Stumped with blueing
I figured I would make my first post a good one.
I have a Kimber Ultra Carry II that I got from a friend at a very good price. Nothing wrong with it but, he used it for his carry weapon and it has some wear that I wanted to correct. I followed all the directions for a home blueing kit, that I have used on other guns with great success, but the Kimber refuses to get even close to the right darkness.
I told my friend and he searched around online. He said that he read a comment that the gun metal was not a common mix. Does anyone know if this is true, and is it possible to even re-blue that gun? Or, did I just not pay close enough attention and miss the fact that the gun was never blued, but instead painted? I now the body is painted and I have not touched that yet. It has grey grips and the blued slide is closer to that color than it is the original dark blue/black.
I need someone smarter than I am to get me back on the right path. Thanks for any help.
Rob
I have a Kimber Ultra Carry II that I got from a friend at a very good price. Nothing wrong with it but, he used it for his carry weapon and it has some wear that I wanted to correct. I followed all the directions for a home blueing kit, that I have used on other guns with great success, but the Kimber refuses to get even close to the right darkness.
I told my friend and he searched around online. He said that he read a comment that the gun metal was not a common mix. Does anyone know if this is true, and is it possible to even re-blue that gun? Or, did I just not pay close enough attention and miss the fact that the gun was never blued, but instead painted? I now the body is painted and I have not touched that yet. It has grey grips and the blued slide is closer to that color than it is the original dark blue/black.
I need someone smarter than I am to get me back on the right path. Thanks for any help.
Rob
0
-
Ain't that an aluminum frame? If so and you want black I'd rattle can with that spray and bake engine paint. If you're going for cheap fix.
*So I guess you're trying to re-finish the slide. It's hard to blue stainless. I reckon the reason your Marlin barrel came out better is because it's steel.
Also if the finish is really spotty just call it Black on Black Ninja Camo [:D].0 -
Yep- the standard Ultra Carry I has a steel slide, aluminum frame. Bluing is a controlled form of rusting- it produces black iron oxide. Aluminum, of course, cannot be changed to iron oxide. Unable to comment on the alloy of the slide, but different alloy steels DO blue differently.
If you ARE working on the steel portion of the gun, after degreasing, using a hair dryer to warm the steel helps sometimes- speeds up the rate of reaction between the bluing compound and the steel. But some steels DO contain nickel, chromium, etc, and are just not going to blue.0 -
Aluminium frame: paint or annodize
"Matted black finish" sounds like paint or perhaps bead blasted hot salts blueing.
I have never seen large parts look good with any cold blue home use stuff.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/02/brad-kozak/gun-review-kimber-pro-crimson-carry-ii/0 -
I am very pleased and surprised to see this many replies in such a short time period. It's good to know that members frequent the forums and are willing to help. I thank you all for that.
OK, I did a magnet test and the slide IS metal. Not aluminum, but also not necessarily a great mix for blueing, I guess.
As to the previous reply: I really didn't have very high of expectations for the home blueing kit, but the barrel on my Marlin 60 that I first blued as a test, actually turned out very nice. I was greatly pleased by that. That's why I didn't hesitate to try it out on the Kimber. The original kit was a Birchwood Casey, but I have since purchased some Vans and the Vans is much better.
Before posting in here I first emailed Kimber to see what the coating on the Ultra Carry II was. I have yet to get e reply. Worst case scenario: I have to take it to a professional and let them fix my not so good attempt.[:)]
Again, thanks for the replies. Helpful fixes or not, it is more information that I did not know before. I am smarter now.[:D]0 -
I do a fair amount of cold blueing on old Mauser receivers and trigger guards. In some cases I have found that because of hardness and metal mixtures and who knows what I can't get the oxypho blue to take very evenly or darkly. I have found that if I will boil a pot of water and place the part it the boiling water long enough to get it hot and then apply the blueing I can often get much better results. I only would do this with a completely striped down part, because if you leave springs and such in small passages you will end up with a rusty nightmare on your hands. As I didn't notice what kit you are using I not sure if this will help or not, but it often works for me. Good luck..... 0 -
i had a shotgun that couldnt be blued. was told by an expert that it must contain an amount of stainless in the metal. to blue stainless you need a diferent kind of bluing salt. i know brownells sells it, just dont know what it is called. 0 -
I've watched Larry Potterfield blue stuff on youtube quite a bit; seems to take many tries, and always with a pre-heated part. 0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
7 comments