Who does a good job and what should I expect to pay for rust bluing a bolt action rifle?

I do my own, and love doing it. I priced the cost (to see how much I was saving) and found quotes all over the map, price-wise, from a low of around $150 up to $500. Made me feel even more proud of my accomplishment.

It's not hard to do, and doesn't require a huge initial outlay, and isn't noxious- you can do it in the kitchen. It is however rather time consuming and that I fear is why the pros charge so much.

Thanks. I've read over the basics of doing it: degrease, apply compound, boil, let rust, card (may have too many steps or some out of order) and then repeat the process until desired depth of color is reached.

My concerns are: how do you keep the bore from rusting and how do you card (and what do you card with?) the hard-to-reach recesses of small parts and the inside of the receiver?

Some guys plug the barrel. I've done that in the past but have gone to coating the bore with varnish or clear laquer. Remove it with acetone after the final boil. For carding I use a carding wheel in a drill press @ 600rpm. You can also use degreased 0000 steel wool. For the hard to get places you just have to be creative, a hemostat and small wads/pieces of the degreased wool is the way I do it.

I quite worrying about the barrel years ago. The steel only rusts where the rusting chemical is applied. Now I just degrease the bore and start bluing. When the barrel is removed from the boil, the steel drys instantly. After carding, I run a clean patch through the bore using a degreased rod to remove any crud .

My bluing jobs usually take a couple of days and I've never had a problem with barrel rust.

I believe you, but find it really interesting, as I have had rifles start to rust after being out in rain a couple of hours.

The difference is that after boiling, the metal is bone dry. There is no moisture to react with air and steel to create rust.

My just finished 8X63mm Mauser cost $300. Looks really old school,like it was done 75+ years ago,I'm good with it!

I wish I could find the post over on rimfirecentral that I saw a couple years ago. A guy bought some old school .22 rifle, think it was a pump, but can't remember for sure. He draw filed the barrel and action to remove the pitting it had, then rust blued it. Did a step by step tutorial as he went along, very informative, but I can't find it

Charles Danner is the acknowledged expert when it comes to rust bluing. He had been in the business many years and many of the custom gunsmiths use his services. Do a Google search and you will find his website. I did rust bluing for many years when employed in Browning Arms Co. gunsmithing shop, while a relatively simple process there are a lot of tricks of the trade and the learning curve takes a while before turning out really nice work. Been there and done that, I now turn my work over to the pros who do this work every day. I gladly pay what they charge for the kind of work they turn out. Check with the American Custom Gunsmith's Guild, they maintain a list of members who specialize in rust bluing.

I get $125.00, but it takes time.

Are you paying yourself minimum wage Corelokt?

I'll say it again. It's not rocket science and doesn't require a huge set-up or noxious chemicals. What it does take is time, and the willingness to repeat the process until you get it right. The real secret to a beautiful rust blued "professional" job is in the prep work; careful and meticulous polishing is totally necessary. Slap-dash polishing (especially if using a buffing wheel to get that wonderful buttery rounded over look to the sharp edges and lettering) will result in an amateurish looking blue job, especially if one gets impatient and stops short of attaining a uniform "blue" on the steel.

Rust bluing solution DOES contain noxious chemicals, if you are using the Herter's formula now sold by others it contains MERCURY. Rubber gloves, good ventilation and a quality respirator should be used when rust bluing especially when carding. I worked in the gunsmithing department at Browning Arms Co. for many years, during this time some of my coworkers developed health problems from exposure to the hazards involved in rust bluing. Rust bluing in the home kitchen exposes you and your family to these hazards and I would strongly advise against it.

It's all relative. My inference to the "noxiousness" was in comparison to the rust bluing solutions vs. the common hot bluing chemicals. Also, a home hobbyist doing an occasional rust bluing job isn't exposing himself to a constant barrage of risky compounds. Simply wearing nitrile gloves (which one should as a matter of course just to keep oily fingerprints off of the steel anyway) and a dust mask (which will obviate the ingestion of 95% of the airborne rust particles) will, I feel, protect a home hobbyist sufficiently while doing a blue job a couple of times a year.

As far as mercury goes, well if it's listed as an ingredient I wouldn't use it. Why go looking for trouble? I might add that there is a ton of stuff commonly found in households that is equally noxious as the weak solutions used for rust bluing. I would. for example, rather spend a week breathing those fumes than spend an hour breathing Formula 409 fumes while scrubbing the bathrooms.

