oops did something stupid...what now

[lomaxanderson]

Ok so i was handling my maverick 88 today and felt some tiny rust spots on the top of the barrel:(...so my dumb _ _ _ went to the sink and grabbed an old greenie pad thats almost worn out and lightly rubbed the rust off...WELL of course now it has some fine scratches and the black(blue?) is lighter in color now.:mad:
The gun was not expensive($175 in '93) but I've had it for 15 years and have taken good care of it ...it looks better cared for than newer ones i've seen lately..
what can be done to fix this...can the barrel and magazine tube be redone and what about the scratches...i think they may only be in the finish
I should have known better but I just made a poor decision...11 hours of driving today ...now what

[10-96]

You could take the bbl down to have it re-blued- but that would likely tie up a pretty good chunk of funds for a $175 shotgun. You could buy a bottle of Oxpho-Blue from Brownells- but then you'd end up with a bbl that looks like you tried to cover up an "Uh-Oh". It's up to you. The next time you have rust peeking up- try getting some 0000 steel wool and go down to the 'I can't poop section' at Walmart (near the pharmacy) and get a bottle of plain old mineral oil and lightly (as in "gently") rub the whole thing down.

[ebutler462]

With a gun that I use for a beater, I use a black permanent magic marker to cover the wounds.

[lomaxanderson]

I got the bright light out today and noticed that there is more rust on it than I thought so I'm thinking that I'll take the barrel and mag tube off and remove all the rust and try to reblue it myself
So my next question is what's the best way to do that...oooo steel wool and mineral oil? will that take off the old finish and rust .It's nothing special but has sentamental value...spent a few years in evidevce room...;)
Anyway I want it to be the best it can so I want to do it right.I have more time and effort than money

[nate45]

Vans Gun Blue works very well and is not expensive.

It is much better than paste blue.

If you follow the instructions you could easily and nicely reblue your gun.

I've touched up several and no one could tell.

[10-96]

0000 Steel wool and mineral oil won't take the old bluing off- but it will get out the rust. go to http://www.brownells.com and look in their metal finishing pages and look at what's available.

As for cleaning it up to patch with cold-blue, as for myself, I'd probly swab it down real well a few times with mineral spirits, or B-12 Chemtool to remove all traces of oil and grease. Then, follow the instructions on the cold blue you choose. Almost all that stuff comes supplied with instructions.

Blueing is a rust. It is a controlled oxidation of the metal that has been refined and controlled with the salts / chemicals. I've cold blue patched before also. One thing I always do is- after I get the results I want, I nuetralize whatever bluing stuff that may be left with Kroil Oil, wipe down again real well, and finish off with a coat of mineral oil. Others use Rem-Oil, Ballistol, or any number of other fine products. DO NOT USE WD-40! It varnishes and firearms come to hate the stuff over the years.

[classic095]

If you use 0000 wool and oil, the rust comes off and the blue stays, if you want to reblue, two words.. BLUE WONDER ya can get it from midway..

[ammo.crafter]

I did several old rusty garage sale shotguns with Van's and the product really does work extremely well.
Follow the directions, you won't be disappointed.

[b.thomas]

The greenie pad would have worked if you had used oil with it. The secret of removing rust is oil, lots and lots of oil!;)

[Bill DeShivs]

Then here is how to do it right-
Don't try to cold blue the entire gun. Cold blue is for touch ups. No matter how hard you work at it, and no matter how good YOU think it looks, any one who has been around guns for more than a few minutes will spot the cold blue job from across the room. You will also ruin any value the gun has left.
To remove existing rust, use 0000 steel wool soaked with WD 40. WD 40 will NOT hurt your gun. When you are finished, soak the gun with the WD 40 until it drips off. Wipe the gun down with clean rags or paper towels until the WD 40 is gone and then oil the exterior with any good gun oil. WD 40 is not a particularly good rust preventative, but it doesn't "varnish". It will dissolve old oil in the internals and if you don't thoroughly soak the gun and remove these old dissolved oils THEY will "varnish."

[plateshooter]

Best rust remover I have ever used is a chore boy "copper" pad with oil. I have never had it damage the original finish. I have had amazing results with it. BTW a piece wrapped around an old bore brush is great for removing lead in your barrel from the old foster slugs as well.

[Full-choke]

I don't know how well the rebluing would work for you either. If I remember right the Maverick shottys are parkerized, so something may not look like it has quite the same finish.

At best I would say hit the barrel over lightly with the 0000 steel wool and oil. You might be able to smooth those scratches out a little but you will still have a lighter colored area. Hard to tell what the right move is going to be on that one...

F-C

[dakotashooter2]

I am by no means an expert on cold blue. I have tried a couple different ones with mixed results. Most recomended applying the bluing letting it sit then whiping it off. I have had better results putting some on a rag and rubbing the offended spot for about 5 minutes adding a drop or two of blueing as I go.

[Bill DeShivs]

I AM assuming the gun is blued. If not, disregard my comments.
Chore boy pads work well, as does brass wool.