Water Displacing Oil

[kennymauser]

Hi, I have been reading this forum for quite a while, have sold a few guns, but have never wanted to ask this question. I have been hot-bluing guns for 23 years, and have always used all Brownells products. I have always had very good results, and my customers are happy, but I need to find a good alternative to Brownells Water-Displacing oil. I hate to spend as much on shipping as I do on the product, especially the oil! Do any of you do hot bluing, and if you do, do you use Oxynate 7 salts? I will not consider any other kind but if any of you are using these salts, and a different water displacing oil, I would like to hear about it. I usually make my oil last too long and I would change it more often if I could find a cheaper/closer source! I live in Montana, and shipping is usually high on everything! Thanks for listening to a question I've had for years, but never did anything about!

Ken

 

[GeorgeR]

I use Du Lite's "Steelcoat" , which I find to be the best salts I've ever tried. They won't creep out like Oxynate. I've been hot blueing for 16 years, and I'm still learning! Du Lite has water displacing oil "Kwikseal" for $15 a gallon in five gallon buckets or $8 a gallon in 55 gal drums as compared to Brownell's $117 for 5 gal. Jantz Supply also has water displacing oil cheaper than Brownell's.

 

[kennymauser]

George, thanks for the info. I have always wondered about DuLite but really never had the nerve to try it because what I was using worked! Is the DuLite oil similar to Brownells in the way it works etc., etc.? It sounds like what I'm looking for! You're right about learning about bluing! Everytime I fire up the tanks, I wonder if I am doing something wrong, just like the first day I tried in 1983!

Thanks,
Ken

 

[medmo]

Ditto on Oxynate #7 creeping. Du Lite also seems more forgiving in temperature control variance. WD-40 is still the best in my opinion for water displacement and can be ordered in 1 gallon cans.

 

[GeorgeR]

I don't know about Brownell's vs Kwik Seal. You might give the folks at Du Lite a call, you could buy a quart and give it a try.
RE: WD 40. That works well, too. At Yavapei College, at least when I was there, they used WD 40 exclusively.
I also use NeutraSol from Jantz Supply if I blue bbl receivers that tend to bleed out after a few weeks. Cheaper than dirt, and really gets rid of the bleed out.

 

[medmo]

GeorgeR,

When did you attend Yavapai? I attended '84 - '86.

I purchased salts from Louie's Black Oxide in Phoenix years ago when I was doing high volume work. They do really high volume industrial work and mix their own salts. I'm not sure if they still sell them but they were not expensive and worked great.

 

[GeorgeR]

Yavapei

86. I took some courses there. Blueing instructor was Lee Forsberg. Great place, loved every minute of it. They had just built the "Opry House" and everybody was complaining about how all the $ and resources went to the arts instead of the gunsmithing facility. Were you a full time student?

 

[medmo]

Yes, I was a full time student. Tony Ross was running the program when I was there. I completed the certification program and also got an AAS.

 

[GeorgeR]

Yavapei

Well, it was a wonderful place and it changed my life!

 

[ulflyer]

George R is too modest to toot his own horn, but gentlemen, he does some nice bluing work, and I recommend him highly. He did a Colt MK IV for me that is so shiny its hard to take a pic of it.

 

[Oscar Orum]

another recommendation

Uniflyer recommended my to George a good while back and I am very happy with the work and service I received. "He will do to ride the river with"