Rust Blue Action/Barrel Prep

[gliebegott]

Ok, I have not had much luck finding help in the net when it comes to prepping a barreled action for the slow rust blue process. I have watched Larry Potterfields video dealing with the barrel but no one has anything on a barreled action.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
George

[LAGS]

I just happen to be Rust bluing a Springfield Shotgun Barreled action Today.
I buffed and filed out all of the rust pits, polished out all the scrarches, then sand blasted the areas where I want more of a matt finish like the top of the receiver, and Bead Blasted the rest.
Then I will Boil it in distilled water for a half hour.
Then degrease it inside and out with Acetone, and degreased Steel wool.
Boil it one more time in Clean Distilled Water then apply the rust bluing liquid, applied with a cotton ball, wet and then Wrung out with the bluing solution.
You want it to go on, and dry almost instantly.
You do not WET the metal with the Acid.
But formost.
Wear Latex Gloves, and once the metal is degreased, dont touch the metal with anything, especially you bare hands.

[gliebegott]

What sort of finish does the bead blasted areas produce? I am looking for a few different finish textures.

[LAGS]

Bead blasting gives it a very slight Matt finish, but it comes out more even then I have found on a polished surface.
You will never get a true Reflective Polished blue with Slow Rust, because if done right, it is actually etching into the surface of the metal when it is rusting.
Plus, I have found that if I polish to a mirror finish, the acid does not want to go on evenly.
It beads up like water on glass even though you are putting it on almost dry.
Bead Blasting also results in rusting faster and speeds up the process by two or three cycles.
Sand blasting gives a little more of a Matt finish.
But to retain that, you have to Card Off those areas more carefully, because the rough surface rusts extremly fast, and the High points rust faster. Thus Knock off when you card the surface.

[LAGS]

One Big mistake guys make is, to keep wearing the same pair if gloves .
Get a New Clean Pair of disposable gloves every time you do a cycle.
And dont touch your skin or anything else with the gloves.
I saw a guy scratch his nose while wearing the latex gloves, then pick up his barrel.
When it rusted, you could see the fingerprints where the oil then on the outside of the glove prevented the metal from rusting as much or not at all.
Oil and Grease are NOT your friend.
And also, wash your hands before you put on the gloves.
You will be touching the outside of the glove with your bare hands to put them on.

[LAGS]

This is the shotgun after an hour of rusting.
I got sidetracked yesterday, so I finally got started today.
Sorry, but I forgot to send pic's of the bead blast finish before I started bluing the gun.

And before you ask.
Yes, I am Rusting it in the shower of my spare Bathroom.
I am not married, so I can get away with that kind of stuff.
It makes a perfect Humid rusting Chamber if you turn on the hot shower for a while.

[LAGS]

Parts at 3 1/2 hours
And this is what it looked like when I started.
It is a Springfield 67 that was Bubba'ed to the max.
That is why I call it Bubba Springfield

[rking22]

Lags, Looking good. I use Laurel Mountain Forge and am down to the bottom 1/8 bottle. Does this stuff loose it's "vigor" after a while? Been using this bottle for 6 years at least, and it sure dosen't want to get a bite after the 3rd cycle. I am doing a Iver Johnson "Hammer Forged" SxS in 20ga., Still working on getting the last of he pits out of the barrels but the foreend iron came out good, trigger guard just wouldn't coperate after 3rd cycle. May get another bottle before starting the barrels if you think it may be weak. Thanks for any insight.

[LAGS]

I am using a bottle of Pilkingtons American Rust Blue that I opened two years ago.
We will see if it works on the rest of the Go rounds.
But so far, so good.
But I think it is going to loose some punch once opened, just because of the larger amount of air that is in the bottle as you use it up, even if it it closed tightly.

[Charley]

I use and like LMF better than other choices. not really much to rust bluing, polish to taste, then degrease. degrease it again, to be sure. then swab on your solution and let it work.

[LAGS]

Years ago, I rust blued / semi Browned a Muzzleloader barrel with Vinegar.
But I didn't card it off between coats. just Boiled and washed it, then another coat of Vinegar, and wait about a week to boil it.
It took forever , but it works and gave a more fine Aged Patina finish like it was 100 years old.

I also did one using Naval Jelly to get the rust going.
But it came out more like Parkerizing.
I guess you could use just about any kind of Acid, and just learn to work with it at the speed it will etch the metal.

[Geezer in NH]

Do not polish to high that is the worst mistake that is made.

My son does rust blue for several Double gun shops, Blackening barrels can range from $400 to $800 barrels only depending on their condition. He is busy year round and takes on nothing except from the dealers. He makes a good second income from this.

He learned in my old shop and he has the patients and skill for it. (way better than I could)

[rking22]

2nd that, I polished a belgian browning SA22 action up to 1200 on the sides aith a beedblasted top. It would not take on the sides but the top was SO easy! Wound up redoing the sides at 400. Now I stop at 340 and it comes out very well. Patience required, of course! I have always heard you can bare hand the parts when using LMF due to the detergent. Just can't bring myself to do it, gloves, more gloves and the detergent in it is just an insurance policy.

[LAGS]

First Boiling after rusting over night

[LAGS]

Let's look at it this way.
The Bluing Solution is a acid, and other Chemicals.
Those chemicals will be absorbed into your skin, and into your blood stream.
Will those chemicals cause Cancer after repeated exposure.
I aint going to wait and find out in 10 years that they do.
Gloves protect you as much as they do the finish on your gun.

[Buck Neck It]

I know that you plug the barrel, but what do you do with the inside of the action?

[gnoahhh]

Hit the areas that are visible and don't worry about the rest other than to thoroughly degrease them.

[gnoahhh]

Hit the areas that are visible and don't worry about the rest other than to thoroughly degrease them.

I plug barrels mainly to keep the bluing solution (rust) out of them, and don't worry about it when said plugs pop out in the boiling water which they sometimes do. (Heat expands the trapped air inside and sometimes pops the plugs, for me anyway.)

[LAGS]

Second Rust.
I had it hanging in the bathroom , and forgot I left the shower running for a half hour.
This is just after an hour of rusting.

[Mk42gunner]

What a timely thread, I have a new to me saltwood era Browning T-bolt to restock and re-reblue, (it has been done once already). Plus I just found a full unopened bottle of Pilkington's Rust blue solution that I forgot I had.

Robert