How to improve bluing?

[Nickel Plated]

So I have a pistol here that's blued but the bluing is kinda dull and cheap-ish looking. And I'm looking to pretty it up a bit. I heard a good way to do it is to polish the metal, mix some cold blue with oil, rub it on the metal, repolish, rub it in again, and keep repeating a few times and the bluing should turn much deeper and nicer looking.

Anyone ever heard of this method?

 

[1KPerDay]

What pistol? Cheapo=go for it, whatever. Nice/collectible? Leave it be, IMO.

 

[JRH6856]

Bluing is a controlled oxidation process. It requires access to oxygen. Considering that oil generally neutralizes the bluing process by blocking access to the oxygen in the air, the described technique would seem counter productive.

In any event, cold blue is not much more than a cosmetic. The oxidized layer is very thin and will disappear quickly with any degree of wear. And because of the thinness, you will need to keep the surface oiled to prevent the underlying metal from rusting.

Having said all of that, get some Oxpho-Blue from Brownells. After polishing, use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the surface to be blued, then apply the bluing. Oxpho works instantly, so immediately wipe it off with an oiled cloth. Then buff the surface with 0000 steel wool. Degrease and repeat until you get the desired results. It's still cold blue, but using the heat seems to make it go a little deeper and last a little longer.

 

[Grassman]

The one time I re blued a rifle, it was an old Remington Targetmaster, the bluing looked a little dull to me also. Well for what ever reason I decided to polish it with WD40, and after that it looked great, darn near factory but not quite as dark, but very shiny and looked great. Don't ask me how or why, but it did. Still looks good till this day.

 

[Drail]

Cold blue is a very short time finish, it will wear off quickly. Do a search for a process called - rust bluing. It is a very heavy duty finish but takes some time and effort. It can be done at home though without expensive equipment.

 

[Nickel Plated]

The rust bluing is pretty interesting. I'll definitely try that out.
The gun isn't anything special. Just an old Uberti 1863 Pocket Remington replica that's seen better days. Some of the blue wore off and the rest just looks like it's seen better days.

Figured i might as well make a little project out of it.

 

[Scooter22]

Blueing and oil don't mix. One of the most important steps of rebleing is to degrease the metal and don't touch it with bare fingers. Try Vans cold blue. I and many have had great results with it. It's very easy and it looks great. It probably won't last as long as a hot blue but it's easy to touch up.