Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

removing blue finish


COWHAND45-60

Recommended Posts

....I'm hesitant to mention my discovery of "nectarines & plums in a lunch sack on the front seat that a six-gun somehow slides into fer a couple days...."......

 

Impressive job, it did. Fer free...

 

ok....there it is......

 

'bout time sumbuddy else benefits from my cutting edge research.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just go to any hardware store and get a bottle of rust remover or you can get Birchwood Caseys blueing remover. Both will remove the blueing and give the gun an old timey patina. Sort of a gray spotty look.

 

If you have something small and inexpensive that is blued it would be a good thing to test these products on. Once applied there is no going back. If you really want to polish the metal use a wire wheel on your drill or grinder. Steel wheels will remove metal and brass wheels will polish to a coin type finish.

 

Just remember that you will probably have to keep these fine weapons for the rest of your born days as most other cowpokes want pristine shootin' irons.

 

Good luck with your quest, Castalia, who has a couple of the affore mentioned fine weapons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its your gun and so do what you want to get it the way you want it

 

But I do not understand the "worn look" that you can even buy as a new

'finish" from some gun makers.

 

Take a look at guns that have spent 135 years or more in and out of holsters and been shot a lot and they do not in general look near as bad as these weathered at the factory jobs; most would grade as NRA good to very good as folks took care of their working tools

 

if you want to get the look that these folks are selling then plug the barrel and remove the grips protecting the springs with tape place in a 5 gal Pail with lid and about 3 lbs of mixed gravel toss it in the back of your vehicle and drive about on rough roads for a few weeks take apart and do a total cleaning, reassemble and you have now got a gun that was once worth a few hundred bucks that you will have a hard time giving away but as I said it is your gun so what ever makes you happy :blink::rolleyes::wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vinegar works fine, I've used this method on several guns of my own. Just get regular vinegar and pour it into a pan. Drop in the piece you want to remove the blueing from. Three minutes will pretty much strip it of all blueing leaving a gray gun. If you want an aged look with parts of the original blueing showing...as if due to wear... dip the part for about a minute and then take it out...rub with 0000 steel wool...repeat until desired effect. Oil afterward.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used rust remover, paint remover and other things from time-to-time. I have "browned" some pieces over the years, usually muzzle-loaders. I found that if you use "cold blue" on a stripped-down piece, it will usually "brown" a bit whether you want it to or not.

 

Nothing works so well as about 40 years of use, though...my .36 Cal Remington revolver had that treatment and it looks GREAT!

 

I recently cleaned up an original musket (that had a very small value in the first place), including getting off all of the rust. When I cold blued it, it turned the rich brown color that I wanted to see on it in the first place and now proudly sits on consignment at my favorite pawn shop.

 

My next victim (subject, I mean) will likely be a .308 Enfield (the falling-block model) that needs to be resurrected back into shooting condition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vinegar works well. First pair of .357 Vaqueros I owned looked terrible after 60,000 rounds. I antiqued them using vinegar and actually ended up selling them for more than what I had in them. Go figure, everybody is different I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go to the grocery story and buy a spray bottle of "Kaboom." It'll take the blue off that SXS quicker than you can wipe it away.

 

I wish I didn't know this and it wouldn't be polite to ask how I do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I can verify that...accidentally damaged the finish on one side of an original M1876 rifle that I didn't realize I'd laid on a vinegar-soaked rag! -_- Fortunately, it wasn't on it long enough to do much damage.

 

BTW, as was said, it's your gun, but this business of aging guns to look like they were from the real Old West time, when we are playing we are back in that day... the guns would have looked pretty much new, just doesn't make sense to me. Your mileage may vary. But vinegar will sure do the job!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.