancy wood for stock fitting and elbow grease. Used Oxpho-Blue. Runs like a sewing machine. I authored a technical Manual on the rifle.View attachment 1192030View attachment 1192031View attachment 1192032View attachment 1192033View attachment 1192034View attachment 1192035View attachment 1192036View attachment 1192037View attachment 1192038View attachment 1192039

Wow!

 

[a5werkes]

Surprisingly, this is South-of-the-Border Ely Primed mfg. is some good stuff.

You have to really get off your wallet for some of the Brands.

 

[Mauser lover]

Just a thought, for all the anxiety over trying to get a cold blue to work, you could easily do a rust blue and have real bluing on the gun.

 

[Jeff olson]

The heat definitely helped.

 

[JmacD]

I’ve got the same issue with my old Mauser. I finally found a guy around here that does hot bluing… my wallet cringes, but it’s an heirloom custom. It was dad’s first rifle, my first rifle, and my daughter will shoot it as well.

 

[natman]

Oxpho blue is the best cold blue I've tried, and I've tried lots of them. However, some steels respond better to different formulas, so it pays to experiment. If you only get one, get Oxpho.

Getting the metal warm helps a lot. Getting the bluing chemical warm helps a lot too. The stuff is poisonous, so take care how you warm it. I have a tiny glass condiment bowl that I use for nothing else that I put the bluing chemical in. I set it in a slightly larger bowl with a small amount of hot water in it to keep it warm.

 

[mm93]

Metal prep will make the difference between a good result and bad. But most cold bluing wont give a good result regardless of whether you do a good job or not.
Application methods also make a big difference between a good result or a great result also.
I wear latex gloves once I get the metal fully prepped and never touch any metal during the process. I also use my Milwaukie heat shrink gun to warm up the parts to where I can just handle them comfortably, and then apply the bluing. I rinse and buff with 4/0 steel wool in between, and reapply more bluing as needed to get to the level of finish I want. Once it's dark enough I buff it with stiff cloth, and then wipe the surface with an oiled cloth.

 

[velocette]

After trying many different brands of cold blue chemicals with generally poor results, I tried Brownell's Oxpho Blue. It is almost as good as
a quality hot tank blue. I clean the metal using 600 wet / dry paper with some detergent in the water. This gives me a very nice clean and mostly degreased surface. Heat the parts in my oven (when the wife is not looking) to170 degrees and apply the Oxpho generously with a cotton ball. Rub it a bit and then repeat, usually three applications work well.