Thread: toching up blueing

I have a dubl duck Special No1 that is in very nice shape with most of the blueing intact. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to touch up the bluing using one of the blueing compunds they sell in gun stores. Or shoudl I leave it alone?

I thought I had attached it before but I goofed.

Unless you know what you are doing, I recommend sending it to someone who does. From what I understand (I have never used it) the bluing compound is some pretty nasty stuff.

First, what kinds of compounds/fluids do you have access to?

Second, generally, the touched up area will look exactly like a touched up area. Most bluing is best done by dismounting the blade, which will mean repinning later, cleaning the whole thing uniformly, and re-bluing the whole blade so it all looks nice. Saying that, the touched up area will be protected from rust just as the rest of the blued blade is. It all comes down to what sort of appearance you are willing to live with.

There are some good easy and not really dangerous cold bluing solutions out there. The one I like contains phosphoric acid and is not all that much trouble. It's a liquid that I can sponge on using a simple cotton tipped swab. But, if the scales are present, you will miss some of the steel under the pivot area, and the question of what the bluing solution will do to your scales is still to be answered. If the scales respond neutrally, you won't hurt them, but you'll still be left with trying to clean any excess bluing from underneath at the pivot. One problem avoided tends to create another as it were.

When you get into the processes that require heat, then things get more interesting and difficult. Then you're going to have to remove the scales because they will not tolerate the heat or the chemicals.

I doubt if a gunsmith would charge you very much to blue your razor. The stuff they sell at the gun shops is really nasty and only IMO intended to be temporary. I apprenticed as a gunsmith for a year and I would never put that stuff on my razor after seeing some guns that guys did with home bluing kits.

Gunshop:

Birchwood Casey has two of them , you want the newer Super Blue.. do not buy the Perma Blue

You want WD-40

You have to have the blade clear of the scales, and the tang has to be clean and perfect or this will not work...


Hold tang in place in bluing about 20 sec, pull out run under warm water spray with WD-40, wipe with rag...Repeat if wanted, one time....

Spray, wipe, spray, wipe, repeat... leave alone 24 hours DO NOT TOUCH with fingers spray wipe, Done...

Honest, it really is that easy...

PS: all bluing is temporay...

hmmm.. not only is the tang blued, but so is the spine (ie basically everything on the blade that isn't hollow ground) so to do it right would probably require complete immersion in bluing solution followed by buffing/polishing off all the blueing on the hollowed out portion of the blade. Probably not worth the effort, as its still fairly blue, except for one wear spot on the end of the tang, and being original, but still in nice shape, counts for something.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Gunshop:

Birchwood Casey has two of them , you want the newer Super Blue.. do not buy the Perma Blue

You want WD-40

You have to have the blade clear of the scales, and the tang has to be clean and perfect or this will not work...


Hold tang in place in bluing about 20 sec, pull out run under warm water spray with WD-40, wipe with rag...Repeat if wanted, one time....

Spray, wipe, spray, wipe, repeat... leave alone 24 hours DO NOT TOUCH with fingers spray wipe, Done...

Honest, it really is that easy...

PS: all bluing is temporay...

I've never used the Super Blue - I make a hot (but well below tempering heat) two-part compound up and submerge the blade in it, but it requires a thorough degreasing first. Just washing the compound off and towelling the part dry lets you know if it needs more depth of colour - even though WD40 is considered a water displacement spray and not a lubricant I don't think I would spray the blade with it and then redip without going through cleaning and degreasing again.

As WD40 isn't even considered a good lubricant (the film it leaves behind evaporates after a few days) I wouldn't even seal the blue with it, but use a good oil instead.

Perhaps the Super Blue is miles different from hot blue in it prep needs, though.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by dgstr8

hmmm.. not only is the tang blued, but so is the spine (ie basically everything on the blade that isn't hollow ground) so to do it right would probably require complete immersion in bluing solution followed by buffing/polishing off all the blueing on the hollowed out portion of the blade. Probably not worth the effort, as its still fairly blue, except for one wear spot on the end of the tang, and being original, but still in nice shape, counts for something.

No big effort really. You just mask off the area you don't want blued with electrical tape and apply the blue. If you're dipping be sure of your masking. It's safer to apply with a Q-tip or similar.