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Old November 24, 2022, 06:30 PM   #1
Metal god
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Bluing discoloration Problem -Fixes ???

Hey guys , I have this issue with a couple revolvers that sat for like 20 years . They sat out open in the safe with just some Pledge on them as a preservative .





These are two different firearms and before doing anything about this I thought I'd ask here first . I'm a SS guy and have very few blued firearms and shoot none of them . I really like the look of a nice blued revolver but I simply like the lower maintenance of a SS firearm more haha .

I gave them a quick wipe and that did nothing , Is this a big deal or a little polish/rubbing and all is good ?

Thanks MG
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Old November 24, 2022, 07:02 PM   #2
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A little squirt of WD 40 and wiping will take care of it.
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Old November 24, 2022, 10:40 PM   #3
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Pledge?
"Although furniture products like Pledge are good at cleaning furniture, the oils quickly evaporate, leaving little to no protective coating on the furniture finish."
If a solvent cleaner doesn't work, try Flitz polish.
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Old November 24, 2022, 11:09 PM   #4
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Old pledge had wax in it or wax like substance , not sure what’s in it now . It’s why water would beed up on it for awhile . It’s an old trick from the 70’s . I do not recommend it now .

Maybe I should spray some more pledge on them lol
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Old November 25, 2022, 01:59 PM   #5
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I've been using Renaissance Wax on firearms (wood and metal parts) that just sit in the safe. So far, so good. I can't tell any difference from when they were first waxed.
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Old November 25, 2022, 02:57 PM   #6
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Clean the metal, remove all old oil, wax, grease, solvent carrier, degrease it....

(including under the wood)

then oil and rub a bit see if the old finish doesn't return....

I've had guns stored in foam lined cases show discolored finishes, where the foam has, over time, "sucked" the oil off the metal, leaving the blue finish uneven to the eye.

Re-oiling restores it, or, has for me, so far, so try that and see..
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Old November 27, 2022, 08:52 AM   #7
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Quote:
Clean the metal, remove all old oil, wax, grease, solvent carrier, degrease it....
(including under the wood)
then oil and rub a bit see if the old finish doesn't return....
I've had guns stored in foam lined cases show discolored finishes, where the foam has, over time, "sucked" the oil off the metal, leaving the blue finish uneven to the eye. Re-oiling restores it, or, has for me, so far, so try that and see..
Good advice...has worked for me. Rod
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Old November 27, 2022, 11:07 PM   #8
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Thanks guys ? I’ll give those a try . Wait what breaks down wax but not the finish on the firearm ?
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Old November 28, 2022, 08:26 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Metal god View Post
Thanks guys ? I’ll give those a try . Wait what breaks down wax but not the finish on the firearm ?
If you can find it 3M wax and grease cleaner. An easier one to find is 3M adhesive remover, it’s very similar to the wax and grease cleaner, also very mild solvent that hasn’t ever messed up any of my blued revolvers.
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Old November 28, 2022, 09:42 AM   #10
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Most petroleum based solvents should remove wax.
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Old December 3, 2022, 08:33 PM   #11
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Once the wax is removed, another vote for Renaissance Wax if you're not going to chute it. If you're going to chute it, use RIG gun grease (cheaper cost). Apply and rub in with clean cotton cloth.
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Old December 14, 2022, 02:35 PM   #12
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so, did cleaning and re-oiling restore the finish?? or not??
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Old December 14, 2022, 02:41 PM   #13
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Haven’t got to them yet , been very busy and became less concerned after reading comments in this thread . But point taken , I’ll see how cleaning them works this weekend.
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Old February 1, 2023, 02:51 PM   #14
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UPDATE

Simple wipe down with CLP collectors cleaned them right up . Thank you everyone for playing

Instead of starting new thread I'll just ask here . A buddy of mine inherited a bunch of revolvers that have been sitting in a safe for many years , some maybe 30yrs without any real attention .

I helped him out the other day and is why I know the CLP works haha . Anyways all of the firearms are in pretty good shape but several were .... slow and sluggish . Cylinders did not spin freely or close smoothly and those were pretty easy to get working nicely again However there were a few that the inner workings felt just like those sluggish cylinders . I did not feel like opening them up and start cleaning them . Some of these firearms are really nice never been fired and if they had , not many times . We are talking Colt snakes ( all of them ) to include doubles in sequential serial # order . Single action army etc . I really don't want to be taking these things apart , hell I was a little unsteady even handling them . I mean these are high dollar guns that aren't mine so I freed up the ones I could by simply removing the cylinder and cleaning that area but what do we do about the others ? Nothing , just leave them in the condition they are in ? To be clear they all seem functional but a few feel just a bit sluggish inside .

