Oxpho cold bluing.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Question for Oxpho users, My Oxpho creme showed up today I just practiced on an ar15 barrel that I had to blue under where the front sight base used to be. I polished up the surface with 800 grit and then 0000 steel wool, cleaned with alcohol then applied blue with a cotton ball let sit for a minute then wiped off with a cotton ball, I repeated this about 5 times and did not get much darkening, I got out the old ladys hair dryer and put a little heat to it and applied the bluing with a gloved finger this time and let sit for a minute then I rubbed it with 0000 steel wool and repeated that 3 times and finally got it to blacken up to almost match the rest of the barrel but it is still a shade lighter than the rest... how many coats do you typically have to use and whats the best application method? I want to get this down before doing a whole hand gun.

[Dryball]

Therein lies your problem...you shouldn't polish the metal. Just prep it and usually never go past 320 for most any bluing application. The solution needs "a bite" to get started. I think it should be in the directions

[Mica_Hiebert]

I might try that next, running out of test pieces before I move onto the blackawk im redoing

[leadman]

I normally use the liquid and use a different method. I have found that 320 grit sandpaper is all the finer I need to use. I then put a little OB in another container and use degreased 0000 steel wool to apply it with. I use small chunks of the steel wool as I change it when dipping on some more OB. The finish comes out as smooth as what most factory guns and better than some. I think the OB breaks down the fine metal from the 320 grit sanding to a smoother surface.
I have used the creme many years ago but found I liked the liquid better. If it is working for you you may want to try the steel wool. Be sure to degrease it first, I use acetone for this since I have it on hand for the Hi-Tek coating.
After you get a finish you like I recommend motor oil at least the first time for rust prevention. Tends to leave a darker surface than the gun oils I have tried.

[RustyReel]

I've never had much luck degreasing with alcohol. Try some brake cleaner and then use alcohol to remove any residue left by the brake cleaner. Heat up the part, heat gun is better than a hair dryer, and use degreased steel wool to apply. Also, some metals just seem to take this blueing better than others. Overall, I have been very pleased with the results I get from OB. Good luck...

[Mica_Hiebert]

How many coats does it usually take?

[Dryball]

Thanks to those after me...I forgot to mention metal prep and cleanliness. That is key. The number applications depends on the deepness of blue that you want. For me, it's usually 5 or so. I have used gel and liquid and prefer the liquid as it seems to take better. The thing about the gel is after the first application you need to go very thin on subsequent coats. Also, youtube has some decent videos to help but you are on the right track...practice, practice, practice.

[Vann]

Just to answer your question I've had to use as many as 20 coats. A lot depends on the temperature of and the kind of metal that your trying to blue. I polish my with 220 grit and rub with 0000 steel wool.

[Huffmanite]

How many coats? I find this question hard to answer. Kinda depends on several variables, metal of barrel, how its been tempered and etc., metal prep and etc. As mentioned already, I don't highly polish my metal, 320 or maybe 400 grit is highest I use. Also, for me, it the first application of Oxpho that is most important. Make sure you have your applicator saturated with Oxpho and frequently use a different one. For example, lets say I use old tee shirt material to apply the Oxpho. I've folded it a number of times into a pad that I will saturate with Oxpho.....make one pass with it, turn it over and then make another pass and then use another saturated pad repeat and etc.

Have seen a barreled action done by a gunsmith with Oxpho and it was rather darn good looking. But, he'd dipped the barreled action in Oxpho, not hand applied it.

[oldred]

Thanks to those after me...I forgot to mention metal prep and cleanliness. That is key.



With most blues that's true but Oxpho is different and too much emphasis is being placed on degreasing here, not saying degeasing is not good but if there is a problem with the Oxpho then look somewhere else.

