Bluing, who's do you like?

[Barney1]

Is there a brand that's better than one or the other? Who's do you choose?

 

[mm93]

If I don't do it myself, I send any bluing I need done to Al Springer at Smokey Mountain Blue Gun Restorations.

Snowy Mountain Blue Gun Restorations - Home

smbgunrestorations.com

Al does quality rust bluing, and the finest color case hardening. Been using Al for over 25 years and always pleased with his work, prices, and turn around times.

I only do rust bluing when I do my own as I don't want the tanks and chemicals used to hot blue. I use Mark Lee Express Bluing.

 

[dfariswheel]

The most common bluing type today is hot salts bluing.
This is used by virtually all gunmakers.
There are other types, like rust bluing, but those require a lot of hand labor and cost more.

All hot salts bluing is pretty much the same, and it all looks and lasts the same.
The only difference between companies is the level of hand polishing.
That's what determines the appearance.

As example, Colt was famed for their bluing, and the only difference between a model like an Official Police and a Python was that the Python got a lot more hand polishing before going into the bluing tanks.
The actual bluing chemicals were exactly the same.

For good quality bluing here's the best, others fail in the hand polishing that rounds off edges, fades stamps, and leaves ripples in the flats.
Use anyone else, you deserve what you get..............

Glenrock Blue

Probably THE best. One of the very few who can do a Colt factory level Royal Blue polish.

Home | Precision Bluing

precisionbluing.com

Ron's Gun Shop

Firearm Plating -Mahovsky's Metalife

Mahovsky's Metalife offers firearm plating, with four different plating options. We can create a one of a kind personalized piece for you! Visit our website for more information.

www.mahovskysmetalife.com

Turnbull Restoration Company, Inc.

Firearm Restoration & Manufacturing. Antique restoration and bluing services. Featuring Colt 1911 and 1886 Winchester manufactured reproductions .

www.turnbullrestoration.com

Hyper expensive, best known or firearms restoration,

Accurate Plating & Weaponry | Gunsmith In Newville, Alabama

APW offers premier firearm refinishing including Chrome, Nickel, Bluing and Cerakote. We also provide quality gunsmithing, customization and laser engraving.

apwcogan.com

Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing | Crystal River, FL

Ford's Custom Plating offers custom gun refinishing services, including Chrome, Nickel, Hot Blue, 24K Gold Plating, and Laser Engraving of your firearm.

fordsguns.com

Quality of work has fallen over the last few years, Use with caution.

 

[Hillbilly Hydrographics]

If your talking brand of cold bluing I've had good success with brownells oxpho-blue and there formula 44/40 insta blue.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I have an old Mossberg 22 bolt action my mother bought for me fifty-five years ago when I was twelve.
I'd like to get it reblued.
Who do you guys recemend?

 

[entropy]

Pat Laib in Spicer, MN.
320-796-2686

 

[Scooter22]

I'll add Vans if you're looking for a cold blue. I've done about 20ish older Mossberg, Marlin, Savage, Remington .22 rifles and they came out great. I would use it on any other firearm but those are what needed some rebluing.

Van's Instant Gun Blue

Van's Instant Gun Blue. Bluing Steel. Bluing Metal. Bluing Guns.

vansgunblue.com

 

[Barney1]

The most common bluing type today is hot salts bluing.
This is used by virtually all gunmakers.
There are other types, like rust bluing, but those require a lot of hand labor and cost more.

All hot salts bluing is pretty much the same, and it all looks and lasts the same.
The only difference between companies is the level of hand polishing.
That's what determines the appearance.

As example, Colt was famed for their bluing, and the only difference between a model like an Official Police and a Python was that the Python got a lot more hand polishing before going into the bluing tanks.
The actual bluing chemicals were exactly the same.

For good quality bluing here's the best, others fail in the hand polishing that rounds off edges, fades stamps, and leaves ripples in the flats.
Use anyone else, you deserve what you get..............

Glenrock Blue

Probably THE best. One of the very few who can do a Colt factory level Royal Blue polish.

Home | Precision Bluing

precisionbluing.com

Ron's Gun Shop

Firearm Plating -Mahovsky's Metalife

Mahovsky's Metalife offers firearm plating, with four different plating options. We can create a one of a kind personalized piece for you! Visit our website for more information.

www.mahovskysmetalife.com

Turnbull Restoration Company, Inc.

Firearm Restoration & Manufacturing. Antique restoration and bluing services. Featuring Colt 1911 and 1886 Winchester manufactured reproductions .

www.turnbullrestoration.com

Hyper expensive, best known or firearms restoration,

Accurate Plating & Weaponry | Gunsmith In Newville, Alabama

APW offers premier firearm refinishing including Chrome, Nickel, Bluing and Cerakote. We also provide quality gunsmithing, customization and laser engraving.

apwcogan.com

Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing | Crystal River, FL

Ford's Custom Plating offers custom gun refinishing services, including Chrome, Nickel, Hot Blue, 24K Gold Plating, and Laser Engraving of your firearm.

fordsguns.com

Quality of work has fallen over the last few years, Use with caution.

