Birchwood Casey Super Blue & Aluminum Black
If you've never used this stuff, you're missing out. I have a few muzzle brakes that have seen better days and really needed refinished so I sandblasted them and used this super blue solution. WOW! I wish I had take before photos because if you've never sandblasted anything (I literally mean with a bag of fine play sand), it almost sparkles in the sun. It looks beautiful but unfortunately, the brakes are not stainless steel and will rust.
This one was actually cut done from a brake that only had ports on the top and created this bizarre reverse recoil and pushed the muzzle WAY down. I chopped the end of it off so I could use it on my 9mm carbine if I wanted and drilled a few holes on the sides. You can see from the deformation on the flat sides that this one has been used and abused but it looks as good as new now.
https://i.imgur.com/U54Z9xW.jpg
A2 flash hider that didn't need refinished but I did it anyway, my FAVORITE brake and a steel Beretta 92FS trigger. The A2 birdcage isn't glossy, it's just covered in oil.
https://i.imgur.com/pO23YVN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/a0iEoWP.jpg
I wish I had more stuff to sandblast and reblue!
Re: Birchwood Casey Super Blue & Aluminum Black
Parts look great!
I've used quite a bit of it and it works well. For larger jobs Brownells Oxpho Blue is superior, I have done entire firearms with it. Neither of them are super durable in the end though and it can be difficult to get all metal to color match even with good prepping methods. So now for restorations I invested in a black oxide set up that smokes all basic cold bluing methods.
https://www.caswellplating.com
If your going to stick to smaller parts then the Cold blue will serve you just fine and it's not worth the time and money. If your thinking about upping your game into bigger projects and not into the Cerakote look then it's your best bet and worth every penny.
Re: Birchwood Casey Super Blue & Aluminum Black
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Hodgie
Parts look great!
I've used quite a bit of it and it works well. For larger jobs Brownells Oxpho Blue is superior, I have done entire firearms with it. Neither of them are super durable in the end though and it can be difficult to get all metal to color match even with good prepping methods. So now for restorations I invested in a black oxide set up that smokes all basic cold bluing methods.
https://www.caswellplating.com
If your going to stick to smaller parts then the Cold blue will serve you just fine and it's not worth the time and money. If your thinking about upping your game into bigger projects and not into the Cerakote look then it's your best bet and worth every penny.
Thanks for the suggestion, man. I will definitely look into it. I do not like cerakote. It's durable but in the end, it's paint. When I had my precious 92FS done, I had to work the action quite a bit to get it as smooth as it was before and the magazine release took some work to get it functioning again. That and the colors of the blue on different materials is so interesting to me. I love Mossberg shotguns because they blue the aluminum receiver and parkerize the barrel and magazine tube. The combination of the grey park finish and deep black receiver look awesome. Same thing with Berettas. The steel slide is darker than the aluminum receiver on my 92A1 that still has the factory finish and I love it. Cerakoted guns? Same color all over. Boring.
Re: Birchwood Casey Super Blue & Aluminum Black
Notice that reddish-brown tinge to bluing caps? That's traces of copper sulphate. Take the green fluff from a lead-acid battery terminal and wipe it on steel, and you'll get a wash of copper deposit. Instant blues work with the very thin deposit of copper and chemistry that turns the copper blue-black. That's the reason the job looks great but doesn't wear well. The blue is not in the steel. It's on it.
A really deep durable blue can be obtained by doing what our soldiers did from the revolutionary war on. This is for parts that are not critical to structural strength....such as fasteners (bolts, screws), sling swivels, barrel bands, and such.
Pour enough diesel fuel or home heating oil into a container deep enough to accommodate the part. Heat the part until it turns red (towards a dull red more than towards a bright red) and dunk it in the oil. Beautiful blue-black results, that is durable.
