I am building my first kit and had some questions about the finish it is one of the classic arms twister kits. I am building new grips (the ones that it came with were CHEEEEEEEP). But i dont have the facilities for a hot blue but would still like to finish it my self what is the best product on the market for a relatively durable finish?
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Cold Blue or Browning
- Thread starter madbrad
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Capt. Jas.
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Oxpho-Blue @ Brownells
good cold blue.
What is a classic arms twister?
good cold blue.
What is a classic arms twister?
A twist barrel over/under derringer
MadBrad: Noting that your kinda new here allow me to go into the "LM rust solution" suggested by navaho. If you already know this, forgive me for spouting off.
The LM stands for Laurel Mountain and the rust solution is usually used for browning the steel parts by getting them to rust.
After several layers of hard rust have formed, you do as he said and boil the part in water. That will turn the rust Black (Much like the color of the older Colts).
This is a lot of work because the process requires steel wooling off the loose rust and re-rusting the part several times to build up the layers.
Oxpho-Blue or Dicropan IM from Brownells are good products but they are a bit expensive.
IMO, because your gun is small and may not recieve much "holster wear", I would suggest using Birchwood Casey Perma Blue which is good for low alloy steels like those in your gun.
The Birchwood Casey Super Blue is made for the high alloy steels modern guns are made from and actually (IMO) does not work as well.
Regardless of which method you use, remember that any oil on the metal will hinder the process so degrease the surface completely and wear clean rubber/latex gloves.
Your gun will turn out great!
The LM stands for Laurel Mountain and the rust solution is usually used for browning the steel parts by getting them to rust.
After several layers of hard rust have formed, you do as he said and boil the part in water. That will turn the rust Black (Much like the color of the older Colts).
This is a lot of work because the process requires steel wooling off the loose rust and re-rusting the part several times to build up the layers.
Oxpho-Blue or Dicropan IM from Brownells are good products but they are a bit expensive.
IMO, because your gun is small and may not recieve much "holster wear", I would suggest using Birchwood Casey Perma Blue which is good for low alloy steels like those in your gun.
The Birchwood Casey Super Blue is made for the high alloy steels modern guns are made from and actually (IMO) does not work as well.
Regardless of which method you use, remember that any oil on the metal will hinder the process so degrease the surface completely and wear clean rubber/latex gloves.
Your gun will turn out great!
paulvallandigham
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I have to join in recommending the rust blue technique. I think it is the easiest to do, is the most durable, can be repeated to give richer color, and is fixed by coating the metal with oil after it is boiled, and leaving it coated in oil over night. The finish that comes out is the closest to the old time blueing methods that you have as a hobby gunbuilder.
I have used cold blues, but I found I had to heat the metal up with a propane torch to a temperature well above the boiling temperature of water, before putting the cold blue on the metal. I also had to continue to heat it to get good coverage, without patching, or streaks. If you try this, do it first on some piece of test metal, so you can learn what works and what doesn't. I repeated the process several times over a couple of evenings, until i got a rich Blue/Black finish that seemed durable. Again, I fix the process with oil- WD40 to be exact, put on when the barrel is still hot- and let the metal hang over night to cool and fix.
The oil seems to help give that blue black color, and take the oxidation process deep into the pores of the metal. I last used this technique to touch up blueing on a factory barrel that had suffered some pitting from dust and a damp basement. When I finished, the owner could not tell where the pits and rust had been until I pointed out a few tiny pits in strong sunlight. He was amazed that the finish was so close to the factory( Me TOO!!!)
Paul
I have used cold blues, but I found I had to heat the metal up with a propane torch to a temperature well above the boiling temperature of water, before putting the cold blue on the metal. I also had to continue to heat it to get good coverage, without patching, or streaks. If you try this, do it first on some piece of test metal, so you can learn what works and what doesn't. I repeated the process several times over a couple of evenings, until i got a rich Blue/Black finish that seemed durable. Again, I fix the process with oil- WD40 to be exact, put on when the barrel is still hot- and let the metal hang over night to cool and fix.
The oil seems to help give that blue black color, and take the oxidation process deep into the pores of the metal. I last used this technique to touch up blueing on a factory barrel that had suffered some pitting from dust and a damp basement. When I finished, the owner could not tell where the pits and rust had been until I pointed out a few tiny pits in strong sunlight. He was amazed that the finish was so close to the factory( Me TOO!!!)
Paul
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