doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Springfield 03 blueing issue

03 Springfield built by Joh. Springer, Erbin, Wein built in the mid 50's. Had it re-blued and now the front of the receiver is red, the rear is green and the pistol grip cap is blue and green. Job was done by a local gunsmith in about the mid 1970's. Discussed, I placed it in the safe and haven't looked at in in years. How do get it back to it's original condition?

Get out the emery cloth and...

In the 1950's the finish could have been a hot salt or caustic blue. It also could have been a slow rust blue. A slow rust blue would be the classic blue on pre-war German guns. I offer rust bluing if you would like to talk about your project.

Rust bluing doesn't turn color like that and was almost unheard of in the US in the 1970s.
Almost certainly rust blued originally, and should be redone. I'd be more afraid of wheel buffing that was part and parcel to hot bluing in the 70s?
Where's the pics?

Range testing Low Wall 17HMR on a rare Feb. lull in the Livingston windstorm..Rust blued brl, charcoal blued action and hot blued scope.

The rifle is now in MN. When I leave AZ and go back home, I post some photo's.

I've read that this red or plum color can happen with hot salts bluing when the temperature of the bath is not correct, particularly with steels alloyed with nickel. The green color is something I have never heard of. I have an unfired Mauser Model 66-S with .30-06 and .243 barrels which has turned plum colored only on the receiver ring, but the rest of the action is still deep blue/black.

I'd like to know if there is some way to reverse this, or even if it could be put back into a bluing tank without stripping the original blue, because I had read about discolored parts being put back into the bath at higher temperature in one of the editions of Brownells "Gunsmith Kinks".

All I know is, I have seen in the catalog, Brownells' makes a PRODUCT called "Additive S" for hot bluing tanks that supposedly prevents this. ADDENDUM: I found this on the Ruger Website "Ruger firearms is not the only one noted for turning purple. Winchester 94s after a certain serial number had a change in the metal alloy used in the receivers and would turn purple. When I was bluing guns years ago, I used Brownell's Oxnate #7 bluing salts and the "S" additive to get around that problem."

From the BROWNELL CATALOG

Special Additive For Bluing Heat-Treated Steels & Cast Irons

Something we all have been looking for - for a long time. Prevents red colors from forming on heat-treated steels; makes possible the bluing of 95% of all cast irons. Prevents bath breakdown when a little copper is present, or a little brazing has been done. Produces deeper color. Shortens in-tank time, increases production. Maintains corrosion resistance of the bluing. Altho' it appears a little expensive in the undiluted state, 1 pint will treat up to 8 gallons (at 2 oz. per gallon), or 2 operating bluing tanks of Oxynate No. 7�. So - in the long haul - Oxynate "S" is one of the cheapest additions you can make to your bluing setup. Full, detailed instructions. Must be added when no guns in tank; wait 30 minutes before bluing.


Big Book Catalog, Issue:67, Page:416


GOOD LUCK
Jerry

It was hot blued by someone who didn't know what they were doing. 03 Springfields were heat treated, case hardened and heat treated parts can turn all sorts of colors in the bluing bath if not done correctly

Mike