Remington 1100

[coffeecup]

Hello All,
My question or comment isnt really so much about a 1100 but more about re-bluing the metal. I've seen what I believe to be bluing kits on store shelves , but have never paid attention to them.
Can I successfully transform an unrusted ( decent ) barrel into a nice looking one by doing the bluing myself?.. thanks..

 

[Honeybee]

Short simple answer.....Sorry there isn't one

With a little patience and time you can put a nice black finish on your shotgun without the hot dip tanks.

Cold bluing is a misnomer...you still need heat to make it work right but a hair dryer or heat gun will do the trick. Sometimes just doing it outside on a hot sunny day will do it if you want to wait till next summer. The chemicals are totally different though.

Cold bluing chemicals are mostly copper based and what you are doing is applying a false blackened copper coating to the surface of your metal.
(40 thin light coats are better than 1 or 2 heavy coats)

Hot dip bluing is Sodium based and actually turns the metal blue without leaving a chemical coating on the metal which can wash/rub off. It is however much more dangerous and should never be be tried at home. (even if you could afford the equipment)

however in either case the beauty of the final surface will depend on the amount of time you spend polishing and cleaning the metal. Even though it may not be rusty, if it is not polished, it will not shine or repel rust after it is blued.

It is not uncommon for me to spend many hours or even days prepairing a gun for a hot dipping operation. The time in the hot chemicals is less than 1/2hour but if it's not preped right it will look no better than a paint job.

There is no harm in doing the job yourself at home and then if you don't like it you can go ahead and have it redone because taking off a cold blue finish only takes a couple of minutes and does no harm to the metal.

If you don't know how to polish your metal before you begin then I suggest getting some 1000 grit, 1500 grit and 2000 grit sandpaper and use those to polish the metal with. If you want a mirror shine after that you can use a felt or cloth wheel with a metal polish on it. be sure to use the sandpaper first though because it will save you hours of frustration trying to get a polish on a porus surface.

NOTE:
If 1000 grit paper is not coarse enough to smooth out your metal then please have a professional do it.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[coffeecup]

Tons of Info.... ..thanks..

This is Why I think I'm gonna Really like this site. The Voice of Experience is going to be Real Helpful..