"Touching up" color case hardened guns?

fiawol

January 12, 2012 16:39

Is there a way to spot-reblue a color case hardened gun? I saw some color case hardening kits on Brownells, one cost hundreds of dollars, one cost thousands of dollars (complete with an oven, tongs, charcoal, etc). Can you just take a spot rebluing pen and "draw" a case-hardened pattern on the portion of a the action that it has worn off of? I'm just looking for a simple cosmetic fix, not a total rebluing job.

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  perry shooter

  January 12, 2012 16:56

  IMHO there is no EASY CHEAP FIX . A botched job will look like just that a BOTCHED JOB.[V][:(]DOUG TURNBULL does restoration work NOT CHEAP and in my opinion is so good you know at once it is not original . Case colors will FADE in time no matter if gun was used or not even sun light will cause the colors to fade.

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  fiawol

  January 12, 2012 17:04

  Well, the good part is, I had to polish off some rust that got on the gun, which took off some of the finish; if I "botch" a repair job, all I have to do is repolish it off again, and I'm no worse off than before. It still shoots fine, and that's the important part.
  :-)

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  thorhammer

  January 12, 2012 17:42

  I had a Stevens .410 receiver color case hardened from a person I found in the Gunsmithing section here. Just under $200.00 and he did a fine job. His name was Dan....something.

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  wpage

  January 13, 2012 00:47

  There are some inexpensive touch up solutions, like black magic. Results vary and there is nothing like doing it right.

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  tsr1965

  January 13, 2012 02:34

  It will cost between $150.00 and 300.00 to get it done properly. It is not just a coloring process like bluing. it is a metalurgical process that actually changes the hardness, and grain structure of the steel. There are no $14.99, or even $29.99 kits to mimmick it.
  
  Best

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  bartman45

  January 13, 2012 02:59

  I love case hardening; however. it is an ultra thin coating and should be treated as such. I would consider leaving it alone and accepting as part of the history of the gun. Honest wear is exactly that.

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  rhmc24

  January 13, 2012 12:27

  Since you seem willing to try, clean the part as for re-bluing, dampen a small spot of paper towel in cold blue and lightly touch the area, using a kind of wiping action in spots. Dampen means lightly, not soaked.
  
  If you have a piece of other polished steel to practice on you can develop a skill that will be almost believable.
  
  As you say, if you don't like it you can take it off and try again.

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