Gun bluing

[gamestalker]

I have several inexpensive rifles that need to be blued and wanted to ask if heating the metal up after all the prep has been done will help to put a longer lasting blue on them. I spoke to a smith that uses a blueing vat and it puts the blue on hot. I think it's called hot blueing or something to that effect. But since I don't have a vat to work with if applying the blue on a warm surface will help. Or if I warm the blue and the gun prior to application will work better? I'm not considering temparatures of 1000 degrees, but rather like 250-275 degrees.
Also, can the firearm be powder coated? Is the metal on a firearm such that it will accept powder coat with good adhearance? I'm not going to be working with stainless steel, just regular blued steel that has had all the bluing removed and the surface preped accordingly. I've done a good deal of powder coating in the past, but never on a firearm.

 

[Norton Commando]

My experience with powder coating is limited to motorcycle frames, but I don't think it would work well on firearms. The reason being is that the coating is too thick and would radically change the clearance between mating parts.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Shop around....If you do all the prep, you can likely find a gunsmith willing to hot dip your guns for around 50 bucks each.

 

[Red Cent]

http://www.finishing.com/4400-4599/4469.shtml

 

[xr1200]

go call a local chrome plater they also do black oxide which is gun blue, I 've had rifles and shotguns dipped for $25-30 if you do the metal prep and hand guns for $20

 

[Sunray]

"...help to put a longer lasting blue on..." Not if it's cold bluing. Cold bluing is a touch up thing. However, for inexpensive rifles, the paste kind will do.
"...powder coated?..." Baked on powdered paint. Not a good idea. Needs special equipment too. Duracoat, on the other hand, is made for firearms. Comes in assorted colours(you can have pink if you want it) and doesn't require any special equipment. A 'Shake and Spray' kit runs $30 for one colour. They make a spray on and bake enamel too. Read the FAQ's under 'Information & Extras' on the left side menu.
http://www.duracoat-finishes.com/
"...black oxide which is gun blue..." Nope. Black oxide is good for SS though. And an option for blued firearms. Caswell Plating sells kits for black oxiding. Not as inexpensive as Duracoating.
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm

 

[06]

A bud's son does all kinds of coatings. Rawhide Gunsmith & Leather in Monroe, N.C. Will be taking one over soon for Parkerizing. He also builds customs. Some of his leather slings are outstanding.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

"...black oxide which is gun blue..." Nope. Black oxide is good for SS though.

"Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. True gun bluing is an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface selectively forming magnetite (Fe3O4), the black oxide of iron, which occupies the same volume as metallic iron[citation needed]. Black oxide provides minimal protection against corrosion, unless also treated with a water-displacing oil to reduce wetting and galvanic action.

In contrast, rust, the red oxide of iron (Fe2O3), does not occupy the same volume as iron, thereby causing the typical reddish rusting away of iron. "Cold", "Hot", "Rust Blue" and "Fume Blue" are oxidizing processes simply referred to as bluing." (from Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel>)

 

[xr1200]

You don't know what you are talking about , black oxide is the same process as gun blue and is made only for steel, the only difference is the color of the completed process, older colts tended to be dark blue in finish, while others were black. A perfect example is the Colt 1911 WW1 commemerative, there were carbona blue models made and also black oxide models sold. Most modern steel firearms currently use the dark black oxide finish.

There is a special process for stainless steel blackening that is called a an oxide finish and only works on stainless steel.

Steel black oxide or blue steel process, is the same process it is done in heated stainless steel tanks or iron pots and uses a mixture of distilled water and hot bluing salts are added to the water. The tank is then heated to about 300 degrees and the bare stripped parts are hung from copper wires hanging in the solution for around 1 hr.

Note there is no electronic or electrical operation involed in the actual blueing process, unless you consider electric heaters used to heat the solution, most use gas heated tanks. A small electric hot plate and a 2 gallon stainless pot can be used in your back yard to do hand guns, large long guns need long heated tanks, that will need to be around 10 inches deep x 10 wide and 36 " - 40 " long.

Parts are then removed and rinsed with clean cold water and then dipped in a water displacemnt oil such as wd40 and wiped dry and then reoiled.

Here is a link to a company that sells blueing salts and chemicals for all finishes available. This is one of the companies that the pros use.

http://www.epi.com/pages/epi-black-oxide

Note hot blueing chemicals can be very dangerous and toxic and hazerdous to use, so it is something that should really only be done in a industrial environment.

So unless you are going into the gun refinish bussiness, its better to just visit your local chrome plater and work out a package deal with them.

 

[Big Az Al]

I see many answers here, that are correct.

I do bluing. Complete polishing to customers desire.

AND

In my not so humble (and some say rightly so) opinion.

My bluing is second to none, and affordable.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I've done hot salts bluing for around 35 years both professionally and personally. I use Brownell's Oxynate #7 in 6"x6"x40" steel tanks(not stainless) I use tap water,not distilled(I quit using distilled water when I realized I was wasting my money). I sometimes will add Brownell's Oxynate S to the solution if I want to blue cast iron such as single shot shotgun receivers. Oxynate 84 will color stainless steel but the few times I tried it I wasn't happy with the result so I gave up on that. I have used Gunkote bake on gun finish as well as Aluma-hyde II with great results but will alway choose bluing when I can. I have the equipment and materials for electroless nickle but just never had the inclination to do it. I have had great results early on with Birchwood Casey's Perma-blue. Looks great but won't withstand heavy use where you really have to be trying to damage hot blue. My suggestion to the OP is to do your own prep work and have a pro degrease them and hot blue them. You may even want them beadblasted for a matte finish. I think you will be much happier in the long run.