Given the Herters solution contains mercury, what rust bluing product would you reccomend for the home hobbyist?

Sounds as though Mr. gnoahh considers himself to be the resident know it all expert when it comes to the topic of rust bluing. My comments were not meant to be critical of his post, just stating
some knowledge gained in 35yrs.+ as a professional gunsmith. A lot of 'smiths I know report excellent results using the Pilkington Rust Blue. You might want to inquire at his website if there is a MSDS available that would list the chemical composition of his product and precautions necessary. BTW a paper dust mask is just that, meant only to protect from relatively harmless elements. The oxide thrown into the air while carding rust blue is much more hazardous and requires a higher level of protection, no matter if you are a home hobbyist doing a one time job or a pro doing it on an ongoing basis.

Well, I have used Brownell's "Classic Rust Blue" and got dandy results. I just dug the old bottle of it out and I see the label refers to metallic salts being in the solution. I have no idea what that means. Mercury? I did two guns with it and honestly didn't notice any odd odors. Remember, you're only exposed to the fumes for as long as it takes to swab the stuff onto the steel, then it goes away (in my case into a damp box) to slowly rust. In re-reading the printed instructions that came with the stuff, there is no mention whatever of maintaining proper ventilation/not coming in contact with it, etc. The warning on the label mentions avoiding contact with the skin and to not get it in your eyes and avoid prolonged exposure to the vapors.

I have also used Laurel Mountain Forge browning solution for both browning and rust bluing. I don't have any left so I don't have any reference as to its contents. The results were fine, and I don't recall any noxious odors.

Lastly, for the last gun I did I used a home made solution that supposedly duplicates A.O.Niedner's recipe.
2.5 oz. Nitric acid
2.0 oz. Hydrochloric acid
1.0 oz. iron nails
30.0 oz. distilled water

As you can see it's a very weak acidic solution. I mixed it using chemicals we have here in our labs at the school (I honestly don't know the strength of the acids, but it is fairly pure stuff.) Instead of iron nails, I used iron filings, again from the science labs. I read somewhere to be sure of the chemical makeup of the metal you dissolve into the acid- using alloy steels may impart traces of elements detrimental to the process. The iron filings were dissolved first in the acid, then mixed with the water. (Always add acid to water, never the reverse.) I also reduced the quantities of the ingredients so as not to end up with a quart of it, and used brown glass containers.

That was more of an experiment and admittedly a self-challenge. The results were a very pleasant grey-blue almost black.

Quite frankly if anybody tries this at home, and I still see no reason why not, allay your own suspicions by determining the contents of the solution and take the necessary precautions. It still ain't rocket science. And as far as exposing my family to any danger- I'm single and live alone, plus all this stuff is done in my shop where I'm all by my lonesome. I would still do it in the kitchen if that were my only venue.

Not a "resident expert". Just stating what I have done myself. My personal physiological makeup is rather more sensitive than most people's, and I have never experienced any side effects whatsoever. Some of stuff the cleaning lady has stashed under the sink brings tears to my eyes and makes me gag, quite unlike my experiences doing rust bluing.

Can't get top dollar on a rock bottom economy.

I guess Mr. gnoahh just cannot see my point, your lungs are just like your eyes. One pair to a customer and no replacements, it just makes no sense to gamble with one's health. No matter the lack of noxious odors, mild strength of acid, etc.,etc.. I hope the other forum members take my advice here, quality rubber gloves (not surgical gloves), adequate ventilation and a respirator capable of protecting you lungs from the fine particles (iron oxide and chemical residue) produced during the carding process. Whatever rust blue solution you choose to use, get a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from the manufacturer. These are available at no charge, sometimes on-line, they provide full disclosure (except propriety property of the manufacturer)of the chemicals you are dealing with and the precautions necessary in doing so. Other valuable knowledge consained therin are, handling spills, fire precautions and disposing of waste material and containers. All thing you will want to know to stay safe. This is a fun, safe hobby I am not trying to scare anyone. Just want to make everyone aware of the potential hazards and how to arm yourself with the knowledge to work safely.

Thank you all. One gun I want to rust blue is my Kimber of Oregon Model 82. Apart from using degreased steel wool held in a hemostat or something, what would be a good way to card the inside of the receiver and extractor recesses in the barrel?

