Naval Jelly
Hi guys,
Can you use Naval Jelly to take off blueing in order to refinish a handgun that is made of stainless steel? The bottle says that it can't be used on stainless steel. If not Naval Jelly, what should I use to take off the old finish? Thanks.
Can you use Naval Jelly to take off blueing in order to refinish a handgun that is made of stainless steel? The bottle says that it can't be used on stainless steel. If not Naval Jelly, what should I use to take off the old finish? Thanks.
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I don't think you can "blue" stainless steel, perhaps it was black nickel finish or some hi tech plating?
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slide 4140 more or regular steel.
http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/p-11/0 -
I would avoid the use of Naval Jelly, as it's a acid. It will leave a gray etched finish on steel.
Likely if the gun is actually stainless? The finish will be some kind of paint, rather then uber expensive high tech finish like blackened nickel.
Have it vapor blasted with plastic beads to remove the paint, without damaging the underlying finish.0 -
It's probably not stainless. 0 -
Soda blasting will remove the finish without harming the underlying metal finish.
Call a few auto body shops. One of them would know of someone who does soda blasting.
4140 is carbon steel, so it would be blued.
Other than needing to remove the rust, there is no need to strip the blue in order to coat it with a spray on type finish. Dichro-Clean or an auto body wax and grease remover would get it glean enough.
Now, since you Do have a rust issue soaking in a rust and blue remover such as Brownells carries would remove rhe rust as well as the blue. You would still need to use some type of grease remover though to get the last traces of oils off the steel.0 -
quote:Originally posted by 7.62x39Lover
Hi guys,
Can you use Naval Jelly to take off blueing in order to refinish a handgun that is made of stainless steel? The bottle says that it can't be used on stainless steel. If not Naval Jelly, what should I use to take off the old finish? Thanks.
Bluing is a form of controlled rust. So far as I know, there is no easy way to "blue" stainless steel, and conventional stainless steel guns are not blued.
Instead, on dark-finish stainless guns, the darkened finish is usually either an ordinary Parkerized finish, or one of those nitrided nickel finishes (what Glock calls "Tenifer", Smith and Walther "Melonite", Sig "Nitron", etc). Sig and Smith, in particular, offer at least some guns in their lineup that are blackened stainless.
These nitrided finishes in particular can be tough to remove because they're so damn hard (most people consider it a "good" thing when a gun finish won't wear off easily!). Don't know if ordinary glass/sand blasting will do it.
Before proceeding further, I'd at least establish exactly what you were dealing with. A true nitride finish is REALLY durable; personally I'd be reluctant to remove one from one of my own guns.0 -
If it's not blueing it must be parkerized? It is the slide on a Kel-tec P11. According to kel-tec, the slide is stainless steel. The darn thing is rusting and I want to put a finish on it that will protect it from rusting. I wish it had a tennifer finish. LOL 0 -
No Keltec slide is stainless steel. Your information is very wrong. Keltec uses carbon steel for all their slides. Finishes offered are blued, Parkerized, or hard chromed. 0 -
The manual says that the slide is made of SAE 4140 Ordnance Steel. I do not know if that is stainless or not, or if it is carbon steel or what. I guess I will have to do more research. At the end of the day I just want to strip the old blu or parkerized finish and put something on there that will protect it from rusting. 0 -
Stainless steel guns are not 100% stainless steel, they are a mixed alloy and do rust.
The removal of the finish is as stated Glass bead or soda blast and if a polished finish is wanted followed by fine brass wool with the grain of the metal, after follow up with a light coat of gun oil.0 -
quote:Originally posted by 7.62x39Lover
The manual says that the slide is made of SAE 4140 Ordnance Steel. I do not know if that is stainless or not, or if it is carbon steel or what.
4140 is "ordinary" carbon (not stainless) steel, and its one of the most common steels used in gun making.
If your is rusting its probably blued.
Bead/oxide blasting will take off either bluing OR parkerizing.
My question is, what do you want to refinish with, because that could affect your best choice of stripping (or even not stripping) the current finish.0
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