Cold Bluing Surprise!

Good fortune for you.

Members sharing experiences and lessons learned - that's what makes THR rock.

OP, could you show us a picture?

I've heard good things about the 44/40. I've used Brownells Oxpho Blue on some milsurps. Mainly I use Vans Cold Blue. Great stuff. But good metal prep is the most important part as you found out.

I have had the same experience, and I have reason to believe that using steel wall (ferrous wool) helps the cold bluing process in some way more than just polishing.

I've heard excellent things about Laurel Mountain browning solution. I'm not entirely sure if they make a blue though.

I am staunchly anti-"cold-bluing".
They're usually selenium dioxide. They don't treat the metal at all, they're basically thin paint. I would not waste the time or money on it.

MihiT said:

I am staunchly anti-"cold-bluing".
They're usually selenium dioxide. They don't treat the metal at all, they're basically thin paint. I would not waste the time or money on it.

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For simply coloring metal I think it's fine.

I've done a number of barrels and a few complete rifles in cold blue. I use a heavy non-detergent engine oil to keep the thing from rusting. It works well enough until the oils wiped off.

Roaming_Wade, you did a good job and your prep work was demonstrated in the evenness of your final product. Insufficient prep work shows up in the final product as streaking, blotching, uneven coloring, etc. and I see none of that.

The birchwood product you named should do fine at removing the bluing or what's left of it for the remaining parts as long as they are blued steel. Make sure to follow the directions.

Regarding cold bluing, it is not sold as a rust proofing product and it is for cosmetic purposes as a stain. But, really hot caustic bluing is not that great as a rust preventative and quality differs on the bluing. Rust bluing is a bit tougher but expensive if you have it done by others due to the time involved--it has a learning curve if you DIY and some relatively inexpensive tools to do it. Both of traditional bluing methods still require keeping the firearm oiled on a regular basis if in a moderately damp or worse climate. Caustic bluing is advanced DIY requiring both knowledge and experience to produce good work. It also requires some nasty chemicals and relatively expensive equipment. Most people can do as the O/P did and produce a pretty good looking rifle in return for minimal expense using cold bluing products.

That being said, Brownell's 44/40 and their OxPho cold blues have surfaces that are pretty tough as far as wear and if you keep it oiled, then you should be fine even with moderate handling. It is also relatively easy to retouch up if necessary on high wear surfaces such as the bolt handle.

Roamin_Wade said:

Here we go. You can see the standings in the last shot. When I was in aviation maintenance school we learned about Ospho which will turn the surface of a ferrous metal into a protective layer using the corrosion left from the chemical exchange. I saw the Oxpho stuff from Brownells and figured it probably wouldn’t be a blue. I figure it would be more like the cold browning that can be done.
MihiT, I hear what you are saying but I figured I’d like to do it with the cold method just to be familiar with what I can do and what it won’t do. I have to admit that I am VERY pleased with my project even if it will have to be touched up every so often. View attachment 834395View attachment 834396View attachment 834397View attachment 834398

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That looks good. You've got me considering a cold blue for one of my guns... I kinda like the patina too though. Tough call.

It's a Winchester model 12 16 ga. The wood is a little homely and the bluing is faded and splotchy. No collector value but my grandad gave it to me so it's one I cherish. I'll have to think it over. Maybe try it out on a less precious gun first I think.

I had huge success using three of the popular brands, all at once, in layers. One was Oxpho.

I know cold bluing isn't as good as hot bluing but I've used the Birchwood Casey on 7 or 8 guns. I'd do the steel wool polishing then add bluing then re-polish with 0000 steel wool, clean and blue again. Sometimes I'd do it a third time to get a nice color. I may have to re-touch in 5 or 6 years but I have to do something in the winter anyway.

I use very fine ScotchBrite to apply cold blue. White is the color of it. It works way better than steel wool in my experience. I like Birchwood Super Blue the best, when used with the ScotchBrite.
I also like the OxphoBlue Creme, and 44/40. They all work better with the ScotchBrite. It blends all the streaks in very well, and gives a more even blue.