armedandfree
28th July 2007, 06:03
( DISCLAIMER: THIS IS INTENDED TO BE TAKEN AS A SHARING OF OPINION AND EXPERIENCE OPPOURTUNITY, AND IS IN NO WAY INTENDED AS A PROMOTIONAL ADVERTISEMENT FOR ANY PRODUCTS USED, NOR IS IT INTENDED AS A STRICT GUIDELINE. PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE BLUEING A FIREARM. THE POSTER, OR http://www.m1911.org, DO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR DISSATISFACTION AS A RESULT OF REBLUEING YOUR FIREARM. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE ORIGINAL POSTER AND NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY http://www.m1911.org OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES. )
_________________________________________________________
My father has a Springer Mil Spec I wanted to reblue, I figured taking some happy snaps along the way, along with providing the forum with any troubles I encountered, or tricks I stumbled across, would be welcome.
I used a cold blue liquid, as I do not even begin to pretend like I know how to legitimately reblue metal.
I have never used cold blue, nor have I ever seen it done. So instead of this thread being used as an instruction on how to do so, let it serve as a guide on how it might be done. I am merely lending my opinion to the forum, so I will show you both my mistakes, and my successes, in hopes that you can avoid repeating my mistakes, and improve on my successes with an informed insight.
The Springer, due to my ignorance, had received scratches below the slide release lever, where I scratched it during field/detail stripping. Some call this an idiot mark. I now know, and avoid it. I saw something on this website on how to avoid it, I just don't slide it acrossed the metal. Simple fix. Me beingnot even old enough to buy a pistol legally, I believe I can be given a little slack.
On to my experience:
Items you'll need:
Metal you want cold blued ( Instructions say you cannot blue stainless steel or aluminum. That may be common sense to most people. )
Bottle of cold blue liquid.
Cotton Swabs
Source of cold water
Clean rags
Degreaser
___________________________________________
As I said, I had wanted to reblue my fathers Springer Mil Spec. There was a learning mark underneath the slide catch, learning marks on the pins holding the firing group, and normal wear of finish on sharp corners and manual controls, due to holster or casual use.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Before1911.jpg
A happy snap of the picture before anything is done to it. Note normal wear and learning marks, visible by shiny reflective bare steel.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Before19112.jpg
A close-up of the learning mark below/underneath the slide stop lever, and normal wear below/underneath the thumb safety.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Before19113.jpg
A close-up of the reverse side of the pistol, showing the learning marks on the pins holding the fireing group, and normal wear on the thumb safety.
Ok, first things first. Not to insult anyones intelligence, but please ensure the firearm is unloaded before working on. (Those of you who noted in the first happy snap that a magazine was in the 1911, the hammer cocked, and a depriming die in the trigger guard, need not worry, I ensured the firearm was unloaded, and turned the thumb safety on, just for peace of mind. )
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Unloaded1911.jpg
Unloaded, check.
Next step, I assumed it would help to reduce the pistol to its individual parts by detail stripping it. You can find instructions on how to do so on the m1911.org home page under the dissasembly link found on the left.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Stripped.jpg
Stripped, check. Note the normal wear on the sharp corners of the slide and frame. Also, for my two cents, I don't believe using the metal tipped tools shown in the picture was the best choice, but it's all I had. If you are striving to preserve your firearms finish, you might want to invest in softer tools. Plastic pin punches, perhaps?
Next step, selecting your cold blue liquid. I had chosen to use a 3 oz. bottle of Birchwood Casey Permablue, liquid gun blue, the package says it gives a non-streaky, even, blue-black finish to steel. The one decisive factor in my choice, as I know nothing about the differences in products, is that this bottle was given to me for free.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Blue.jpg
As I have never done this before, I assumed reading the instructions would help. I read them, and took a picture, for you to follow along.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Instructions.jpg
If the image is fuzzy to you, the instructions are as follows:
1.) Clean metal parts to be reblued with Cleaner-Degreaser or denatured alcohol and rinse with cold water.
2.) For complete reblueing remove old blueing and rust with Blue & Rust Remover.
3.) Brighten area to be reblued with steel wool or abrasive cloth.
4.) Clean again and rinse.
5.) Apply blue with saturated swab.
6.) Allow to work 1 minute; rinse with cold water and wipe dry.
7.) Polish lightly with steel wool.
8.) Repeat steps 4, 5, 6, and 7 to obtain a darker blue.
9.) Saturate metal with Sheath(R) or Gun Oil. Allow to cure overnight for best results.
Well, step one, first.
1.) Clean metal parts to be reblued with Cleaner-Degreaser or denatured alcohol and rinse with cold water.
