Best cold blue for touch up?

[Shooter6br]

Most people say the best is Brownell Oxypho? Any options? :Fire:

[dragonrider]

+1 for Oxpho

[Char-Gar]

I have been using 44-40 for many years. You need to warm either the metal or the solution for best benefit.

[Mk42gunner]

For touch up I like 44-40 better, for doing an entire gun the Oxpho blue works better for me.

It also depends on the steel the gun is made from, my dad blued a lot of $5.00 .22s with Birshwood Casey bluing kits.

Robert

[GabbyM]

I blued another rifle barrel with Brownells Oxpho-Blue Liquid two days ago.
Not a touch up job but the entire new barrel. I’ve done a few barrels now and they all come out beautiful. I just go for the flat finish on unpolished steel. Buff steel with oooo steel wool, wash with alcohol then liberally apply Oxpho-Blue with a few gun cleaning patches. Let dry then buff with oooo steel wool. Blue is usually a little blotchy at first but the next day it blends together. I’ve never used more than a single application. They say the cold blue doesn’t provide much rust protection. I’m not to concerned on a varmint rifle. These barrels will almost certainly get worn out from the inside. The chrome molly steel barrels are about $50 cheaper than the stainless steel. Plus some of us prefer a 4140 steel barrel over stainless. This one went on a Ruger M77-VT stainless painted gray action. I was thinking it would look odd but it’s actually a nice two tone.

I’ve had that Birchwood Casey’s blue years ago and couldn’t even get decent touch ups.
Never had Oxpho0Blue fail to color carbon steel yet. Used quite a bit of it on an old AR with bayonet attaching marks and clamp on bi pod marks out on the barrel. Couple applications and it matched color and looks like a new rifle. Some luck there. Matching up a polished blue will take a few applications and OOOO wool buffing in between until you get a match. I’ve done touch ups on shinny blue where you couldn’t see where it was touched up while others could be seen with close inspection. I’ve never tried it but. Think taking something like an old S&W service revolver with holster wear and trying to match the old deep blue would be a lot to ask for.

[quack1]

For touch-up only, Dicropan T-4 from Brownells. You can get it to match just about any shade of bluing by slightly adjusting the application method. It's pretty durable, too.

[SharpsShooter]

Oxpho user here.

SS

[MtGun44]

I use both Oxpho and T-4, good products. T-4 on CLEAN sizzling hot steel with a Qtip is great
for touch up if the part can stand 250F or so, and most gun parts can. Warm with propane
torch or heat gun and sizzle it on a few times. Oil and 0000 steel wool lightly.

Bill

[schutzen-jager]

oxpho blue or creme + van's are the best + longest lasting i have tried -

[Stevie]

Get several brands of cold blue...some works better than others on different types of steel.

Van's works well