I really need help!

[loomis]

My children bought me my first muzzleloader for my birthday in September. I have been reading and looking for a while, and decided on the NEF Sidekick. I have had it to the range twice - I really love it. Here is the problem - last night we came home from the range - I taught my son how to clean it, and he could not get the residue out of the barrel near the breech plug. So I recall that in the manual it state to soak it in warm water and soap. Well, I did not add the soap, and got a plastic bucket with water - submerged the back of the barrel and left it there overnight. Now I know right now many of you are cringing - and rightly so. This morning I came down and found a brownish/rusty residue all under where the barrel was - I pulled it out to realize that the blueing was gone in big splotches! I feel sick. Chaulk it up to ignorance, but still --- what do I do now? I cleaned it - the barrel is very clean indeed - and then I put a good coat of gun oil in and out and came to work with a wrenched stomach. It appears that the inside of the barrel is perfect - in fact, it looks fine from a functional standpoint - but how can I get the blue problem fixed? I can still shoot it, right?
Do I need a new barrel? Who can fix it? Can I fix it?

As stated - this is my first gun - I am a bow hunter - it is very obvious that I have much to learn. I have read the manual a few times through hoping to prevent accidents such as this - but -

Also, I have read in previous posts that this type of gun is really not a "traditional" muzzleloader - if this is the wrong forum, I am sorry.

Any help is much appreciated!

Tom Ainsworth

 

[robinghewitt]

Hi Loomis

Ooops! You can cold blue it, there are products you can wipe over oil free iron and get an instant blue. Quality of the blue depending very much on the surface finish.

The problem with cold blue is that it doesn't wear so well and you may need to follow up with a dilute varnish or drying oil to protect it. OTOH you can get a wonderful light grey antique finish by cold bluing and then deliberately wearing it off.

Cold blue solutions are usually poisonous but if you don't drink it you should be okay. I haven't died yet ::

Just my .02p

Squire Robin

 

[loomis]

Squire Robin,

Thank you - I will get it and apply it today. I called NEF and spoke to the service department - they seemed a bit puzzled as to why it happened. They are going to re-blue my gun for free! In the mean while, I will put the cold blue on it until I can send it off. Muzzleloader season starts in Marryland this Thursday the 20th - I will send it in after the season and get it taken care of. Also, as a tid-bit of info - I "think" I may have added some bleach to the water - cannot remember if I did or not - that may have caused the problem - the person at the service department did not think that should have that effect - they are going to put a sidekick barrel in water for 8 hours or so and see if they can duplicate the problem - if they cannot then perhaps the bleach caused a reaction or something...

thanks again...

 

[Bob Riegl]

Sorry to hear about that upsetting episode---people do not know that it's all a chemical reaction ( the Ole' Chem Prof. here)for the blueing process. Mixing the bleach in the water caused the iron and the free chlorine radicals in the bleach to react---the reddish brown mess was your blueing in the form of Iron (III) chloride. The next time NO BLEACH---just warm water and some Dawn dish detergent---remove the nipple and pump some of this stuff through with a squeeze bottle---then take a suitable mop and mop the bore with the left over water and detergent. Now the bore scraper and some wet patches---follwed by dry patches and then Ballistol patches until all is squeaky clean---then dry patch and lubricate with an oily patch or Ballistol.

 

[loomis]

Sir,

Thank you - I was going through the evening in my mind and -out of a good intention grabbed some bleach to mix in - did not think of the chemical effect - not very brilliant. But,
I will not ever do that again!

lOoMiS

 

[Zonie]

Just as a point of information to folks who read this post and think, well, my gun isn't blued, it's browned so I can use bleach.
Blueing is a slightly different form of iron oxide as browning.
Liquid Chlorine bleach will not only attack the blueing/browning, it will attack the steel. It is one way of "antiqueing" guns because of it's effects on steel parts.

IMO, the use of Bleach or Hydrogen Peroxide should be avoided around steel parts.

 

Could you make a family project of browning your firearm? I find the finish pleasing and less worrysome. Keep the bore fine. Most old originals are brown from use, not neglect. I have my first BP and it is the brown that comes from use. Bore is like new. It is a 200 yr old musket that I had rebarreled. :grey: