Register
Log In
Home
October 26, 2014
Offline
I don't like the bluing in my Dan, so I took the time yesterday to pretty it up!
Before.....
AFTER!!!!
December 19, 2014
Offline
Wow
, all mechanical work or some chemical? (Curious about the trigger position in the last pic)
Supporter
Moderators
Dans Club
February 22, 2009
Offline
You now have no rust protection (actually blueing is rust...) so be judicious about keeping it protected now it is "in the white"!
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
October 26, 2014
Offline
Middlecalf,
I did a hasty assembly to take the pic, hence the trigger. It's all back in working order now.
To remove the blue, I did a complete disassembly, soaked each part in vinegar for up to 15 minutes, then rinsed in a water/baking soda sokution. Next, I hit each part with 1500 grit sandpaper, then buffed it out by hand with good 'ol #7 auto steel polish.
Total time investment... 3 hrs.
October 26, 2014
Offline
rwsem said
You now have no rust protection (actually blueing is rust...) so be judicious about keeping it protected now it is "in the white"!
I'll be clear coating it with a product from KG Industries.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
Offline
rwsem said
You now have no rust protection (actually blueing is rust...) so be judicious about keeping it protected now it is "in the white"!
Keeping it oiled and properly stored is important, lot's of ventilation in a controlled environment.
Maybe some Renaissance Wax as well?
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
October 26, 2014
Offline
Steve,
I'll check out Renaissance Wax. Thanks!!!
Supporter
Range Officer
Dans Club
Range Officers
Members
July 2, 2011
Offline
I bet that was a fun project. Probably turn a few heads at the range. I would think a quick and thorough cleaning would really be a must after firing now.
To the paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for murderers:
if you find one...what's your plan?
DWF Supporters
April 9, 2015
Offline
jsmidd said
Middlecalf,I did a hasty assembly to take the pic, hence the trigger. It's all back in working order now.
To remove the blue, I did a complete disassembly, soaked each part in vinegar for up to 15 minutes, then rinsed in a water/baking soda sokution. Next, I hit each part with 1500 grit sandpaper, then buffed it out by hand with good 'ol #7 auto steel polish.
Total time investment... 3 hrs.
I am guessing the vinegar acted as some sort of acid bath? Does this corrode the bluing making it easier to remove? Does the baking soda bath counteract the acid of the vinegar? Any explanation of what this soak and wash do to the bluing would be appreciated and why you used these prior to the sandpaper.
I have a 6" shroud for a .22 that has two bad spots (call them blemishes if buying and beauty marks if selling) in the bluing and I am considering a re-blue buy some of the folks recommended on this site. I have considered doing what you have done in removing the bluing for a re-blue or re-finish but just have not gotten around to looking into the best approach. Thanks for posting and the photos, interested in the thoughts behind the process.
“We cannot but pity the boy who has never fired a gun; he is no more
humane, while his education has been sadly neglected.”
-Henry David Thoreau
“When some of my friends have asked me anxiously about their boys, whether
they should let them hunt, I have answered, yes – remembering that it was
one of the best parts of my education – *make* them hunters.”
-Henry David Thoreau
October 26, 2014
Offline
PABowhunter...
The vinegar turns the blueing grey, and then a little brown. Once it's a slight brown, you remove it from the bath, rinse it with water and baking soda, and most of it comes right off. What's left gets sanded out very easily with the 1500 grit sandpaper.
On both the 4" and the 6" barrels, the vinegar did the entire thing - I didn't even have to sand, but I did anyway just because.
Dans Club
January 17, 2015
Offline
PAbowhunter said
I am guessing the vinegar acted as some sort of acid bath? Does this corrode the bluing making it easier to remove? Does the baking soda bath counteract the acid of the vinegar? Any explanation of what this soak and wash do to the bluing would be appreciated and why you used these prior to the sandpaper.
I have a 6" shroud for a .22 that has two bad spots (call them blemishes if buying and beauty marks if selling) in the bluing and I am considering a re-blue buy some of the folks recommended on this site. I have considered doing what you have done in removing the bluing for a re-blue or re-finish but just have not gotten around to looking into the best approach. Thanks for posting and the photos, interested in the thoughts behind the process.
Regular white vinegar will strip bluing off rather quickly. It is also known to remove rust off items (which is what bluing really is, in fact) with longer soaks. I stripped the bluing off my old shotgun simply using a vinegar soak
DWF Supporters
April 9, 2015
Offline
All vinegar in my house will now be housed in locked ammo boxes and buried in the back yard so to never get anywhere near my beloved blued revolvers. Had no idea that vinegar would do that to bluing, but interesting as I have not done any re-finishing work on my guns, just trigger polish etc. Great info. Great forum.
“We cannot but pity the boy who has never fired a gun; he is no more
humane, while his education has been sadly neglected.”
-Henry David Thoreau
“When some of my friends have asked me anxiously about their boys, whether
they should let them hunt, I have answered, yes – remembering that it was
one of the best parts of my education – *make* them hunters.”
-Henry David Thoreau
February 20, 2008
Offline
Thanks for the pics and information you guys. Another classroom session!
If you're going to drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
Offline
This is great information, and I really think it belongs in the Gunsmithing area.
No issue with where it was originally posted, I think it will be a better long term resource, and more easily found here.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Supporter
June 25, 2013
Offline
Powdered food grade Citric acid works well for stripping a blued gun too.
Coke, Pepsi, etc... can do the same. Often to the dismay of the unlucky firearm owner. 
Endeavor to persevere,
Press on regardless.
Need little, want less, love more.
Supporter
Dans Club
March 25, 2013
Offline
I have been using vinegar to remove the rust from my old bonsai tools for decades. Unfortunately the bluing is removed to. With the bluing gone, they will rust rapidly. I would soak the gun in Dextron or motor oil and reapply frequently. Grease lightly applied , especially to those surfaces not easily reached could last longer.
1 Guest(s)
