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#2348913 08/03/08
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Sinman6 Offline OP
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I have 2 guns I need to have blueing redone on. I was wondering if it was practical to set up a hot blueing system or just have a professional do it? I'm sure I have 4 others that could be reblued too. What would I need to do blueing at home? What does it ruffly cost?

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Brownells sells a hot bluing "starter kit" for around $800 bucks...but that doesn't include the polishing equipment you would also need.

A hot blue job will usually cost somewhere between $150 and $250 depending on the finish (polish) you want.

Do the math and make your own decision.




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Sinman, I would recommend a really classy slow rust blue that you can do yourself for under $100 all told.
Brownells sells a couple of different rust blue solutions but the only one I've used is the Pilkingtons solution. You'll also need a water tank long enough to hold your barrelled action (or just the barrel if you have the barrel out of the receiver), a method to heat this tank to boiling ( I used an outdoor propane grill). Brownells sells a tank for $40. You'll also need disposable rubber gloves, cotton balls, a very fine wire wheel, and fine wire brushes.
Just follow the directions that come with the Pilkingtons. Boil the small parts on the stove in the house. Be very conscious of oil comtamination. Boil and card the pieces 5-7 times and you'll have a blue job that will make a hot blue job look cheap and tacky by comparison.
Some folks claim rust blueing to be difficult but I found that although it requires some work and meticulous attention to detail it is not hard to get a fantastic finish.
PM or email me because I have some stuff I'd be happy to lend you to save you some cash. You know where to get ahold of me.


The Chosin Few November to December 1950, Korea.
I'm not one of the Chosin Few but no more remarkable group of Americans ever existed.
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nsaqam is right. Slow rust is the way to go, unless you have more money than time. Fine steel wool will work instead of brushes, but brushes make it easier. I use distilled water, tap water won't work. Boil your barreled receiver first in dish washing detergent to get the oil out of the threads, otherwise you'll get a silver ring at the barrel receiver junction. I made my first boiling tank out of two old Ford V8 valve covers, just cut off the ends and weld them together end to end. A bottle of Pilkingtons costs about $30 and will do at least 4 long guns. (Wet the cotton ball and then squeeze the excess back into the bottle.) You don't need a high polish, about a 400 grit finish is enough. You don't need a rusting cabinet there is enough moisture in the air to work. I do my boiling on the kitchen stove. Slow rust bluing is much prettier than hot dip bluing and far more durable. The very finest custom guns are slow rust blued. This is not hard to do, if you have an ounce of diy in you, and can read and follow instructions, you won't be sorry. You can do it for next to nothing. Years ago, the very first time I tried this it came out perfect. Actually I can't remember ever having to re blue one. Strongly recommend it.

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Sinman6 Offline OP
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sounds like thats what I will do. I have a custom VZ-24 that I would like to have a high gloss blue and also a model 94. I'll figure out how to make a tank and probably get an outside boiler for heating it. Thanks for the offer nsaqam I'll probably just buy and build everything just so I have it when I have more to do.

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Wait a minute now. Slow rust won't give you a high gloss. It's sort of a satin finish.

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Sinman6 Offline OP
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How do you get that deep gloss blue?

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That 94 probably will not blue well at all.


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if you are not a purist,the dura Coat gun blue looks great,won't rust and is very durable. just need a compressor and small air brush.

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For the high gloss blue you are back to buffing wheels and hot dip tanks. You could polish it by hand, but it's a lot of work. Hand polishing will give you a better job,(no rounded off corners, and dished out screw heads, if you do it right) but you will earn it. I've only blued 2 94s with Pilkington's, but they both came out great. They were older ones though. I have heard that the newer 94s are hard to hot blue. I believe Pilkington's is suppose to work on the newer 94s, but can't say for sure. I'd run a search for Pilkington and give them a call. I think if I wanted just one or two guns blued, and I just had to have a high gloss, I'd send them out. One more thought, if you do the polishing yourself, it's going to save you some money. Personaly I'd forget the high gloss, and go with the slow rust. But, to each his own.

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I agree with troublsom1.
Slow rust gives a finish that is much less "matte" than a factory matte finish but it is not as glossy as a high polish hot dip. It's somewhere in between the 2 but I think closer to the gloss side than the matte. Slow rust IMO looks far better and deeper than any hot dip blue and the fact that you can polish it yourself by hand ensures that you don't round corners or funnel screw holes, the telltale signs of a substandard polish job.
The very finest guns in the world are still slow rust blued so I think you'd be happy with it when you were done.


The Chosin Few November to December 1950, Korea.
I'm not one of the Chosin Few but no more remarkable group of Americans ever existed.

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