Cold Blue Newbie

[badgerjfr]

Just wondering if anyone could tell me a cold blue product that's easy to use, or cleanest, or best value, etc. I have a couple small scratches on my P-64 I would like to repair. but would love to restore my old childhood 12 gauge thats in pretty bad shape. I've never done it before, but would love to get into restoring the finish on a couple old guns I have laying around. I would probably practice on the 12 gauge (can't really screw it up anymore than it is). I was hoping some experienced people might be able to lead me in the right direction. Thanks.
-Jeff

[eclipse57]

I had a friend that sporterized an old non matching milsurp. I believe it was a Mosin, but it has been years since I saw it. It really turned out good and he used the oxpho blue. Not really sure what procedure he used, but while looking around for somre information on CZ-82's the other day, I found this link.

http://sailorcurt.com/category/cz-82-vz-82/

The guy goes into fairly good detail on the steps he took.

Good luck with your projects.

[juniustaylor]

I love Brownell's Oxpho-Blue. I have tried about 3 different kinds and this one is best. Bear in mind that it will never be a perfect match to the original hot blue. The only way it will blend right is if the entire gun were stripped to bare metal and all cold-blued. However, for purposes of light touchups and to keep rust from forming, cold blue is very acceptable.

My reason for choosing Brownell's is that it just plain works. You clean off the area to be blued and then apply the bluing. It will eat through light layers of oil and rust, but it's best to clean it off the best you can. You apply it for about 60 seconds, lightly wipe away excess, and let it sit until it turns hazey and is dry. Then lightly buff it with fine steel wool. You do it as many times as needed until the desired color is achieved.

The other 2 products I used were Birchwood-Casey cold blue and another called Van's. I was not impressed. Birchwood-Casey is similar in operation to Brownells in the way you apply it but you have to run water over the blued area to stop the chemical action. Water on a steel part seems stupid to me. Van's failed to impress me either. Same deal, similar operation but you have to use a light gun oil to neutralize the chemical action. With Brownell's you don't have to deal with it.

I used Brownell's on a muzzleloader kit I bought from Cabela's about 10 years ago. It's still holding firm on the barrel.

[badgerjfr]

these are very helpfull. thank you so much. i guess my next step will be turning my workroom in full blown gunshop. thanks again.

[jpjames]

I use G96 Bluing cream...works great, and is really easy to use!

[badgerjfr]

thanks i will check that one out too.

[badgerjfr]

update.. I found the birchwood casey at a local store and thought i would give it a shot. preped the gun, followed directions and it looked pretty good when i was all done. however, after carring the gun for a couple weeks and one session at the range, its almost completely wore off. i not happy with this product. i thought i would try it again and "modify" the instuctions a little and see if that helps.

i guess i will be ordering a different product online, i cant seem to find any other blueing products close by. i haven't looked very hard, just check when im in different stores.

[lklawson]

This result is typical of cold bluing. It tends to be very thin and not particularly wear resistant.

Though I've never used it, I have heard very good reports of a product called "Blue Wonder" (http://www.bluewonder.us/BlueWonderGunBlue.html).

It's supposed to work very well and be fairly durable. But you pay for it.

Another option might be Niter Bluing. The process is described here: http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=27882.0

Again, I have no experience with this one way or the other. It sounds cheap and simple, however.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[jpjames]

This is the G96 on my CZ 82...I stripped the paint and blued the whole pistol...I just did where the holster wear was on the P64 and it blended perfectly!

[badgerjfr]

the G96 looks very nice on the CZ82. have you had any problems with wear? the P64 is my primary concealled carry gun right now. i just bought a Kahr pm9 but havent shot it enough to feel safe.

as for the niter blueing, that sounds very interesting. when i start carrying the kahr, i was planning to "fix up" my P64 and make her look really nice. i plan on taking some before and after pics for comparison. i might give the niter blueing a shot. it seems inexpensive and i can use it over and over again. it won't be for a while im guessing, but if i give it a try, ill be sure to post the results.

as for the blue wonder i have seen that stuff before i just can't find anything else about the product. and to be honest the guy in the video seems kinda like a snake oil salesman. my 2 cents anyway.

[jpjames]

No problems with wear, yet. I've used it many times since the bluing was applied...

[lklawson]

as for the niter blueing, that sounds very interesting. when i start carrying the kahr, i was planning to "fix up" my P64 and make her look really nice. i plan on taking some before and after pics for comparison. i might give the niter blueing a shot. it seems inexpensive and i can use it over and over again. it won't be for a while im guessing, but if i give it a try, ill be sure to post the results.

I would appreciate a report and the results should you give it a try. Bear in mind that I have no experience with the process and what he recommended might be dangerous as boiling nitroglycerine or as safe as cold baby oil, I have no idea of either.

as for the blue wonder i have seen that stuff before i just can't find anything else about the product. and to be honest the guy in the video seems kinda like a snake oil salesman. my 2 cents anyway.

I have a friend who's used it with good results and says he has a preference for it over any other cold bluing method. However, he has moved on to Black Oxiding. The process sounds very similar to the niter bluing the way he describes it except that it results in a very deep black finish.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[badgerjfr]

did some more reseach on niter bluing. seem to be the concensus that its a good method for small parts, screws, hammers, ect. it doesn't "blu" the gun. it just changes the color of the metal due to the extreame heat (around 600 - 650) i like how it looks, but also found that it tends to "wear off" or get blotchy when carried in a holster or used a lot. also wasn't sure if the heat would be good for parts like the slide or barrel wondering if they could possibly warp a little.

and from what i've found on the black oxidizing. dangerous if you do the hot method. leave it to the pros. the cold method looks nice but also found it will wear off.

after doing some (not a lot) research on these 2 topics, the blue wonder system is starting to look like a longer lasting finish and a lot more safe to deal with. they claim the blue wonder will stay on the gun forever or the life of the gun. either way im not a big fan of explotions or 600 degree burns so its starting to look like a good option.

does anyone have some pics of the blue wonder on thier gun and how it wears?