I searched under my sink for a degreaser, and could find no label that said such. So I started to read the instructions on the backs of cleaners. A 409 bottle said it was good at cutting grease, good 'nuff. I began back to my bench when my step-mom suggested dish soap. She suggested ( and was correct ) that I use a very very small amount on a wet rag to degrease the metal, as more would create a film. She suggested the size of a dime.
The dish soap on my sink happened to be Ultra Ivory. The label reads "hard on grease". That and the gentle lavender scent might be nice for a 1911. :D
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Degreaser.jpg
So now I had to choose exactly what I wanted to reblue. At this point I was still afraid of my ability, or lack thereof, so I chose to try my luck on the frame, the recoil spring plunger, the hammer, and the grip safety.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Parts.jpg
Note the wear on the slide rails.
Assuming one knows how to clean something with cold water and soap, hopefully, I need not to take a picture of me doing it. If there is a need for a refresher course, http://www.google.com provides information on anything you'd like, and perhaps you should worry about getting that priority mastered before worrying about your firearm finish. :D
Ok, parts for blueing touch up are cleaned and degreased, check.
The next step reads as such:
2.) For complete reblueing remove old blueing and rust with Blue & Rust Remover.
As I was only touching up a few key pieces, I did not remove the old blue. So, I skipped this step.
The next step reads as such:
3.) Brighten area to be reblued with steel wool or abrasive cloth.
I did not have any steel wool, and was too lazy to go to the hardware store to buy any. This posed a deterent that was soon overcome. Back to the trusty stepmom. She suggested I use an old Brillo Pad, also found under my sink. The Brillo Pad was well used and the center of it was bare abrasive cloth ( whatever they're made out of )... The outside still had the blue detergent found on the brillo pads, so, using scissors, i cut this part off and discarded in the trash, ran cold water through the remaining material to get out food particles, remaining detergent.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Wool.jpg
Nothing fancy, but it'll get the job done.
Not knowing what it would do, or how fast it would remove the finish, I started in slow, loose circles. After a short time ( 10 seconds or so ) The finish became shiny. As the directions read "brighten" instead of "remove" finish, I stopped there. I figure this helps blend the cold blue with the real blue?
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Polish.jpg
Seemed to work well enough.
Ok then, brighten finish around area I want to reblue, check.
The next step reads as such:
4.) Clean again and rinse.
Cleaned and rinsed, check.
The next step reads as such:
5.) Apply blue with saturated swab.
I opened the lid of the bottle of blueing liquid. There was a foil liner to keep the blueing liquid ?fresh?. As I did not know what the blueing liquid would do to my skin, much less if it got in my mouth, I opted not to tear the lining off with my teeth, and in the pictures, you can see I have no fingernails, as I chew them, the only option remaining was to pierce the lining with my screwdriver. I assumed by swab, they meant cotton swab, and it seemed to be a reasonable tool for application of the liquid. The liquid was clear, with a slight, indescribable ( by me ) odor.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Swab.jpg
I then, in slow, loose, soft circles, started to rub the cotton swab on the areas I wanted to patch up. Instantly, it changed from a bright silver to a blue, then a green, then finally a black, much like the color changes found in heat treating. This change took only seconds, if that. I was amazed at the simplicity thus far.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Applying.jpg
Ok, apply blue with saturated swab, check.
The next step reads as such:
6.) Allow to work 1 minute; rinse with cold water and wipe dry.
I did so, while applying the liquid to the other, smaller parts. I took just over a minute or so to apply carefully to each part, as I was still trying to be cautious, not wanting to screw up my fathers firearm.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Sitting.jpg
I then cleaned, quickly, and wiped dry. I began thinking that having cold water on my steel might make it rust if I did not wipe it down thoroughly, so I used as little water as possible.
Interesting side note, some of the parts did not fully turn the "blued-black" until after I ran water over them. They appeared to be the OD Green.
Ok, allow to work, and clean, check.
The next step reads as such:
7.) Polish lightly with steel wool.
I did, very very lightly, as I assumed this was to only blend, but after drying,
Easy enough, check.
The next step reads as such:
8.) Repeat steps 4, 5, 6, and 7 to obtain a darker blue.
At first, it appeared to have worked, but, to make sure, I repeated these steps 5 times. I decided it was good enough.
Ok, satisfied, check.
The next step reads as such:
9.) Saturate metal with Sheath(R) or Gun Oil. Allow to cure overnight for best results.
I then lightly coated the parts with breakfree and let it set over night, then whiped down and reassembled the pistol.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Finished.jpg
Above is the finished product.
I am both thoroughly pleased with the ease of use, and overall outcome of the product and process.
