i have a blued revolver, it had rust but i now have it rust free. at the back of the cylinder there is bare metal all the way around in a narrow line as well as spots here and there. the top strap had a line on each side bare as is the barrel tip and about an half inch down each side from barrel tip, and on bottom of trigger guard. i have tried the bluing pen but it just comes off. is there better bluing stuff?, is there a coating i can put on it? i can't spend a whole lot right now, but would like to darken these area's in. a friend told me put rust reformer on it as it will turn blue black and leave a coating to protect but i wonder how durable it would be? what do ya'll use?, thanks for any help.
good coating??
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Ironman615
Member
My experience with rust converting solutions has been primarily in automobile restorations. If you have already removed the rust, there won't be anything to convert. If there is still some rust, it will turn black. I don't think the coating will rub off with light handling, but I suspect it will disappear on areas that get scuffed going in and out of a holster, or just rubbing on clothing. In gun coatings, you pretty well get what you pay for--at best. Someone else's experience may be different. Good luck on finding an inexpensive solution.
JeeperCreeper
Member
If the gun is not a collector or valuable (I assume it's not since it seems to get good use) then maybe automotive touch up paint. It comes in a variety of colors in those paint pens and can protect quite well.
If you just want protection, try Brownells Oxpho Blue (multiple coats). Clean the areas with alcohol, then heat it up with a heat gun or hair dryer and put on several coats with a cotton swab. Buff with 0000 steel wool while wet with oxpho, rinse, dry, repeat. You'll get a fairly durable, hard, black finish that is easily touched up with Oxpho. One caution, don't dip out of the oxpho bottle (contamination). Pour out a little(very little) at a time in a cup or bowl to dip from. Used this routine to reblue a 1911 grip safety with good results. The more you buff, the shinier the finish. Good luck!
If you wish to try the various do it yourself bluing products such as those recommended here , fine. In some cases , bluing touch-ups can give a false sense of security - Cold Blue and the like are an oxidization effect , and those touched up spots can be the first to rust. An easy and effective way to go is to carefully rub down the entire revolver with RIG grease , let it set around a while , then wipe off the excess. I have a WWII Femaru (all matching w/ Nazi proofs , thank you) which had surface rust all over it. I worked it with fine abrasives until smooth , rubbed it down with RIG , and it is now very stable rust-wise and has a lovely patina.
IMO , any gun which has been rusted an/or pitted needs surface protection even if spot treated with a DIY product. Good luck.
IMO , any gun which has been rusted an/or pitted needs surface protection even if spot treated with a DIY product. Good luck.
Waveski (Wax for rust protection? I think that you wasted our time here.)
Once again , good luck.
I was needing something to protect my gun since i have all the rust gone, i was wanting to darken the light area's as well but it seems that most cold blue will not stay long. i can't duracoat as i have no way to blast my gun and i have been told it won't stick good otherwise. sorry for all the questions but this has been my first blue handgun, all my other i have ever owned have been stainless or nickle. i've had guns for over 30yrs, long guns and handguns, i got a great deal on this one and if it wasn't my only handgun i would send it off and have it re finished with a tough outer coating. thanks
Once again , good luck.
I was needing something to protect my gun since i have all the rust gone, i was wanting to darken the light area's as well but it seems that most cold blue will not stay long. i can't duracoat as i have no way to blast my gun and i have been told it won't stick good otherwise. sorry for all the questions but this has been my first blue handgun, all my other i have ever owned have been stainless or nickle. i've had guns for over 30yrs, long guns and handguns, i got a great deal on this one and if it wasn't my only handgun i would send it off and have it re finished with a tough outer coating. thanks
" i've had guns for over 30yrs, long guns and handguns, i got a great deal on this one and if it wasn't my only handgun i would send it off ..."
Excuse me , but you are contradicting yourself. And , 30 years of gun ownership and no blued pieces? Well , that is unusual but possible. I sincerely hope that you stop fretting , grease up that nice old revolver , rub it down , and take it to the range.
Enjoy.
Excuse me , but you are contradicting yourself. And , 30 years of gun ownership and no blued pieces? Well , that is unusual but possible. I sincerely hope that you stop fretting , grease up that nice old revolver , rub it down , and take it to the range.
Enjoy.
only blued guns i have owned were long guns, i took care not to let them rust as i bought them new. i have posted when i bought my service six that it was my first used gun and first one with rust issue that i ever encountered of my own. i have only owned stainless or nickle handguns, both cheap ones like jennings and one nickle revolver i can't remember the name but it would discharge on single action by itself from time to time and i disasembled it and saved the parts, shot ok double action. and costly like gp100 or 36. i have also only bought new until recently. times hit hard and i sold most of my invetory and payed off bills, being on a extreme tight budget now is new to me i've never had money just to burn but i could every few months get things i wanted until now. and it's a learning experience for sure. if i were just taking this handgun out every so often i wouldn't worry at all, just like my long gun which comes out every month or so unless it's hunting season. but this is gonna be my conceal carry gun everyday carry gun and just want to keep it protected. i have decided to look for a stainless service or speed six for carry later when things get a little better, right now i am gonna get a good holster, ammo and check on the reloading route and see how that goes, thanks again.
