Anyone do blueing nowadays?

shortgrass said:
Another is Glenrock Blue, in Glenrock,WY. They have a web site. Gun bluing is their only business. Shipping is possibly the problem. If you are not licensed and have a firearms account with FedEx or UPS, the USPS or "Ship My Gun" are about your only choices. As mentioned earlier in this thread by PopUNFresh, gun bluing is labor intensive, even if not going for that "Weatherby" gloss. Further, the chemicals have become expensive. I recently priced 125lbs, $625 I believe was the quote, with hazmat shipping required. Then there is neutralizing and disposing of the bluing solution. The mixed tank will last for a good long time, and chemical and water are regularly added. But, eventually, the tank will need to be cleaned and the mixture discarded. Your best bet is to source locally, if possible.
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Glenrock Blue was the first to come to mind for me. They do great work. Shipping could be a real hassle.
or put the camo tape back on and don't remove it.
 
M1A1ABRAMS said:
One thing I forgot to add on the DIY. I noticed in most of the videos I watched was the amount of prep you do. Just like painting a car. Prep was key. And I also have been watching the hot bluing videos. It is doable. But much harder & more expensive. As someone else suggested try a DIY again. But this time spend a day watching the how to videos. We have better products today also.
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I'm thinking about trying the DIY route again. When I tried the first time I was probably only 17 and didn't have much patience in the prep work and it showed.
Along with not having the patience back then there was no you tube. Yes it was a long time ago.
 
birddog 68 said:
I'm thinking about trying the DIY route again. When I tried the first time I was probably only 17 and didn't have much patience in the prep work and it showed.
Along with not having the patience back then there was no you tube. Yes it was a long time ago.
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I think you can get a better than satisfactory job these days. I tried it at a younger age & my job came out about as good as yours. I had a buddy cerakote the pistol a few years ago. It looks like a new pistol now. I thought about bluing. But wanted something different. I have a few older shotguns I want to try cold bluing. If I can ever get off my lazy ***.
Edit: When sanding w/ scotch bright or sand paper. Be sure to go w/ the machining. Not the opposite direction. I would think you may get scratches showing. A few people buff the metal which would be the way to go. But if you buff it be careful with the edges & any writing or high ridges. Here is the way cold bluing should be done to ensure a good even coat IMO, another tip would be to heat the metal with a heat gun before bluing. Not real hot just warm.
 
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M1A1ABRAMS said:
I think you can get a better than satisfactory job these days. I tried it at a younger age & my job came out about as good as yours. I had a buddy cerakote the pistol a few years ago. It looks like a new pistol now. I thought about bluing. But wanted something different. I have a few older shotguns I want to try cold bluing. If I can ever get off my lazy ***.
Edit: When sanding w/ scotch bright or sand paper. Be sure to go w/ the machining. Not the opposite direction. I would think you may get scratches showing. A few people buff the metal which would be the way to go. But if you buff it be careful with the edges & any writing or high ridges. Here is the way cold bluing should be done to ensure a good even coat IMO, another tip would be to heat the metal with a heat gun before bluing. Not real hot just warm.
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Another tip which is commonsense is practice a little on a shovel or old hammer, etc. Then when you have what you're looking for do the gun.
 
Not being a sa, but try google….i found a couple of places in Ga(local for me). I wouldn't know anything about their work but I could find out later and make a decision.
I just went thru this looking for a friend who didn't want to ceracote his old Winchester lever rifle.
 
Never tried Van's Instant Bluing but it looks good.
Like Sockeye66 I have used Oxpho for many years.Brownells sells it.One thing I do a little different is use a small torch after applying the Oxpho Blue and lightly warm it up.The blue has lasted for many years and still looks ok.Not as nice as hot bluing but it looks nice.
 
I have had good luck with Brownell's OXPHO. I used it on a old JC Higgins M50/FN Mauser to blue the in the white bolt handle & extractor. I cleaned up the areas to be blued with hot soapy water & steel wool, rinsed, heated up surface with wifey's hair drier then applied the Oxpho blue with steel wool rub down for several cycles over 1 hour. I got a good reaction & finish matches factory but not as good as hot tank bluing done by a pro.

I wore nitrile gloves.
 
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