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Joined: Sep 2016
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 404 Likes: 29 |
What's the best way to remove old bluing in preparation for re-bluing?
Jim
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,991 Likes: 402
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,991 Likes: 402 |
I polish it off and never bother with chemical removers. Steve
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 347 Likes: 5
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 347 Likes: 5 |
Naval Jelly works well...may take a few applications to get really clean. For a re-bluing you will want to polish anyway so Steve's way may be best.
Sam Welch
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 908 Likes: 43
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 908 Likes: 43 |
Phosphoric acid as in the concrete etch from Home Depot will work and it doesn't etch as much as Naval Jelly. Have a tank large enough for the part. Plug the bores and let it soak.
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Joined: Sep 2016
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 404 Likes: 29 |
Steve: when you are starting with a blued gun, what's your process? Paper at 320 on up? Then soft wire wheel as with the rust blue?
For those who start with chemicals, like Mark and Sam suggested, anyone ever try something like evaporust? It's my go to for rust removal.
Last edited by Woodreaux; 08/08/20 11:24 AM.
Jim
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Joined: Dec 2001
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
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Posts: 6,991 Likes: 402 |
Post above detailing my process. Questions and comments encouraged. Steve
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,703 Likes: 406
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,703 Likes: 406 |
Steve, if a rust-blued barrel did not need the polish, but did need to tidy up thinning blue, could you just clean it well blue over it? Seems that the well blued areas would not really change much while the thin spots caught up. Never had the courage to try this however.
_________ BrentD, (Professor - just for Stan)
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,991 Likes: 402
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 6,991 Likes: 402 |
Brent....that is the "old gunshow trick", Never "re-finished"...
You certainly can do that. Rust blue is a chemical process that can be stopped and started at will. It actually works quite well in certain situations, especially for small areas of repair. I do that regularly after re-attaching fore end lugs that have come loose.
In some ways it is not that different than blending an area of stock repair in to an existing finish.
Steve
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,274 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,274 Likes: 1 |
I've used CLR, its mild compared to the other methods and is available at your local grocery store.
I learn something every day, and a lot of times it's that what I learned the day before was wrong
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,461 Likes: 207
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,461 Likes: 207 |
If it is still on the market, brick cleaner "Sur Kleen"(?) used full strength works immediately, but has to be washed off immediately also, or it will cause pitting. As far as bluing over old finish that doesn't need polishing, SKB is absolutely correct. Mike
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 404 Likes: 29
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 404 Likes: 29 |
Would those acidic or other rust removal options work for hot blue, cold blue, etc? Or just for rust blued steel?
Jim
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 908 Likes: 43
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 908 Likes: 43 |
I haven't tried the phosphoric on hot blued parts so I don't know for sure. Best guess it would. Unless there is lots of pits with active rust I just polish of the old finish. Polish to 320 or 400 depending on how high a polish you want the finished product. I clean and blend by using Comet and grey scothbrite and hot water.
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Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 109
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 109 |
I have used Birchwood Casey blue and rust remover in the past. Is there a metal or finish where previous shared methods would be better than the BC option?
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 404 Likes: 29
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 404 Likes: 29 |
Looks like the BC remover is a mixture of acids according to the SDS. As far as I can tell, all rust removers are either acid (vinegar, etc) or chelators (like evapo-rust). If I'm understanding the posts here correctly, there is nothing to say that these methods wouldn't work on all the typical bluing methods. Here's the SDS of BC rust and blue remover:
Jim
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 347 Likes: 5
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 347 Likes: 5 |
Naval Jelly (Phosphoric) works on hot dip and the various rust blues equally. Here is an example...rust blued butt plate with bluing removed from scene. I applied Naval Jelly 3 times, washing with hot water between and then gave the scene 2 coats of Renaissance wax with lamp black added and then 2 coats without the lamp black.
Last edited by SamW; 08/10/20 03:25 PM.
Sam Welch
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 109 |
Thanks Jim. That's a great looking butt plate Sam. Scott
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 996 Likes: 7
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 996 Likes: 7 |
I've used the BC blue and rust remover as well. It seems to do a decent job of blue removal. I've used it to remove hot and rust bluing....seems to work equally well on either.
I've also just polished off the blue.
Very nice looking butt plate!
Cameron Hughes
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 404
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 404 |
toilet bowl cleaner works good.
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,122 Likes: 192
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,122 Likes: 192 |
This has always appealed to my mean streak for removing Blue because it is cheap and works well, Distilled White Vinegar it is usually around 6% Acetic Acid so does not damage the metal.
The only lessons in my life I truly did learn from where the ones I paid for!
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,122 Likes: 192
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,122 Likes: 192 |
OOps!!!
Last edited by damascus; 08/18/20 06:42 AM.
The only lessons in my life I truly did learn from where the ones I paid for!
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