Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

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TINCANBANDIT
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Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:00 am

1st let me say that I am no expert, I am still learning. As far as I know there is no book or school to teach fixing rusted, pitted guns, so most of this knowledge I picked up by doing it myself.

I began restoring guns nearly 20 years ago after getting my certificate in gunsmithing (although I do not claim to be a gunsmith, more like a gun mechanic :D )

The first few guns I fixed using Birchwood-Casey's cold bluing solution. While the B-C product works and provides good results, it just doesn't compare to Hot Salts bluing.
I chronicled my learning process on my blog : http://tincanbandit.blogspot.com/2013/0 ... shing.html

Her are two guns I restored using the B-C kit
This was a rusty High Standard Supermatic 12 gauge shotgun, I got it for cheap (for obvious reasons) after getting all the rust out and freeing up the action I reblued with the B-C kit.
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Here is another gun I reblued, a Ruger 44 Carbine, I think it turned out pretty good
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I had a buddy of mine build me a bluing tank using the dimensions of the one Brownelles sells, 40 x 6 x 6"
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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:09 am

So now that I had a tank I need the chemicals. Most hot salts bluing recipes call from Ammonium Nitrate, since this is a component in AMFO fertilizer bombs, it is VERY difficult to come by. Fortunately you can use two other nitrates: Sodium Nitrate or Potassium Nitrate. Sodium Nitrate is a very common ingredient used for fertilizers, used in food production (hot dogs, sausages) and pottery. Potassium Nitrate (aka Salt Peter) is an ingredient in black powder. I chose Sodium Nitrate because it is cheaper and easier to find. The second ingredient is Sodium Hydroxide (aka Lye). This used to be easy to find, but since it is an ingredient used by Meth cooks, it has become scarce and people give you a funny look when you ask for it. I buy my stuff from an online chemical supply company (the essential depot.com)

The 1st gun I reblued using this method was a Marlin 1894 Cowboy. The original owner left the gun in the Styrofoam (please for the love of God do NOT leave your gun in Styrofoam!)
Here are the before pictures, you can see there is some deep pitting from the cancer:
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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:10 am

I removed the rust and pits using a file, then moved to sand paper, then a bit of buffing (mainly on the receiver). The barrel received a 600 grit finish, while the receiver is closer to 1200 grit.

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here is the receiver ready for re-blueImage

I then readied my bluing tank, I use a formula involving Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Nitrate and Distilled waterImage

once removed from the bluing tank, I rinsed with clean water, then soaked in oil for 24 hrs
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here are the before and after pictures, looks pretty good, almost as good as new... :-bd

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:13 am

Here are a bunch of before and after pics of guns I have reblued:

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by Waterdog » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:15 am

Very nice!

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by PaneledZero » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:20 am

Pretty cool. Great job!

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:27 am

I have been working on a new project, a very un-loved Ruger Standard (pre-Mark I) from 1951. It was left in the back of a Jeep for years....

here is what it looked like when I got it
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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:31 am

after dis-assembly, I de-greased the gun and used Naval Jelly to remove the rust
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I then used the wire wheel to remove the scale to see what we have to deal with.....it is worse than I thought

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Here is the barrel after some sanding, I think I may need to enlist my dremel on some of this metal, normally I advise not to use power tools, but there is a lot of metal to be removed....
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some more progress
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more updates, I have the pits removed

This is a 600 grit finish
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Here it is after the 1st pass on the buffer, some of the pits will remain (they are too close to the roll marks to remove). Also I plan on sand blasting the top of the barrel/receiver as well as the ring at the front site

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Here is a comparison shot, showing the progress on the barrel
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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:32 am

here is the frame after sanding and a 1st pass on the buffer. The buffing will show all the flaws, I found a few spots where I need to go back and sand out the scratches
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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by to4e440 » Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:36 pm

That ruger looks great by comparison. Good job.
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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by jr1982 » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:30 pm

Very nice work. Some of those guns looked deatined for the scrap pile before you worked your magic.

This might be useful info but I think exploding targets are made from ammonium nitrate and I know some brands of instant cold packs use ammonium nitrate. I don't know what volume you need but if you go the cold pack route you can get it for about 5-6 bucks a pound.

Out of curiosity what is the makeup up your chemical bath? I might wanna try my hand at reblueing some old guns I have.

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:52 pm

jr1982 wrote:Very nice work. Some of those guns looked deatined for the scrap pile before you worked your magic.

This might be useful info but I think exploding targets are made from ammonium nitrate and I know some brands of instant cold packs use ammonium nitrate. I don't know what volume you need but if you go the cold pack route you can get it for about 5-6 bucks a pound.

Out of curiosity what is the makeup up your chemical bath? I might wanna try my hand at reblueing some old guns I have.

the formula is a simple 2-1 ratio (2 pounds Lye per 1 pound of Sodium Nitrate) The balance is distilled water, the more water the longer it will take to get to the proper temp of 270-290 degrees, the amount of water controls the temp.

If the temp gets too hot, the metal will turn red or purple, too cold the bluing might not take or if it does, it will take hours rather than minutes

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Sun Sep 29, 2013 2:56 pm

Ready for the bluing tank

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by elkjinx » Sat Oct 05, 2013 7:16 pm

Nicely done, that ruger looked to be toast!

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:21 am

finished!
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before & after pics
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Last edited by TINCANBANDIT on Fri Jan 03, 2014 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by Mike35760 » Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:18 pm

Very nice... do you do bluing commercially or just your own guns?

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:58 pm

Mike35760 wrote:Very nice... do you do bluing commercially or just your own guns?

no, just my guns and those of friends. I am still learning, If I decide to continue I will probably buy a better set of bluing tanks

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by TINCANBANDIT » Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:01 am

another one finished

another project completed!, This gun started life as a varmit getting at a feed store in downtown Renton sometime in the late teens early 20's, it was retired in the mid 70's and given to the truck driver who delivered feed to local farms. This truck driver was a friend of my Fathers. My Father asked if we could restore the gun, so we took about finding new walnut stocks (to replace the worn out gum wood) and refinishing the steel as well as fixing the mag tube mounts.

See the full write up on my blog here: http://tincanbandit.blogspot.com/2013/0 ... oject.html

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by S.Lee » Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:29 pm

It wonderful to see somebody bring old guns back from the dead. You Sir
are a true Craftsmen.
Guns are a lot like parachutes. If you need one and don't have one, you'll probably never need one again.

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Re: Restoring the finish on a rusted gun *Lots of pics*

Post by Spokane » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:45 pm

Nice work sir.
I would like to refinish a Damascus shotgun my dad has. Maybe someday I can return it to life like you have to these classics.
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