repairing blueing?

[TxDox21`]

I just bought an 870 wingmaster a couple weeks ago and noticed a small scratch on the receiver. Is there anything that can be done so the scratch is no longer visible. I have seen blueing pens but I am nervous about using one because i want it to match the blueing job. Would a gunsmith be able to fix it? Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Unclenick]

The only exact match is going to be through complete refinishing. Cold blues have acids that attack the original finish, with the result they change the color around the scratch as well as in it. So you usually have to apply it to the whole gun for even color, and it can compromise the durability of the original finish. An extremely mild cold blue like Blue Wonder might not exhibit this problem, but I haven't tried it.

I would try simply using a magic marker to fill the scratch. At least solvent will take that off if you can't make it look right. Even if it isn't a good permenant solution, you will be able to see whether a slight mismatch of coloring in the scratch itself is close enough for camouflage purposes? If so, you could try the Blue Wonder.

Nick

[James K]

A plain black magic marker might well match as well as anything. There is little a gunsmith can do except tank blue the whole receiver, which will cost a lot of money and may not look good anyway.

My recommendation: Shoot the gun and don't worry about the scratch. It is like the first little dent on a new car. You agonize, call body shops, get estimates, and finally decide to just drive the car and not worry about the dent.

Jim

[TxDox21`]

Unfortunately, I know that you are right and that I should just shoot it and forget about it. The car analogy was good because I felt the same way when I got the first scratch on my new(to me) car. It just stinks knowing that the gun was perfect in the box two weeks ago and having no idea where the scratch came from because all I have done is shot a few rounds of skeet.

[Noban]

If you just can't live with the scratch, try some Brownell's Oxpho Blue. I've used it on a number of blued guns for touch up and it has blended well with all of the different tones. In my experience, it does not adversely affect the surrounding bluing.

The stuff is real easy to work with. You don't have to remove any oirl or dirt before application as you do with other bluing products. Also, there's no worry of after-rust when finished.

I just dab a little solution on the scratch with a Q-tip and let it sit for a minute or two. Then wipe it off with a soft cotton cloth and gently buff with 0000 bronze wool.

Good luck!

Kev

[scgunsmith]

just have it parkerized and don't worry any more :)