Very Important Gun Blue Instructions and Tips

Shooter Solutions’ Rugged Gun Blue.

Internet Caution: Do not do any preparation without bluing in hand! Prep = do the prep again when bluing arrives: clean steel starts to react soon in non-desert environments.

WARNING:

This product contains acids you want to avoid. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, and clothing. See cautions on label. Use according to directions. Keep out of reach of children. We recommend you wear rubber gloves to keep off the skin.

DEGREASE:

If Alkaline isn’t enough, then make sure to degrease with the best petroleum solvents like lacquer thinner, nonchlorinated brake cleaner, clear PVC pipe cleaner, M.E.K., Acetone. Protective chlorinated grease and oil are tough to remove, and may require abrasive pad or sand blasting together with eat-the-oil degreasing. While you’re at it, this will not convert under rust or conversion coating! You DON’T need to go to bare steel everywhere, just clean rust and contaminants including reacted polymers, Teflon, etc, and don’t let react longer than necessary. If there imperfections, then proper preparation after degreasing will be needed, as will not blue in pits or scratches without sanding them out or Metal Prep of some sort. Caution: if there is any oil or non-reaction, you will get gray and never black. NEVER Isopropyl alcohol.

Prepare the Metal Mechanically no Acid.

No oil or grease.

METAL PREP #1 or #2 Where the above is not enough for 1) light prep as in light rust & leftover mill scale or (2) pig iron, bar stock, hardened steel surfaces, a Minimum 30 second but generally of 1 to 5 minute immersion soak or equiv. into the metal. Do not use on cold rolled steel. – Warning: If a green color develops, that is not good. Remove that green with abrasive and then use less time don’t let it dry on its own

BLUING: Note: It will only work on carbon steel, hardened steel, iron, and most alloys, but only if electrically active, not for stainless. See tips. It does NOT fill in metal. After your piece of metal (part of firearm if true) is thoroughly degreased and completely clean, apply Bluing solution (2.5X Concentrate). Best to SOAK or apply via something not contaminated. Example: soft bristle toothbrush or saturating spray. (Not Cotton Swabs, paper towels and cloth. Contain lanolin (grease), dyes, perfumes, etc., and waste or prevent the bluing to occur. Pour a small amount of the Shooter Solutions’ into a small plastic cup or tray to avoid contaminating the bottle. You can add up to 1.5X (60%) distilled water and it will still work. Hint: for using it as a dip, please dilute it completely. See tips below. Dip brush or into the bluing or using spray keep area to be blued wet for 1-2 minutes (even though you should see the coating start to develop, if all goes well in just a few seconds). It will be done within the time it is not able to soak in any more any will start to strip itself off. With no contamination or oxides it will get black immediately through the liquid and then set-in. Note: once you have it down for a piece of metal use a watch to determine the time. Scratches do not blue. To blue scratches, the metal around it must be polished to make the scratch “disappear” and then all the metal brought up to the same level of shine and cleanliness as the metal around it. Brilliant polish-shined-metal and bead blast get the blackest.

Also, If it is not at the same level of shine, it will not work. Because this product looks like a natural oxide (stealing iron), the metal to be blued will not get darker than Factory blue, see note Do not remove existing factory blue or black-oxide on old stuff, since this can naturally match modern ones exactly, if the metal is in the same condition as original blue or black-oxide. Also, you need not be concerned with creating “ghost rings” and rust rings around the area, hint: the most gentle if you make it even more gentle acid-to-finish if you dilute it 1.5X to 1 to raise the pH.

When your metal is dark enough and fully reacted, then remove the acid with water, either by rinsing with a wet rag or in an airless bottom-force-fed room-temp cold water pail for the same amount of time as bluing – as in 2-5 minutes, and then pat dry and immediately either force dry with hot air or safe oven or use a dewatering oil on it to displace the water and immediately prevent rust. If you are not going to clear coat or carnauba wax then Shooter Solutions dewatering oil is an excellent choice. If you want a marbled brown/blue look, like is very popular in construction, then rinse only the heavy acid off, as like 1 minute of rinse, and then shake the excess water off, and let it dry on its own horizontal to a degree of rust, and when it is bright orange enough, as it is not rustproof yet. Any wet-looking product including oil, wax, combination thereof or Clear acrylic will make it look black gun-blue look, exactly as the metal, with no tolerance change. Or just wipe down with a good gun oil or machine oil after the water is dried. Some oils may be incompatable with the finish, like 3-in-1 oil. Flat acrylic may look different from satin.