I do not claim to be any sort of expert in anything that pertains to such tasks, as I know nothing about steel, nothing about blueing, and very little of the 1911. However, as the picture shows, even a 20 year old punk kid can do it, easily enough. Just follow the steps to a T and try not to spill the liquid. As it is now 1:00AM, I have spent 4 hours putting together this tutorial and hope it has been worth your while to read. Again, it is not a precise instruction, as I had no idea what I was doing, but only a sharing of my experience.
_________________________________________________________
My father has a Springer Mil Spec I wanted to reblue, I figured taking some happy snaps along the way, along with providing the forum with any troubles I encountered, or tricks I stumbled across, would be welcome.
I used a cold blue liquid, as I do not even begin to pretend like I know how to legitimately reblue metal.
I have never used cold blue, nor have I ever seen it done. So instead of this thread being used as an instruction on how to do so, let it serve as a guide on how it might be done. I am merely lending my opinion to the forum, so I will show you both my mistakes, and my successes, in hopes that you can avoid repeating my mistakes, and improve on my successes with an informed insight.
The Springer, due to my ignorance, had received scratches below the slide release lever, where I scratched it during field/detail stripping. Some call this an idiot mark. I now know, and avoid it. I saw something on this website on how to avoid it, I just don't slide it acrossed the metal. Simple fix. Me beingnot even old enough to buy a pistol legally, I believe I can be given a little slack.
On to my experience:
Items you'll need:
Metal you want cold blued ( Instructions say you cannot blue stainless steel or aluminum. That may be common sense to most people. )
Bottle of cold blue liquid.
Cotton Swabs
Source of cold water
Clean rags
Degreaser
___________________________________________
As I said, I had wanted to reblue my fathers Springer Mil Spec. There was a learning mark underneath the slide catch, learning marks on the pins holding the firing group, and normal wear of finish on sharp corners and manual controls, due to holster or casual use.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Before1911.jpg
A happy snap of the picture before anything is done to it. Note normal wear and learning marks, visible by shiny reflective bare steel.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Before19112.jpg
A close-up of the learning mark below/underneath the slide stop lever, and normal wear below/underneath the thumb safety.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Before19113.jpg
A close-up of the reverse side of the pistol, showing the learning marks on the pins holding the fireing group, and normal wear on the thumb safety.
Ok, first things first. Not to insult anyones intelligence, but please ensure the firearm is unloaded before working on. (Those of you who noted in the first happy snap that a magazine was in the 1911, the hammer cocked, and a depriming die in the trigger guard, need not worry, I ensured the firearm was unloaded, and turned the thumb safety on, just for peace of mind. )
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Unloaded1911.jpg
Unloaded, check.
Next step, I assumed it would help to reduce the pistol to its individual parts by detail stripping it. You can find instructions on how to do so on the m1911.org home page under the dissasembly link found on the left.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Stripped.jpg
Stripped, check. Note the normal wear on the sharp corners of the slide and frame. Also, for my two cents, I don't believe using the metal tipped tools shown in the picture was the best choice, but it's all I had. If you are striving to preserve your firearms finish, you might want to invest in softer tools. Plastic pin punches, perhaps?
Next step, selecting your cold blue liquid. I had chosen to use a 3 oz. bottle of Birchwood Casey Permablue, liquid gun blue, the package says it gives a non-streaky, even, blue-black finish to steel. The one decisive factor in my choice, as I know nothing about the differences in products, is that this bottle was given to me for free.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Blue.jpg
As I have never done this before, I assumed reading the instructions would help. I read them, and took a picture, for you to follow along.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Instructions.jpg
If the image is fuzzy to you, the instructions are as follows:
1.) Clean metal parts to be reblued with Cleaner-Degreaser or denatured alcohol and rinse with cold water.
2.) For complete reblueing remove old blueing and rust with Blue & Rust Remover.
3.) Brighten area to be reblued with steel wool or abrasive cloth.
4.) Clean again and rinse.
5.) Apply blue with saturated swab.
6.) Allow to work 1 minute; rinse with cold water and wipe dry.
7.) Polish lightly with steel wool.
8.) Repeat steps 4, 5, 6, and 7 to obtain a darker blue.
9.) Saturate metal with Sheath(R) or Gun Oil. Allow to cure overnight for best results.
Well, step one, first.
1.) Clean metal parts to be reblued with Cleaner-Degreaser or denatured alcohol and rinse with cold water.
I searched under my sink for a degreaser, and could find no label that said such. So I started to read the instructions on the backs of cleaners. A 409 bottle said it was good at cutting grease, good 'nuff. I began back to my bench when my step-mom suggested dish soap. She suggested ( and was correct ) that I use a very very small amount on a wet rag to degrease the metal, as more would create a film. She suggested the size of a dime.
