The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Powderman · July 21, 2012, 06:43 PM

Everything that has been posted is spot on. Here's a few more things (gained from when I delved into gunsmithing and refinishing firearms):

a. There are three important parts to a good bluing job. The LEAST important is the chemical used; the Oxynate compounds sold by Brownell's is an industry standard for hot-tank bluing. Some refinishers use a chemical called Du-Lite, and obtain excellent results as well.

b. The next most important thing to learn is how to totally disassemble a firearm--PROPERLY. This means the purchase of good quality tools, and that's going to set you back a pretty penny. As an example, the last thing you want to happen on any customer's gun is for your screwdriver's tip to bend or break, and to put a big gouge on a highly visible part. Proper disassembly is a must to ensure that you get the parts spotlessly clean and also to make sure you don't have any bluing salts left in hidden recesses.

c. By far the most important thing that you must learn is how to properly polish and refinish metal. This includes knowing what polishing compound to use; how NOT to round sharp edges, dish out screw holes or scrub out engraving or writing. You must have a dedicated polishing motor; you must learn how to use the loose muslin wheels, the bound wheels; what polish is used with which one; the difference between the hard and soft felt wheels; the use of the sisal wheel as well, and the proper polishes for each.

You must learn how to mount the wheel properly, how to clean and true the wheel before use, and how to spply polish--yes, there IS a right and wrong way to do it!

You must also learn flaw removal, recontouring and draw filing, and the things that must be done to turn out a quality job. Bead-blasting might well be used to either reduce or raise metal, too.

You see, the finish itself has nothing to do with the chemical--but the surface and metal prep done before the guns go into the hot tank. As an example, the gorgeous finish on a Colt Python is the result of meticulous polishing with progressive grits and different polishing tools, to include hard leather wheels. The result is the mirror bright surface that (when blued) looks 12 inches deep--you can stand a ruler on the surface and read the whole thing.

Finally, you'll want to explore the alternate finishes as well. Lots of shooters want a good, durable matte-type finish. Duracoat is an excellent finish; there is also a market for good old parkerizing as well.

And yes--I believe that you could do well in Ohio. While I was there visiting my wife's side of the family, her nephew brought out a Mossberg 12 gauge that he used for a turkey gun. The trigger and action were rough. In an hour, I polished the action and smoothed out the trigger. He was very happy--so much so that he called his friends. We were only staying there for three days--but I had requests from 8 different people to tune their shotguns for them!!

Best of luck to you--it can be very rewarding to take an old rusty gun and turn it back into a nice looking piece of machinery.

July 21, 2012, 06:43 PM	#4
Powderman Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 2,166	Everything that has been posted is spot on. Here's a few more things (gained from when I delved into gunsmithing and refinishing firearms): a. There are three important parts to a good bluing job. The LEAST important is the chemical used; the Oxynate compounds sold by Brownell's is an industry standard for hot-tank bluing. Some refinishers use a chemical called Du-Lite, and obtain excellent results as well. b. The next most important thing to learn is how to totally disassemble a firearm--PROPERLY. This means the purchase of good quality tools, and that's going to set you back a pretty penny. As an example, the last thing you want to happen on any customer's gun is for your screwdriver's tip to bend or break, and to put a big gouge on a highly visible part. Proper disassembly is a must to ensure that you get the parts spotlessly clean and also to make sure you don't have any bluing salts left in hidden recesses. c. By far the most important thing that you must learn is how to properly polish and refinish metal. This includes knowing what polishing compound to use; how NOT to round sharp edges, dish out screw holes or scrub out engraving or writing. You must have a dedicated polishing motor; you must learn how to use the loose muslin wheels, the bound wheels; what polish is used with which one; the difference between the hard and soft felt wheels; the use of the sisal wheel as well, and the proper polishes for each. You must learn how to mount the wheel properly, how to clean and true the wheel before use, and how to spply polish--yes, there IS a right and wrong way to do it! You must also learn flaw removal, recontouring and draw filing, and the things that must be done to turn out a quality job. Bead-blasting might well be used to either reduce or raise metal, too. You see, the finish itself has nothing to do with the chemical--but the surface and metal prep done before the guns go into the hot tank. As an example, the gorgeous finish on a Colt Python is the result of meticulous polishing with progressive grits and different polishing tools, to include hard leather wheels. The result is the mirror bright surface that (when blued) looks 12 inches deep--you can stand a ruler on the surface and read the whole thing. Finally, you'll want to explore the alternate finishes as well. Lots of shooters want a good, durable matte-type finish. Duracoat is an excellent finish; there is also a market for good old parkerizing as well. And yes--I believe that you could do well in Ohio. While I was there visiting my wife's side of the family, her nephew brought out a Mossberg 12 gauge that he used for a turkey gun. The trigger and action were rough. In an hour, I polished the action and smoothed out the trigger. He was very happy--so much so that he called his friends. We were only staying there for three days--but I had requests from 8 different people to tune their shotguns for them!! Best of luck to you--it can be very rewarding to take an old rusty gun and turn it back into a nice looking piece of machinery. __________________ Hiding in plain sight...