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#577280 08/08/20 11:23 AM
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I had a PM asking some questions about preparing barrels for bluing and thought I would start a thread on how I go about it. There is more than one way to do good work, these are my techniques. Input from on others on the way they approach things is always welcome.


Before I begin polish I measure things up on my barrel wall gauge to determine the condition of the tubes.

Here is a picture of some of the tools I use.



Learning to polish metal requires a bit of patience, it is not a really hard task, just laborious but you do need to develop some skills. You want to avoid rounding your edges and washing out any engraving, sharp contours or lettering. Pitting has to be approached over much larger area than the pit itself, if you just polish the pit out you end up with a low spot that looks terrible. This is where striking or re-striking comes in.

When I re-finish a set of barrels I begin by removing the blue with paper on a backer like the concave rubber one pictured. I like this method as any dents, dings, pits, rivels, bulges etc. stand out and this is the time you want to address them.

High spots I address first, pounding them down around a mandrel as needed. Large bulges can be a real problem but smaller ones are often simple to repair.

Once I have most of the finished removed I start looking at any imperfections then decide my course of action. Very lighting pitting can often be removed with 240 grit on a rubber backer and be ready to move on. On areas with deeper pitting, dents have been worked in the past, deep scratches etc. I begin with a file. I use a 8" mill bastard with the edges broken on a belt and a smooth cut half round file. When I start work on one of these areas I work the radius well to each side of the problem so not to get a flat spot on the curve. I also start my file stroke several inches before and continue it on several inches after the problem in order to not get a low area. The idea is that you feather out any work you do over a long distance.

Once the file work is complete I progress on using paper on a backer and the mold maker stones pictured above. The stones are a semi-soft aluminum oxides which breaks down as you use it and can conform to the shape your are polishing. I try to start with as high of a grit of paper or stone as I can get away with. It is a trade off, more course grit cuts faster but leaves deeper scratches you have to remove later. I use more 240 grit than anything else to remove pits and file marks.

How high of a polish is dependent upon the type of rust blue you do and the finish you are trying to obtain. Some people rust very aggressively and if that is the case you do not need to polish much past 320 grit in my opinion. On the majority of the work I do I polish to at least 400 grit and then bland out with a fine .003" wire wheel and oil.

The small wire wheel picture above fits my Foredom tool, basically a fancy dremmel. It works very well for removing bluing on matted ribs.

The hobby sticks polishing boards are handy and come in numerous grits.

For lettering and engraving I polish "up to and around" it, then just a very light blending pass of my final grit of paper. If the engraving or lettering is damaged or pitted then I polish below the damage and have an engraver re-cut the area.

Steve


http://www.bertramandco.com/
Booking African hunts, firearms import services

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SKB #577294 08/08/20 01:38 PM
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I find a barrett file very handy for "backing up" abrasive cloth next to the ribs, they can get a little closer than half round.
Mike

SKB #577305 08/08/20 04:35 PM
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Thanks for the great rundown. I appreciate your willingness to share your methods as always.


Jim
SKB #577330 08/08/20 07:52 PM
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These questions is getting a little ahead of the conversation, but, Steve, what do you use for rust bluing solution? I've used a fair number of them now, but find I want to cut them by about 50% to slow them down to my pace and for my final expectations. Most are too strong, esp. Laurel Mt. Forge.

And, have you ever done any post-rust bluing polishing or buffing? Another thing that I want to try someday.


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SKB #577332 08/08/20 08:29 PM
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I like Pilkington's for rust blue myself. I put on light coat after ridding a foam applicator brush of the excess fluid, leave it to hang in my garage and boil 10 hours or so later. Two coats a day this way and done in about a week. I use it full strength and find it to be not overly strong.

I have fiddled with making my own rust blue solution but have not found one I like as much as Pilkington's. I do make my own browning solution from a recipe in Angier's which I modified. The Angier's solution I use gets cut at least 50% to start and then reduced even more as I progress on my brown finish.

I have never really messed with post blue polish or buffing but it would be interesting.


http://www.bertramandco.com/
Booking African hunts, firearms import services

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SKB #577333 08/08/20 08:34 PM
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Sounds a lot like what I do. 2x a day, 12 hrs between coats. I use a barely damp cotton pad or cloth t-shirt. Never thought about the foam brush approach.

I've used Pilkington's, and I still cut it a little bit at least.

My favorite was WinRest, but they are long gone now. I'm not even sure if Pilkington's is still with us.

The only difference I've seen in different solutions is strength. They all produce the same color. I think simply because rust blue is all the same chemically. But others seem to think that different solutions give different hues. Not been my experience.


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SKB #577335 08/08/20 08:48 PM
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The different hue thing exists, as to why I can not say. It may be combination of factors. Have you ever noticed the high proportion of Scottish guns which have plum tone to the blue?

We are pretty dry here in CO and humidity is certainly one factor that effects how aggressively the rusting agent reacts to the steel.

I had a completely different process I used at my old shop. I would turn on the tanks and close the door on my bluing room after coating the barrels with solution. It would get up to about as hot as I could stand it in there with 100% humidity. Within 10 minutes the barrels were ready to boil. Lots of short passes resulted in a very high luster blue.


I am happy with my current method but I am always tweaking things. I recently starting playing around with steam conversion. It has a place in my shop for sure.


http://www.bertramandco.com/
Booking African hunts, firearms import services

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SKB #577336 08/08/20 09:05 PM
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I blue summer and winter in my shop. Humidity can be all over the place. I use milder solution if I think it will get away from me. I too prefer lots of applications of very mild solution to get a smooth luster, however, I have to adjust my solution to the rest of my life. I can't do a bunch of coats quickly.

I think all rust blues and all brownings tend toward plumb eventually. There is a slow conversion to some sort of equilibrium of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 (or whatever the correct compositions are) or at least that is wha II think happens over long periods of time.

Different steel alloy has different colors. Some of the welds I have had done can be seen no matter how much I try to blend them. My favorite welder for Winchesters, however, gets it just right every time. I don't know how he does it, but legend has it that he collects coat hangers.


Last edited by BrentD; 08/08/20 09:25 PM. Reason: Forgotten chemistry

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SKB #577342 08/08/20 10:32 PM
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Steve,

Steam conversion? Please elaborate?


thanks,

Rob


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SKB #577344 08/08/20 11:13 PM
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Rob,
instead of placing the barrels in boiling water they are subjected to a steam bath in a pvc tube. It works well and consumes less water.

Steve


http://www.bertramandco.com/
Booking African hunts, firearms import services

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