You can finish the bluing with either standard oil for guns and machine shop. For architectural, indoor and outdoor art, golf, indoor hardware and patio, abrasive if required, hot water or sponge rinse, pat dry, then top after completely dried out with Spray Lacquer, Spray Clear Coat, or boiled linseed oil. Satin Clear Coat looks like oiled. Also for protecting the blued/blackened/gun metal surface for long-term against the elements. HEAT OF THE BLUE IS NOT NEEDED.

A thin coat of quality wax or clear coat will protect even from saltwater contact! It is tough enough to stand up to 100º saltwater and even fresh blood. Take a small amount of Automotive paste carnauba wax (a small amount goes a long ways) and buff onto your metal: do not allow automotive carnauba on wood finishes. Allow the wax to haze up and then buff off the haze with a soft cloth for shine. A damp cloth should provide dull for hunting. Checkering and engraving: brush with a toothbrush, since a cloth won’t get into the sharp crevices. That’s all there is to it. When taking a weapon into the field, apply another light coat to ensure the wax is performing at its peak. MolyFusion is another product, details after instructions. For bigger items, or items not finished in oil, you can sponge excess bluing with water or steel wool, dry the water off and finish with as above.

KEEPING IT THAT WAY: Consider a clear coat or using the high quality paste carnauba wax, Butchers Wax, etc. before putting your gun away or carrying it. Also get ShooterSolutions' MolyFusion&trad;-based products. Oil floats on water. Wax doesn't. (Car buffs "wax" their car painted outsides: it holds up better than "oiling") A thin coat of wax will protect even from saltwater contact! It is tough enough to stand up to 100º saltwater and even fresh blood. Take a small amount of Automotive paste carnauba wax (a small amount goes a long ways) and buff onto your metal: do not allow automotive carnauba on wood finishes. Allow the wax to haze up and then buff off the haze with a soft cloth for shine. A damp cloth should provide dull for hunting. Checkering and engraving: brush with a toothbrush, since a cloth won't get into the sharp crevices. That's all there is to it. For Professional use, lacquer works great.

HINTS & TIPS (REQUIRED READING):

HINTS & TIPS (REQUIRED READING):

• Heating the metal up luke warm (as with a hair dryer) will speed up the bluing process, and might eliminate needing a metal prep in some cases but may make uniform color NOT possible therefore for a production process where it doesn’t improve the process: some metal doesn’t like “cold” blue. Parts, even long ones may be dipped as opposed to soaking on. If reusing, run the liquid through a coffee or similar filter to clean it. This bluing reacts to high ferrous (iron) metal only. It will not work on aluminum, powdered metals without the mentioned prep, and any surface that can’t rust brown, some alloys without the prep, any electrically inactive metal, contaminated.
• Texture shows: Rough = dull. Scratched = gray; Glass beaded = satin (Like parkerizing) Smooth = shiny Ultra polished, achieved by progressive steps from less polished to super--polished = master blue look.
• Do not use “Break Free” or metal polishes over any gun blue. They remove both metal and bluing. Bluing may be buffed with a piece of fine steel wool to brighten (# 0000) if Nec. Better is Synthetic Steel Wool of final finish is a new tip for finer polish and bluing since Synthetic won’t react to the bluing. Keep in mind the conversion coating while incredibly strong is incredibly thin.
• Also for larger items: the brush can be any brush that works the same as the toothbrush technique: all the way up to a medium bristle driveway broom (bristles on wood) for 4x8 sheets, or a wallpaper brush or snow brush (bristles on plastic like a bigger toothbrush for big outdoor items) – the construction of the brush and short length of bristles not like applying paint being important. (Cut Acid brush for smaller than toothbrush use.) or the spray method (carefully).
• Or for large jobs – note use cold only, you can use a misting sprayer for keeping an area wet for 2-5 minutes of both the metal prep and diluted bluing 1.5:1. Water rinse in between and after especially should be the same time to remove the excess acid to prevent acid salts. A separate set of directions will give the dark brown color on top of the bluing technique: as in a “warm marbled very rustic look or hot-rolled steel look.” These directions supplement bottle directions but don’t take the place of them. There must be a complete and thorough rinse of water between Metal Prep and Bluing for 2-5 minutes not mentioned, or how (overflowing, bottom fed with a clamped garden hose in container of water). Do not contaminate any water-based chemical with any other chemical, even by accident, as in dragging another chemistry, the unwashed part being the vehicle.

Feel free to call.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, an MSDS, TECHNICAL HELP, and to GIVE SUGGESTIONS and FEEDBACK: Call 1 360-354-2022 or e mail: help@shootersolutions.com SEE OTHER SIDE FOR MORE PROUCTS. ShooterSolutions™ Teflon: Dupont.

The Kit is only available in the US - too many items to export - but for bluing by the bottle, Quart, or multiple Quarts (air) call toll-free (US and Canada only) 1-800-350-1537 or check out now or go back to the 5-Piece Kit now.