I just picked up a Chinese SKS with some rust here and there and major need for a blue job. I'm gonna try to cold blue it myself. If any of you out there have successfully done this, I would definitely appreciate some pointers 'cause I've never tried it before.
Follow the directions that come with the cold blue solution. Follow the directions.
Ortho is good. but it is a brownell trade name, and I've heard that there is now a hazmat charge on it, don't know if this is true or not. Personally I prefer G96, which is sold by bass pro, to other locally available formulas. I don't like perma blue or super perma blue at all. IMO 44-40 isn't much better. Have an old rem 512, which I reblued using G96 (with their instructions), 35-40 years ago and it still looks pretty good. If the rust is not deep and visibly pitted, I have had success by, pouring a little blue in a container and dipping a small piece of very fine steel wool in it, and rubbing the heck out of the gun keeping it wet, except for wiping it off occasionally with a paper towel. After I decided I've done about all the good I can, I set it aside to dry, after which, time, I steel wool it with fresh dry steel wool, and reapply the formula this time with a cotton ball, dipped and squeezed pretty dry. let it dry completely and repeat the process several times, steel wooling after drying each time. Finally after the last steel wooling I neutralize the thing with a wet cloth dipped in water, rub it dry, let it air dry completely, and if your happy with the way it looks, spray the heck out of it with some thing like super lube or tri- flow. If you are determined to strip of the old blue completely, Send me an email and I will try to find a method published in American Rifleman, years ago , that really worked well.
I've done very little of it but definitely prefer the paste to the liquid blue.
I would do one of three things before I'd cold blue anything.
1. rust blue - Brownell's sells a great rust agent, it gives a great finish but is very time-consuming. Overkill for an SKS, IMHO.
2. Duracoat - if you have an airbrush, and follow the directions, this is great stuff.
3.Parkerize - this is less involved than rust blue, and looks great on military rifles. You can make a "dip tube" out of 4" PVC to suspend barreled action in, it will stay hot long enough to parkerize if you add park mixture at correct temp. Lots of info on web, Duracoat people sell a Parker mix that works great.
I've refinished too many rifles to count and I realized long ago that there were better ways to fix a finish problem. It may take longer for these, but I have never been happy with cold blue results.
1. rust blue - Brownell's sells a great rust agent, it gives a great finish but is very time-consuming. Overkill for an SKS, IMHO.
2. Duracoat - if you have an airbrush, and follow the directions, this is great stuff.
3.Parkerize - this is less involved than rust blue, and looks great on military rifles. You can make a "dip tube" out of 4" PVC to suspend barreled action in, it will stay hot long enough to parkerize if you add park mixture at correct temp. Lots of info on web, Duracoat people sell a Parker mix that works great.
I've refinished too many rifles to count and I realized long ago that there were better ways to fix a finish problem. It may take longer for these, but I have never been happy with cold blue results.
If you're set on it, Check Brownell's site for the tutorials. Parkerizing requires bare metal. Sandblasting is the traditional means to do it (I think. Never done it, but watched a gunsmith Parkerize a shotgun for me years ago). Cerakote adheres best to either freshly blasted or thoroughly (Obsessively) degreased Parkerized surfaces.
Ain't no easy way around it, but spending an evening with some Oxpho Blue, fine steel wool and your rifle might be a relatively easy way to get a black/ blue finish on it.
Ain't no easy way around it, but spending an evening with some Oxpho Blue, fine steel wool and your rifle might be a relatively easy way to get a black/ blue finish on it.
My experience was it's all in the prep.
For a small part, I'd probably try the cold blue.
For the gun/barrel, I'd definitely find something different. It's nearly impossible to keep the cold blue even enough to look decent.
For a small part, I'd probably try the cold blue.
For the gun/barrel, I'd definitely find something different. It's nearly impossible to keep the cold blue even enough to look decent.