I greatly appreciated the time and effort you took for this reply. Thanks!

 

[orionengnr]

Dfariswheel--
Your post is confusing (to me)

You make a statement and then a link, and then another statement, and another link, and so on.
Is "the best" or the one that "you get what you deserve" crap the one above or below your link?
Really hard to follow.
Please revise your post and clarify; I'm sure there is some really good info in there, but I can't make head or tail of it.

 

[BBBBill]

Dfariswheel--
Your post is confusing (to me)

You make a statement and then a link, and then another statement, and another link, and so on.
Is "the best" or the one that "you get what you deserve" crap the one above or below your link?
Really hard to follow.

I'm not Dfariswheel, but I understood (since I've used some of those) so I will interpret based on the ones that I've used or examined their work:
Glenrock Blue - Best of the best.
...
Mahovski - Only used for plating. Did a very good job. I've never seen any bluing by him. Not the easiest fellow to contact and not very communicative when you do get hold of him, but his work speaks for itself.
Turnbull - Great bluing, fantanstic restorations, and priced accordingly. Old school craftsmanship as you would imagine at H&H, Purdy, etc. Doug grew up in the family gunshop, Creekside Guns.
...
Accurate Plating - Decent work. More of a production shop, although you can talk to Bob about what you want.... if you can get a word in edgewise. He do love to talk! He has had a turnover in employees in the past couple years. I think some went back to Florida. Not sure if he's doing it all himself or has new help.
Ford's Custom Refinishing - Quality has fallen off. Specifically I've seen over buffed, wavy flats, blurred corners, smeared rollmarks. Sad. They were once very good.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have seen decent work on plain vanilla guns by a couple of local shops, ask around, you might get lucky.
Now if you want high grade work at high prices, see above.

Anecdote alert:
I have Caspians assembled by FLG and blued by a local shop. One came out purple, he probably let his solution get too hot. He redid it at no charge. I wish I had left it alone, it was turning kind of a bronze shade. It would have been very distinctive even in the modern era of painted guns.
I cheaped out on one, it was the third or fourth iteration of the pistol I call Frankennine; I just had him "dip" the new slide in its mill finish; probably belt sander texture. Doesn't look bad.

The guy who refurbished my smoke and water damaged guns did good work, they came out variously looking pretty good to better than factory. He said he did some with his own technique for Oxpho Blue but rust blued shotguns in case the ribs were soft soldered. Some he sent to another shop for hot blue, saying he had the tanks but they were just too much trouble to set up and run.

 

[orionengnr]

Thank you, BBBill, for clarifying.

 

[Barney1]

I'm not Dfariswheel, but I understood (since I've used some of those) so I will interpret based on the ones that I've used or examined their work:
Glenrock Blue - Best of the best.
...
Mahovski - Only used for plating. Did a very good job. I've never seen any bluing by him. Not the easiest fellow to contact and not very communicative when you do get hold of him, but his work speaks for itself.
Turnbull - Great bluing, fantanstic restorations, and priced accordingly. Old school craftsmanship as you would imagine at H&H, Purdy, etc. Doug grew up in the family gunshop, Creekside Guns.
...
Accurate Plating - Decent work. More of a production shop, although you can talk to Bob about what you want.... if you can get a word in edgewise. He do love to talk! He has had a turnover in employees in the past couple years. I think some went back to Florida. Not sure if he's doing it all himself or has new help.
Ford's Custom Refinishing - Quality has fallen off. Specifically I've seen over buffed, wavy flats, blurred corners, smeared rollmarks. Sad. They were once very good.

It all made sense to me. Heck, I should have mentioned it was my job on a .50 flinter. Hope to show it off in a bit. I just made a 1.5" square x 30" bathtub to soak the barrel. Hope to blue tomorrow.

 

[a2x4bbl]

This was done recently by Fords . I’m happy with it but I’m no expert.

 

[dfariswheel]

Ford's used to have a great rep for being one of the very few refinishers who could do a 1950's Colt "Wet look" Python Royal Blue without rounding off edges or leaving ripples in the flats.

Then a few years ago they hired new workers and didn't make sure they knew what they were doing.
Several members on the Colt Forum sent in Pythons for refinishing, and one person to also have the roll marks refreshed.
They got back absolutely ruined Colt's.
They looked like they'd been polished with a rock, all edges blurred, markings polished off, uneven waves on the flats and down the barrel.
The one that had the roll marks done literally looked like a kind with an electric pencil had done it and none too well.

After that, Ford's polishing has been suspect and I have them as "Possible, but with a strong caution" on quality of workmanship.
Possibly they've regained their former skills.

 

[CowboyTim]

I have an old Mossberg 22 bolt action my mother bought for me fifty-five years ago when I was twelve.
I'd like to get it reblued.
Who do you guys recemend?

Honestly, you could get it Cerakoted in E110 Midnight and get a great looking finish. I had a Model 70 refinished that way and the final result was outstanding. And at a lower cost than a quality blue job.