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Blueing of barrels
Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:02 pm
by mikygpu
Another q for gunsmiths
Cold blueing?
Hot blueing?
Or Cerakote-ing?
I have seen a lot of cerakote offers from ?commercial? gunsmiths lately and as I don't do any blueing (yet), I am wondering what is best?
Some say cold blueing is as good as hot blueing
Some other say the hot is the best.
Other advocate cerakote.
What do you all OLD gunsmiths think?
Re: Blueing of barrels
Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:28 pm
by waterford103
Hot rust blue is the best bar none .
Re: Blueing of barrels
Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 5:24 pm
by FredB
Rust blue is the best,followed by hot blue.
Fred
Re: Blueing of barrels
Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 5:56 pm
by Dark Skies
I've had the best and most consistently reliable results via hot blue (done myself in a very dodgy outdoor setup).
But having said that I have had one really good result using cold blue on a Mosin Nagant barrel which turned out so well that nobody could tell it wasn't a factory finish. As ever whichever route you go it all boils down to preparation and cleanliness.
Re: Blueing of barrels
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:00 am
by Jorden
Hot blueing is best, but have had good results from Phillips cold blue, trick is to make sure steel is surgically clean, get it warm (soak in hot water before blueing) and rinse in boiling water afterwards, soak in wd40 or similar and do not rub surface for at least an hour then clean and oil with Ballistol.
Re: Blueing of barrels
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:08 am
by Ovenpaa
Hot blacking is probably the easiest and most common here in the UK, hot nitre salt bluing is a different thing and dreadful, I truly believe it is a finish that should never be applied to any part of an English gun. Rust blacking gives the best finish in my opinion. Cold bluing is OK for small parts and we use Philips undiluted, in fact we usually keep half a dozen tubs on the shelf as they sell well.
Get hold of a copy of 'Firearm blueing and Blacking' by R.H.Angier. If it is not in there it is probably not worth doing.
Re: Blueing of barrels
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2021 4:44 pm
by mikygpu
Ovenpaa wrote:Hot blacking is probably the easiest and most common here in the UK, hot nitre salt bluing is a different thing and dreadful, I truly believe it is a finish that should never be applied to any part of an English gun. Rust blacking gives the best finish in my opinion. Cold bluing is OK for small parts and we use Philips undiluted, in fact we usually keep half a dozen tubs on the shelf as they sell well.
Get hold of a copy of 'Firearm blueing and Blacking' by R.H.Angier. If it is not in there it is probably not worth doing.
Many thanks
Ovenpaa.
Great advice as always.