This is a direct quote from the instructions,

"With Oxpho-Blue, all you need do in most cases, is dampen a piece of cotton flannel and give the area a good rubbing. The chemical GOES THROUGH THE OIL ON THE GUN, removes thin rust and blues the steel underneath"


Being skeptical when I first tried the stuff I purposely oiled the surface prior to application then tried a piece cleaned with denatured alcohol with little if any difference in the results, a discussion with the folks at Brownells also reveals the same thing. Degreasing certainly doesn't hurt anything but because of the solvent type nature of the formulation it really isn't necessary either, the bottom line is degrease or don't the choice is up to the person doing the job but either way Oxpho will work just as well!

[Parson]

There is no one way to use any of the cold blue products. In 30 years of gunsmithing I have used them all. Evey metal alloy will come out different, sometimes noticeable sometimes close enough. Barrel steel will color different than heat treated action steel etc. the best method I have found with Oxpho blue, especially on doubles is to clean it up, 320 is fine, oil is generally not a problem but clean is good. Heat it up with hot air to warm, just short of hot, smear a very generous coat of Oxpho cream, let it set prescribed time. Wipe off excess and then take Oxpho liquid on about 1 in. squares of 0000 steel wool. Dip wool in liquid and burnish the two together, eventually working the cream completely off. Keep an eye on the steel wool, when it turns black, discard it as it will no longer color the metal. If color is not even, warm it up a little and go over it again with the liquid applied with the steel wool and again keep an eye on the color of the wool, when it turns black discard for a new piece.

[country gent]

Grade of steel, hardness, finish roughness, and form of application all affect the color and or number of coats needed. I have found getting the deep blue blacks that as the color gets deeper and darker the coating are doing less each time. We used diffrent cold blues at work in the tool room for tooling and some gages. Cleaned with a good hand cleaner and rinsed in hot water. We would mix with water and soak part in it. One trick was to warm part in hot water, and set container with mix and part in a tub of hot water and let soak. Small parts we did with cotton swabs, soft cloths, or a brush. Light brush polish with fine steel wool and coated with vanishing oil. PArts would be very nice looking. Hardened steels, Higher chromium content steels, and such took longer to color and deepen.

[oldred]

With the Selenic Acid type blues, BC, vanns, G96, etc, there is often a problem with after rusting and the advice is usually to oil really good when finished and while that's certainly good I found that washing thoroughly in warm mild soapy water solved the problem much better than just oiling alone. I got the best results by leaving the part sit for about an hour (watch for flash rusting!) before washing then drying completely followed by oiling, however after switching to Oxpho Blue I never had any of those problems.

After finally trying rust bluing I will never again use any cold blue for anything except touch-up, an "Express" formula such as Mark Lees can be done in little more time than it takes to do cold bluing, well ok quite a bit more time but we are talking about maybe an afternoon and not days like the slow rust blues. Polish to about 320 grit, warm up the surface and apply the solution with a cotton ball, give it a few minutes then boil the part, card off with degreased steel wool and repeat until the desired color is achieved, it really is quite easy! The result is WAAAAAAY better than any cold blue including Oxpho Blue! This process will give a finish worthy of an expensive gun and a job a person can be proud of but most of all it's as tough as any blue finish a person can apply. I think if most folks would give rust bluing a try they might be surprised at not only the results but how simple it is to get a truly professional quality very durable finish.

[RustyReel]

I agree, rust blueing, using whatever process you like, is WAAAAAY better than any cold blue including Oxpho Blue. However, in my experience, Oxpho Blue is way better than any other (reasonably priced) cold blue I have tried.

[oldred]

Whenever cold blue is mentioned the usual thought is BirchWood Casy, Vanns, 44/40, G96, etc but these are all really just variations of the same basic Selenic Acid formula and all are basically the same with all of them having VERY poor durability characteristics, thus even if a decent finish can be obtained it won't last very long. Oxpho, IMO, falls somewhere in the middle, it's not as good as either hot or rust blue in durability (although it's a heck of a lot better than the other cold blues!) but it can rival rust blue for appearance if done properly. Oxpho Blue is in a class by itself and if using cold blue is desired then there simply is no comparison between Oxpho and any of the other well know products.

[44man]

i just blued the loading lever on an Old Army. I put it in boiling water and swabbed the blue on it. It came out great.