Oh and on a side note , after checking out some single action army revolvers . I now know Baldwin is full of crap , he totally pulled the trigger .
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Old February 1, 2023, 02:54 PM   #15
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A good long soak in a bucket of mineral spirits, followed by compressed air, then oiling.
Flush out with WD 40, air, oil.
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Old February 1, 2023, 04:15 PM   #16
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Remove the grips then dunk 'em or spray flush them. There are commercial products that work well for that, many different ones.

Afterwards (and after any needed drying /flushing of the cleaner), spray a good lubricant into the action, and cycle it a few times. There should be no need for any disassembly other than keeping wood or rubber grips out of the cleaner.

And, DO use a correct size screwdriver for the grip removal and reinstallation! Hollow ground "gunsmith" screwdriver if possible.
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Old February 1, 2023, 11:44 PM   #17
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Ok thanks , I’ll look into something to soak them in .
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Old February 2, 2023, 05:45 AM   #18
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Soaking

As a gunsmith, I have used a 9X13 metal baking pan and placed the handgun in it after removing the grps then filled to cover the handgun with ordinary paint thinner and let sit for a day or more depending on how gummed up it is. It works very well at removing anything gumming up the action and removes old oil. Also it is a lot less expensive than many of the products like gun scrubber and will not harm metal finishes.
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Old February 2, 2023, 03:46 PM   #19
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A dunk is effective!

In many if not most cases, just a liberal application of good penetrating oil may be all you need to free it up.
I do agree that a dunk, flush and proper relubrication is the right way. I just might get it dirty at the range before I do that.
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Old February 3, 2023, 10:03 AM   #20
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If none of the above help the situation, I personally would try some extra-fine steel wool and some cold-blue paste. I've had good results doing this for tiny touch-up areas on some of my firearms. It's a bit risky, though.
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Old February 3, 2023, 11:33 AM   #21
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Quote:
Flush out with WD 40, air, oil.
Why?
Why put WD-40 on a gun that does not need moisture driven out?

That's like suggesting someone clean a cake pan, blow it dry, then coat it in cooking spray before storage.

"Clean your thing. Then coat it in one of the worst, most over-used and misused, non-lubricants and non-preservatives known to man."

Why not just dip it in Lee Liquid Alox?
(Facetious? A little bit. But LLA is derived from a corrosion inhibiting preservative, unlike putrifying, gumming WD-40.)
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Old February 3, 2023, 02:31 PM   #22
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Why?
Why put WD-40 on a gun that does not need moisture driven out?
Because its a common, cheap, sold everywhere and in nearly every home already, spray material with solvent properties, perhaps???

No, its NOT a lube, nor is it a gun cleaner, but if you have a gun that is gummed up due to years of neglect letting the oil turn to sludge, its a convenient and usually very effective FIRST STEP.

I've run across guns that were actually frozen shut from oil that turned to something like lacquer. WD-40 got them open, so that they could be disassembled and proper cleaning performed.

Nothing wrong, (and quite a bit right) about using WD-40 for its solvent properties in some situations. But I will agree that using WD-40 and doing nothing else, isn't the right thing to do, and can lead to problems on its own.
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Old February 3, 2023, 06:35 PM   #23
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The thing I don't get regardless if it's WD-40 , mineral spirits or paint thinner . After you use those , what gets that out . I forget which one thinner of spirits but one has more oil/s in it .

Regardless , unless completely removed they are going to dilute any lube you use next . I know it's not an option here but I usually use carburetor cleaner , laquear thinner or the like to then clean off the cleaner haha . Do we just not care about the residue left behind by what ever "cleaner" is used ? I mean there's a lot of nook and cranny's in there that will not be completely drained inside the frames . Do you open those up and lightly blow them out ? Or is it we just drench them in lube forcing the other out then blow that out leaving just enough lube to coat all the parts ?
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Old February 3, 2023, 10:51 PM   #24
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WD 40 is a lubricant, and it's a pretty good preservative. The only thing it leaves behind is a light mineral oil. I have used it for well over 50 years as an engineer, gunsmith, engraver, cutler, and musician. It doesn't "gum" any more than any other oil, when properly used.

Mineral spirits, carb cleaner, paint thinner evaporate completely, and leave no residue. They won't dilute anything.
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Old February 3, 2023, 11:34 PM   #25
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Bill that’s not exactly true , I’ve been in the construction trade for my whole life 35+ years and paint thinner does not evaporate completely nor does spirits . One example is cleaning brushes with lacquer thinner on the first rinse and paint thinner for the final rinses because the oil left behind keeps the bristles from drying out and becoming brittle. It drys enough not to effect the next paint you use ( oil based ) but when you pull it out from storage it’s still a little slick .

Although I don’t disagree with what you say about WD-40 there are far better things to use now . Kinda like Rem oil , it was good for it’s time but it will never be seen on any firearm of mine , way better stuff out there now .
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Last edited by Metal god; February 3, 2023 at 11:56 PM.
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