UPDATE: i messed up big time today, i tried g96 cold blue. big mistake it took my bluing off my cylinder. now i have thumbnail size blotches of bare metal all over the cylinder. i don't know what is in it but it ain't good. now it looks like as much as i like this gun i can't live with it like it is and i need a handgun so sending it off is a no go either. gonna post it for sale soon, if i could kick myself i would. i wished i had left it alone but thats seems to be my luck lately. thanks again for every ones help.
WestKentucky
Member
It's a service six, built very well and getting harder to find. Do yourself a favor and pay to have it re blued or coated with a product like gunkote or duracote?
JT-AR-MG42
Member
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Reads to me like you need to relax a bit.
Here is a picture of the Colt Cobra I often carry in the belt or back pocket.
It has been dropped, underwater, and sweated on for quite a few years now.
How much could I get for it if I decided to sell? Lots of blue and frame wear, worn grips, been shot a lot as well.
Probably not too much and definitely not what the gun is worth.
The action and timing are like the day it was made.
Who cares! I bought it to use, and could care less about the finish, although I do try to care for it as time and circumstance allow.
I wipe it down with an oily rag after sweating on it, but the small rust areas that pop up now and again are not a big deal to me on a carry gun.
Why not re-think the decision to sell?
If the Ruger is the only pistol you have, selling it with blueing issues (not blue wear) won't bring as much as you might hope.
The mechanics on your Ruger are in good shape as well, I'll bet.
The big question you should be asking yourself about selling is ' What am I going to replace this gun with that is of similar quality?'
Hope this helps to buck you up a tad and was written in THR spirit and tradition,
JT
Here is a picture of the Colt Cobra I often carry in the belt or back pocket.
It has been dropped, underwater, and sweated on for quite a few years now.
How much could I get for it if I decided to sell? Lots of blue and frame wear, worn grips, been shot a lot as well.
Probably not too much and definitely not what the gun is worth.
The action and timing are like the day it was made.
Who cares! I bought it to use, and could care less about the finish, although I do try to care for it as time and circumstance allow.
I wipe it down with an oily rag after sweating on it, but the small rust areas that pop up now and again are not a big deal to me on a carry gun.
Why not re-think the decision to sell?
If the Ruger is the only pistol you have, selling it with blueing issues (not blue wear) won't bring as much as you might hope.
The mechanics on your Ruger are in good shape as well, I'll bet.
The big question you should be asking yourself about selling is ' What am I going to replace this gun with that is of similar quality?'
Hope this helps to buck you up a tad and was written in THR spirit and tradition,
JT
JeeperCreeper
Member
I was given an old rusty Ithaca 16 gauge by my uncle. I have written about it on other forums before. It was kept in the rafters of a damp and mildewy basement for nearly 2 decades, uncovered and unloved. Needless to say, when my uncle discovered his neglected shotty, he gave it to me because it was easier than throwing it away. I dissassembled it as best I could, soaked it in a cocktail of chemicals, cleaned it, sanded it, soaked it again. This poor Ithaca recieved a spa day from H3LL, but it was worth it in the end.
The reason I share this long winded and dramatic story, is that with time and love, nearly any firearm has a chance at redemption. When most of the rust was removed, and no money in my pocket for a professional job, I decided to paint the gun with rattle cans. I used Duplicolor Engine Enamel with ceramic (I have mentioned this on here before). Solvent and heat resistent. Goes on smooth, and primer gray and low gloss black will compliment most classic firearms.
It is now my favorite shotgun, not because it is prettiest, handiest, bestest, or coolest, but it is mine and I spent time on it. Just like an old beat up pick up truck, I feel like this firearm is a part of me... because I made me apart of the gun.
Keep it, work on it, and make it your own, and give it a chance at redemption. It will be worth more to you than on the shelf of some dingy pawn shop waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.
The reason I share this long winded and dramatic story, is that with time and love, nearly any firearm has a chance at redemption. When most of the rust was removed, and no money in my pocket for a professional job, I decided to paint the gun with rattle cans. I used Duplicolor Engine Enamel with ceramic (I have mentioned this on here before). Solvent and heat resistent. Goes on smooth, and primer gray and low gloss black will compliment most classic firearms.