Point taken, but my point is that occasional home hobbyist rust bluing (say, a couple a year, max) poses no more of a health risk given modest precautions than cleaning the bathroom and kitchen weekly with the common bleaches and cleansers that are prevalent in our households. I fear the pollution I breathe from the rush hour traffic jams every morning more than I do the effects of a couple of rust bluing projects. On the other hand if I were engaged in doing it for a living I would certainly take all necessary precautions to ameliorate the effects of a steady consumption of the chemicals present.

That's as good a way as any I suppose. I use steel wool pushed/finagled into tight corners with thin bladed screwdrivers, slivers of wood, or anything else laying around on my cluttered bench. I'll give the hemostats (what we used to call "roach clips" ) a try.

Instead of de-greasing steel wool (a necessity), try out some oil-free steel wool. I buy mine from a woodworking supply house. It's Liberon brand (Google it). Comes in a sleeve that holds about 20 feet of it. A bit pricier than hardware store-grade steel wool, but is super nice to work with. I use it as a matter of course for everything in the laboratory workshop.

Used Charles Danner twice, very nice man to talk to, and does beautiful work. Cant go wrong with him, and has a quick turn around time.

It is a lot like body work. What you put into prep work (Polishing) is pretty much what you end up with. Pilkingtons is more for the experienced user. The prep work must be good+ and really clean. It does not seem to have the penetration (In a short time) on cased steels that Brownell's does.

Steven60;
As you may have noted by many of the posts already, there are differing methods of rust bluing. With the understanding that I'm not a working gunsmith, just a serious student of firearms, I'll throw out the following thoughts for your consideration.

I was taught how to do it 25 years ago, the way the chap who taught me had learned. Is it the right way? Well I suppose if the results are acceptable to the gun's owner then at least it is ONE right way.

One thing I'd like to add is that if you are going to use a home mixed acid formula, you need to do so in heavy glass containers.

It's been awhile since I mixed my last batch, but as I recall the reaction was a wee bit exothermic.

As well, when I add the nails to the acid, an orange gas comes off of the resulting solution and that orange gas does a body no good whatsoever....

Please learn from my mistakes there and mix it is a very well ventilated area.

A carbon filter mask, rubber gloves and safety glasses would be a nice minimum of personal safety gear in my view.

I've never plugged a bore and have never had an issue with any contamination in it. As I understand it, boiling stops the oxidization process and as noted, everything dries very quickly coming out of the hot water.

As well, I've never blued the inside surfaces of any receiver, though it would be conceivable to do so I suspect. I've done plenty of bolts, however I've always kept the oxidizing solution away from the critical locking lug surfaces.

When I started out I used steel wool, but eventually ended up with a soft wire wheel from Brownell's which makes it much easier.

One thing I've found quite useful is that I've played with my acid solution so it achieved the amount of oxidization that I'm aiming for in 24 hours, so then I can work at it every evening.

If the solution is too concentrated, it will result in too much rusting in short order and the pits may become deeper than you really want. Hopefully that makes sense?

Oh, it usually takes between 6-8 rust/buff/boil repetitions to do most barreled actions for me. Once the initial prep is done - ie. the barreled action is stripped to the white, then it's usually about a half hour per repetition or maybe a little more or less depending on the action I'm working with.

Lastly, depending on the steel in the barrel and the action, the resulting finish may not be exactly the same as it won't oxidize and discolor in an identical manner.

For example, here is my old Ruger 77 that I did years back and you can sort of see that the investment cast action didn't color the same way that the comparatively soft Parker Hale barrel did. As well, one can see that whatever steel the barrel band was made from it didn't match either one.


The resulting finish however has been exceedingly tough and has withstood many, many trips afield here in the BC mountains.

Hopefully that was some use to you. Good luck whichever way you decide.

Regards,
Dwayne

The above poster makes an excellent point regarding not blueing the inside surfaces of an action. When I worked at Browning Arms Co.'s gunsmithing shop, the inside surfaces of actions were always polished bright after rebluing. Removing the blueing makes the mating parts slide much more smoothly. The bolt ways inside of Mauser and Sako actions were polished as well as the inside of Superposed and Citori shotguns having the receiver internal surfaces and barrel lugs polished. Muzzles were polished just because it was a Browning trademark of sorts, like the gold plated triggers.

Thanks again! I'll be using a commercial product for the bluing and the safety/PP gear as noted. Definitely a face shield for the wire brushing so's I don't wind up looking like a porcupine!

I had Duracoated one rifle with their "Blued" color and it looks nice - except that it looks like paint! So it's in for a trip to get that stuff blasted off when I get ready to rust blue it.

best,

Steve