What are you using it for? If you are using it for anything more than just "touch up" don't waste your time. Bottom line is that all wipe on bluing products suck.
How brave are you? Years ago I blued guns with a solution of water, Ammonium nitrate and lye. after more than a few years and the finish is still a pretty dark lustrous blue. Be aware of the dangers of using this type of hot bath and am equipped to safely handle the parts and chemicals with gloves and eye protection. Heres the formula utilizing Ammonium nitrate that you can get at a fertilizer store...if you want top results take your time prepping and during the process..you should do it outdoors in an area protected from wind so you have no fume or fire hazard..I do it on a old Coleman camp stove
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Basic Formula
5 pounds lye
2 1/2 pounds ammonium nitrate
per gallon of water
Heat mixture until working temperature 285-295 degrees, soak 15-40 minutes depending on the hardness of the steel.
after removing parts from solution remove and dip into pot of very hot water to rinse...then let dry from evaporation..then a lil pan of cheap motor oil
Well prepared (polished and cleaned) parts will come out with a durable black finish that can take a wire brush test without damage.
IMPORTANT!: Have lots of ventilation when adding the ammonium nitrate as there are a lot of ammonia fumes.
NOTE: This Will eat solder or lead so know what you the parts you are planning to blue are made of.
If you attempt this YOU DO THIS at YOUR own risk!!! I had no trouble but theres lots of info how to do this in many places...read as much as possible before attempting until you are confident with being able to perform the process
After over 30 years of professional gunsmithing and in shop bluing with several thousand dollars invested in the necessary professional equipment, I have tried just about every type of home bluing solutions available to the home user and can say without doubt that none of them do anything close to a professional hot tank bluing job, even when the metal was prepped as I would do on a hot tank bluing job. The color and finished job is uneven and splotchy at best, and several brands of the stuff actually caused more rust after the job was done. These small bottles and tubes of cold bluing are not the same chemicals used in the hot tank process and are designed for very minor touch up of the little nicks and dings on the ribs and wear spots from holsters, etc.
The amount of equipment necessary to prep the metal properly such as buffers, wheels, a variety of polishing compounds, and especially the skill necessary to properly polish the metal isn't something the amateur gunsmith can usually do at home.
Any gun worth restoring is worth restoring properly so let the professional do the job for you. It will result in a far better job done, and a lot less wasted time and energy on your part.
Pretty much what Rich said - cold blues are for touch-up. Don't try to make them do more.
Rust bluing can be done at home, but it is time consuming for the small-job hobbiest. Don't jump in with both feet. Practice on some small or insignificant parts because as simple as the process is, it can be screwed up royaly.
And careful surface preparation is the biggest part of it.
Do a search for "Black Oxide" close to you. A lot of companys do industrial oxide and do a side service blackening guns. But it is black not blue, Which on a good polished barrel looks better to me than blue. Cost is relative. Cold blue products usually make a big mess of a small job.
Cold blue can look good...... until you start handling the gun. It will rub off. I have tried lots of them. Oxpho-blue is good, but still, it won't hold up to use. I have found that if the part is not bead blasted it doesn't work well at all. Then heat the part in an oven and apply the blue till it cools. rub it down with oil. Will still rub off. How can anyone believe cold blue will hold up where hot blue rubbed off?
Steve Fischer is completely right. Some will make a rusty mess if you don't keep it cleaned up with oil for a week. 44/40 is the worst for this that I have used.
Mel Doyle's Gun Shop,208-686-1006,has done two (model 12 and 90t)for me.Both were back in a week,very reasonable and beautiful job.Been at it 40 yrs,guarantees 24 hr. turnaround.Call him you won't be dissappointed.
Glenrock is probably abt the best there is, and their prices are stunningly reasonable.
What Steve said:
I have restored/reconditioned a lot of old guns: rust bluing and browning. You can do it, buuuut ... it takes cleanliness, space, equipment, time, cleanliness, chemicals, distilled water, cleanliness, time, cleanliness.
Johnny, 44/40 is the very best quick & dirty browner (I've never gone to blue with it) I have ever used. If you rinse it with dilute soda, it helps, but the very best final coating and rust-kill is beeswax.
Google slow rust bluing. It's an easy technique that anyone can do at home. Only have to get the parts polished down to 220 grit. If you have enough moxie to reload shells and not blow you face off, you have the skills to slow rust blue. Everything needed can be had for under $100.
Problem is now days their is so much cheap metal in these guns that you better be sure you know damn well what you got before you stick it in the hot bluing tank. A little bit of pot metal or aluminium and poof its gone. I know one guy he was smart enough to do on his own with only a little expert hearsay that lost his aluminium rib instantly. Moral is don't try it without professional guidance.
As far as metal prepping you need to know what you are doing there. You are not going to get a desired finish on some little 6" buff wheel and a little 1/2 horse motor with out hours of rubbing. I have been a professional metal finisher for the medical device industry for 45yrs. Believe me if you don't have the right equipment you are going to be dissapointed after the hard work. Wild Bill
Rust bluing, I've done it at home with good results. Now, if I have a rifle or shotgun that I'm really fond of there's a gunsmith 3 miles to my south with a complete bluing set-up that gets the piece......
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