Cold blue

[Rickster]

Over the last few decades I have studied and practiced the art and chemistry of cold blueing. And I dare say that I have developed a method that only the very astute can tell from an old authentic blue. In the process, I have developed a good eye for recognizing cold blueing.

One time, while at a gunshow, I stopped by a dealer of collectible rifles, all appearing to have near 100% blue. It was obvious to me that they had been cold blued, but I wanted to have some fun and test the seller’s integrity. So I played dumb, and indicating that I was concerned about buying a collectible rifle that might be cold blued, I asked him if he would show me the difference between a rifle that had been cold blued and one that was original, from his rack. His face got hard as he glared and snorted back. “If you don’t know the difference by now……”

So, why didn’t he brag that all his guns had been cold blued? Well, you can bet that dealer has a private stash at home, and none of the guns in that stash are cold blued. He cold blues the rifles he puts out for sale, hoping to trick an unsuspecting buyer into paying more for a rifle than it is worth. He knows cold blueing ruins the value of a collectible firearm. He just doesn’t want the buyer to know it too.

So, what’s wrong with cold blueing? For starters, the chemistries of cold blue and factory blue are completely different. Factory blue is typically a hard and relatively thick layer of blue iron oxide. Cold blue is a thin and soft coating of Selenite. Cold blue does not restore or replicate original blueing. Secondly, if the rifle is cold blued you can be sure that the original blueing was worn badly or worse. Third, collectors want original firearms. Cold blueing a firearm and selling it as if it is original is misrepresentation. If you buy a collectible firearm that has been cold blued, and you paid more that you would have if all the original bluing was gone, then you were robbed. Forth, cold blue doesn’t age gracefully. Over time it will degrade. And not to a nice opaque plum brown patina that some collectors like. Instead, it turns into a filmy brown that is often mottled or striped. It may also develop rust eruptions, like rust pimples. Fifth, cold blue doesnt look right. At its best on a well polished surface, it is shiny black. At its worst, it is a mottled mess of blue and black and brown and yellow and…..

How do you recognize cold blue? Here is a trick. Cold blue is a translucent brown when viewed from an angle. If the piece is well polished, it will look shiny black if viewed from 90 degrees (looking straight at it). But if you look at it from a shallow angle, as if looking along the barrel for instance, it will look lighter, and will have a brownish tinge. If the surface is not highly polished, having been finished with fine grit sand paper for instance, it will have a brownish tinge when looked at from any angle. This is because the valleys formed by the fine scratches cause portions of the surface to always be at an angle to the eye. Other tell tale signs are a striped or patchy appearance that comes from wiping or dabbing the cold blueing solution on the firearm.

There is an exception. Some 22 Rimfire rifles and old shotguns will cold blue very nicely. I have a Marlin 60 that I cold blued 30 years ago. It still looks like new. If you ever see a guy selling cold blue at a gunshow, chances are he will be demonstrating it on an old 22 or shotgun. The reason for the difference is in the type of steel. Modern high pressure steels are alloyed with nickel and chromium that forms passive layer that resists precipitation of Selenite. 22 rimfires and shotguns are commonly constructed of low alloy steel that takes cold blue better.

[nambujim]

This is a fairly accurate description of what you can see with some cold blue aplications but you are now seeing some really good cold blue formulas in then the marketplace and when properly applied you can come quite close to duplicating factory finish on older Remington rifles.

The secret to using cold blue is to read the instructions but if you use one coat and let it go you are going to get exactly what Rickster describes after aging a year or less, even two coats will not age well. Without saying which product I use I will say that I can come very close to the 1920-1950 Remington finish but it requires proper surface preparation and several applications of my preferred cold "rust" blue. It is best if you apply a coat, leave it until it gets a bit sooty, lightly oil & steel wool, and then do it again....and again.........and again!!

The application is not the least bit difficult, the hard thing is to just put it aside and leave it between applications. The results you get will depend on your preparaton of the surface and whether or not you are working with "hardened" steel frames. Certain items on the old guns take cold blue nicely and easily like the magazine tubes on Model 14's can be made to look factory fresh with little effort.

These comments are being made as they pertain to obtaining a good looking blue for the restoration of older/worn rifles and has no bearing on how these guns might be portrayed if put up for sale. When I put a gun up for sale "all original" means it is just that and has not been messed with except for being properly cleaned/oiled/maintained over the years.

[stanforth]

My guns are just that...MY guns. I do not sell anymore and they will be with me while I still have a pulse. They are listed so that my family can sell them at the appropriate time. That list explains any work I have done on them.
As I shoot or have shot every gun I own I like them to be presentable. Guns that are of special value such as my Colt Patterson are left strictly as acquired as are guns with any apreciable original finish. Other are restored for my pleasure as I enjoy taking an 'old nail' and turning it into something that I am proud of.
My maxim is 'use no abraisive stronger thjat 000 wire wool' and no power tools.