Bluing of stevens double barrel

blackcote · June 16, 2008, 04:07 PM

Can anyone tell me if it is safe to blu a Stevens 16 guauge double barrel in a hot bath (285 deg)? Or will the barrels come apart?

George R · June 16, 2008, 06:22 PM

If its a 311 or 5100, its safe to hot blue. I've done a bunch of them.

Dfariswheel · June 16, 2008, 06:39 PM

If in doubt....DON'T.
It's not the heat that's the problem, it's the corrosive bluing salts.
The chemicals literally dissolve lead solder, which is what older shotguns barrels and ribs are joined with.

Drop an older gun in the bluing tank and the chemical attacks the solder.
Result is, the barrels and ribs come out separated and in pieces, or worse, when the gun is fired the everything flies apart.

If you're not 100% SURE about how your barrels are assembled, you best option is to have the barrels rust blued, which is a process that uses chemicals that don't attack solder.
This is rather expensive to HAVE done because it's all hand work.

June 16, 2008, 04:07 PM	#1
blackcote Junior Member Join Date: March 11, 2007 Posts: 11	Bluing of stevens double barrel Can anyone tell me if it is safe to blu a Stevens 16 guauge double barrel in a hot bath (285 deg)? Or will the barrels come apart?

June 16, 2008, 06:22 PM	#2
George R Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 151	Stevens SxS If its a 311 or 5100, its safe to hot blue. I've done a bunch of them. __________________ http://www.gunblue.homestead.com

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June 16, 2008, 06:39 PM	#3
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	If in doubt....DON'T. It's not the heat that's the problem, it's the corrosive bluing salts. The chemicals literally dissolve lead solder, which is what older shotguns barrels and ribs are joined with. Drop an older gun in the bluing tank and the chemical attacks the solder. Result is, the barrels and ribs come out separated and in pieces, or worse, when the gun is fired the everything flies apart. If you're not 100% SURE about how your barrels are assembled, you best option is to have the barrels rust blued, which is a process that uses chemicals that don't attack solder. This is rather expensive to HAVE done because it's all hand work.