It is now my favorite shotgun, not because it is prettiest, handiest, bestest, or coolest, but it is mine and I spent time on it. Just like an old beat up pick up truck, I feel like this firearm is a part of me... because I made me apart of the gun.
Keep it, work on it, and make it your own, and give it a chance at redemption. It will be worth more to you than on the shelf of some dingy pawn shop waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.
tnxdshooter
Member
In my experience with different coatings i'm convinced there is none better than parkerized base coat under cerakote.
Wow.
What happened to wax? At least that would have been harmless.
Read the thread "It's old. It's worn. I think it's beautiful." there are good lessons there.
At this point , your options are narrowed down and simple. First , you must do NOTHING for a week - give yourself time to simmer down. Moving forward , further DIY treatments should be off the table given the fact that you are not adept at them. So as I see it you have 2 options : 1) Sell the Ruger , 2) Lube and shoot. (Where have I heard that before?) We can logically dismiss option 1 because the money you will get in from a fire sale of a chemically marred revolver will not enable you to replace it with anything better than an RG , so ... it makes no sense to sell. That brings us to option 2. You own a fine shooter. Lube , shoot , clean. Lube , shoot , clean. Repeat over and over.
Have we seen any pictures of this specimen? Is this really happening?
In closing , I mentioned that I own a WWII era Femaru which had a fair amount of surface rust when I bought it. I spent about $2 on materials to get it to a nice patina.
I wish I owned a tarnished Ruger Security Six!
What happened to wax? At least that would have been harmless.
Read the thread "It's old. It's worn. I think it's beautiful." there are good lessons there.
At this point , your options are narrowed down and simple. First , you must do NOTHING for a week - give yourself time to simmer down. Moving forward , further DIY treatments should be off the table given the fact that you are not adept at them. So as I see it you have 2 options : 1) Sell the Ruger , 2) Lube and shoot. (Where have I heard that before?) We can logically dismiss option 1 because the money you will get in from a fire sale of a chemically marred revolver will not enable you to replace it with anything better than an RG , so ... it makes no sense to sell. That brings us to option 2. You own a fine shooter. Lube , shoot , clean. Lube , shoot , clean. Repeat over and over.
Have we seen any pictures of this specimen? Is this really happening?
In closing , I mentioned that I own a WWII era Femaru which had a fair amount of surface rust when I bought it. I spent about $2 on materials to get it to a nice patina.
I wish I owned a tarnished Ruger Security Six!
thanks everyone, wished i hadn't messed with it. i have got to start listening, if i had i wouldn't be in this shape. i am a little lucky tho, the frame was at 98%+ so i didn't try to blue it thank goodness. but the cylinder now is about 70% bluing left. i just can't handle complete bare spots unless they are small, if it was just lightly blued i'd be ok. i just need the cylinder blued so may be it won't cost too much. and i can mail the cylinder myself and i hope it won't be gone too long. as bad as i hate the look of the cylinder the way the gun shoots keeps it here for now. ruger sure put this one together right. thanks
i have a neighbor that came over, he got some duracoat for his guns. said he didn't have enough to try my whole gun but would do my cylinder. i thought well my gun frame don't need it so ok go ahead as i have decided to keep it even if i have to send the cylinder off. i've had several friends that offered to loan me one of there guns till mine is fixed so i have that problem solved. he said he would bring it back tomorrow. i will post a picture when he is done. thanks again
ivankerley
Member
sometimes our experiments dont go as planned, ive had it happen many times
dunno if id have handed my cylinder to a guy to rattle can it as a course of fixing things. though if it ends up working for ya please post a picture, love seeing Rugers
had a budy buy an old remington 16 gauge, previous owner had duck taped a rear sight on it, sat in a case for some 40 years, tape does a real number on the finish and gets in the roll mark, etc. buddy calls me and says he got the tape off, can i cold blue the little section… well it looked like hell when i got it
, scratches etc. some multiple applications of cold blue and some work feathering it out and well it looks a ton better, not perfect but nothing to get twisted up over every time he uses it. Most cosmetic things can be masked as long as it still functions its good to go. Guns look better with some wear on them anyhow, least i think so
Good Luck
Gene
dunno if id have handed my cylinder to a guy to rattle can it as a course of fixing things. though if it ends up working for ya please post a picture, love seeing Rugers
had a budy buy an old remington 16 gauge, previous owner had duck taped a rear sight on it, sat in a case for some 40 years, tape does a real number on the finish and gets in the roll mark, etc. buddy calls me and says he got the tape off, can i cold blue the little section… well it looked like hell when i got it
, scratches etc. some multiple applications of cold blue and some work feathering it out and well it looks a ton better, not perfect but nothing to get twisted up over every time he uses it. Most cosmetic things can be masked as long as it still functions its good to go. Guns look better with some wear on them anyhow, least i think soGood Luck
Gene
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