The dish soap on my sink happened to be Ultra Ivory. The label reads "hard on grease". That and the gentle lavender scent might be nice for a 1911. :D
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Degreaser.jpg
So now I had to choose exactly what I wanted to reblue. At this point I was still afraid of my ability, or lack thereof, so I chose to try my luck on the frame, the recoil spring plunger, the hammer, and the grip safety.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Parts.jpg
Note the wear on the slide rails.
Assuming one knows how to clean something with cold water and soap, hopefully, I need not to take a picture of me doing it. If there is a need for a refresher course, http://www.google.com provides information on anything you'd like, and perhaps you should worry about getting that priority mastered before worrying about your firearm finish. :D
Ok, parts for blueing touch up are cleaned and degreased, check.
The next step reads as such:
2.) For complete reblueing remove old blueing and rust with Blue & Rust Remover.
As I was only touching up a few key pieces, I did not remove the old blue. So, I skipped this step.
The next step reads as such:
3.) Brighten area to be reblued with steel wool or abrasive cloth.
I did not have any steel wool, and was too lazy to go to the hardware store to buy any. This posed a deterent that was soon overcome. Back to the trusty stepmom. She suggested I use an old Brillo Pad, also found under my sink. The Brillo Pad was well used and the center of it was bare abrasive cloth ( whatever they're made out of )... The outside still had the blue detergent found on the brillo pads, so, using scissors, i cut this part off and discarded in the trash, ran cold water through the remaining material to get out food particles, remaining detergent.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Wool.jpg
Nothing fancy, but it'll get the job done.
Not knowing what it would do, or how fast it would remove the finish, I started in slow, loose circles. After a short time ( 10 seconds or so ) The finish became shiny. As the directions read "brighten" instead of "remove" finish, I stopped there. I figure this helps blend the cold blue with the real blue?
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Polish.jpg
Seemed to work well enough.
Ok then, brighten finish around area I want to reblue, check.
The next step reads as such:
4.) Clean again and rinse.
Cleaned and rinsed, check.
The next step reads as such:
5.) Apply blue with saturated swab.
I opened the lid of the bottle of blueing liquid. There was a foil liner to keep the blueing liquid ?fresh?. As I did not know what the blueing liquid would do to my skin, much less if it got in my mouth, I opted not to tear the lining off with my teeth, and in the pictures, you can see I have no fingernails, as I chew them, the only option remaining was to pierce the lining with my screwdriver. I assumed by swab, they meant cotton swab, and it seemed to be a reasonable tool for application of the liquid. The liquid was clear, with a slight, indescribable ( by me ) odor.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Swab.jpg
I then, in slow, loose, soft circles, started to rub the cotton swab on the areas I wanted to patch up. Instantly, it changed from a bright silver to a blue, then a green, then finally a black, much like the color changes found in heat treating. This change took only seconds, if that. I was amazed at the simplicity thus far.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Applying.jpg
Ok, apply blue with saturated swab, check.
The next step reads as such:
6.) Allow to work 1 minute; rinse with cold water and wipe dry.
I did so, while applying the liquid to the other, smaller parts. I took just over a minute or so to apply carefully to each part, as I was still trying to be cautious, not wanting to screw up my fathers firearm.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Sitting.jpg
I then cleaned, quickly, and wiped dry. I began thinking that having cold water on my steel might make it rust if I did not wipe it down thoroughly, so I used as little water as possible.
Interesting side note, some of the parts did not fully turn the "blued-black" until after I ran water over them. They appeared to be the OD Green.
Ok, allow to work, and clean, check.
The next step reads as such:
7.) Polish lightly with steel wool.
I did, very very lightly, as I assumed this was to only blend, but after drying,
Easy enough, check.
The next step reads as such:
8.) Repeat steps 4, 5, 6, and 7 to obtain a darker blue.
At first, it appeared to have worked, but, to make sure, I repeated these steps 5 times. I decided it was good enough.
Ok, satisfied, check.
The next step reads as such:
9.) Saturate metal with Sheath(R) or Gun Oil. Allow to cure overnight for best results.
I then lightly coated the parts with breakfree and let it set over night, then whiped down and reassembled the pistol.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f386/loganschnider/Finished.jpg
Above is the finished product.
I am both thoroughly pleased with the ease of use, and overall outcome of the product and process.
I do not claim to be any sort of expert in anything that pertains to such tasks, as I know nothing about steel, nothing about blueing, and very little of the 1911. However, as the picture shows, even a 20 year old punk kid can do it, easily enough. Just follow the steps to a T and try not to spill the liquid. As it is now 1:00AM, I have spent 4 hours putting together this tutorial and hope it has been worth your while to read. Again, it is not a precise instruction, as I had no idea what I was doing, but only a sharing of my experience.