cold bluing?

[Mica_Hiebert]

Who makes they best cold bluing? I tried Birchwood Casey's liquid and I've tried some gel of my brother in laws but I don't remember what brand and both gave kind of a light grey finish that I am not happy with.

[RKJ]

Try Oxpho blue from Brownells http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...-prod1072.aspx It does a very good job and is easy to use.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Sounds pretty good from the product description. Thank you.

[zubrato]

I've found that oxpho blue is indeed the best, but depending on metal and your metal prep it can range from a deep black to a greyish color.
I've tried a few different cold bluing agents, and while some were more "blue" like the birch wood casey, they not only offered no rust protection they actually rusted the metal even further.
The only cold blue I would trust is oxpho, and even then only with diligent surface prep to include sanding to find the surface finish and luster you desire. The end product is 80% how much surface prep was done beforehand, and 20% is how you put it on.

I would highly recommend cold bluing random **** in your reloading room before you touch it to a rifle or pistol that means anything to you.

By far the most difficult part of cold bluing if everything else is perfect, is consistency and depth of bluing across a larger surface area.

Regards,
zubrato

[knifemaker]

I have had excellent results using Oxpho blue from Brownells. Will give a good deep black color. Wipe the gun down with acetone or denatured alcohol for best results. I also use a heat gun to preheat the steel to about 120-130 degrees and apply the Oxpho blue with a clean cotton pad. If needed wipe down with #0000 steel wool to blend color and apply another coat if needed. I did a entire rifle one time just to see how it turned out. Came out perfect and several friends thought it was a hot blue finish. If you do not have a heat gun, use your wife's hair dryer.

[Mica_Hiebert]

So far I have tried a piece of steel tubing and a ar15 bbl that Bubba accidently did some custom Dremel engraving on, prepped with 600 grit and acetone rinsed with water and applied with a cotton ball. Neither of those projects need the best finish but where poor enough I don't want to use it on the blackhawk I plan to spiffy up.

[Iowa Fox]

I like Vans, have had good luck with it over the years. Used to see the guy selling it at the gun shows around but have not seen him for years now.

[jason280]

I've had terrible results with most of the cold blue solutions on the market, but I have never tried the Oxpho stuff...may have to give it a chance.

[gnoahhh]

Oxpho blue is your friend. I like it so much that I blued an entire gun on a dare with it, and it turned out swell. Several years of hard use and it looks as good as it did initially. I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing that, but...

[44man]

Oxpho blue for sure. It will not harm other blueing like touch up blue that will remove original blue.

[GabbyM]

I've used Oxpho Blue for several years. I blue entire replacement barrels with it. For my personal rifles. I just buy short chambered carbon steel barrels in the white. Two applications. Leave set overnight. In the morning blotches have disappeared. Polish with paper towel or 0000 steel wool. One more application. Next day they look just like a new Remington. Wet patch the bore with Lee Allox in case any chemical gets in. I wear blue gloves to prevent fingerprints. Just wet a few bore patches and wipe in on. Does not have the rust protection of a true hot tank blue. But for heavy varmint rifles that don't get more than fifty feet from a car. I've never had one rust. 243 Ackley wears from the inside out. Carbon steel resist the heat longer so they last longer than a SS barrel.

Have done a few old rusty revolvers with Oxpho blue. Just polish them with 0000 wool and Ed's Red cleaner. Clean off with residue free solvent then apply bluing. Polish with a paper towel. Takes a few applications. Polish then apply again. Let set over night and do it again. The more applications the more shine you get. In my limited experience. About four and you stop getting any return.

[pietro]

.

It most times doesn't matter which cold blue is used; IMO, how it's applied matters more.


I've gotten the best results after a thorough chemical de-greasing of the area/part to be cold blues, then heating the metal (not so much that the metal can't be handheld) prior to applying the bluing solution with a clean cotton patch or tissue paper.


Post cold bluing rust is usually stopped by a water rinse followed with a good oil.



.

[oldred]

In the case of Oxpho Blue it makes a big difference! Oxpho is way different than the other Selenic Acid based blues and is in a class by itself, BirchWood Casy, Van's, etc are all simple Selenic Acid formulas that aren't very durable at all and are very finicky about surface prep. I am not sure what all makes up Oxpho Blue and it too likely contains some Selenic Acid but it's still different than the others, it applies differently and in fact can even be applied directly over oil (Try that with any of the others!) and builds up a darker blue gradually as it's rubbed repeatedly, when finished it's waaaaay more durable than any of the others. Still it's no real substitute for a hot or rust blue but for cold bluing nothing else on the market even comes close!

[Shawlerbrook]

Another one that had good cold blue results from oxypho . Like said above, surface prep, smooth application with clean cotton applicator and Heat are key. After polish with oil free #0000 steel wool and then brown paper towels and Kroil.

[rmcc]

Blue Wonder from Brownells.... a little more labor intensive but better job on larger areas than Oxpho

[Geezer in NH]

As I posted in touch-up blue thread.

I have had good luck with http://www.vansgunblue.com/

[MtGun44]

T4 from Brownells works well. I heat small parts to a couple hundred degrees
with a heat gun or propane torch and put on T4 with a Q tip, as it sizzles. A couple
applications of heat and then T4 gets a good color.

Cool off and oil immediately.

Bill

[Etienne Brule]

Which Oxpho Blue is best:

Liquid OR Cream ??

Gerald

[Mica_Hiebert]

I ordered some oxpho creme, Ill let every one know how it turns out.

[seaboltm]

Oxpho cream by far the best cold blue. For an even better look, rust bluing but you have to be able to boil the parts.