bluing remove some or all
 

I want to rebule my 1916 Luger- It has about 20% original finish. I have never rebuled a gun before. Some places on the gun, the finish if perfect. I will be rust bluing the entire gun. Can I leave some of the original bluing on, or do I have to remove it all?

Remove it all
 

I would remove it all and prep the surface with 220 grit. This lets the rust blue formula get at the metal and would IMHO result in an even color. If you use Pilkingtons or some other commercially available formula, it will result in a different color than the original.

Re: bluing remove some or all
 

t (is that a nickname?) Welcome to the forum! Normally I'd say, leave the orginal finish alone, but 20% is pretty bad and sounds like a good canidate for playin' around and learning...


Ed

Was planning on using Pilkingtons. Can I add something to this mixture to create an original color. Speaking of original color, this gun is 90 years old and the bluing that is visable can not be its original color from 90 years ago. How would you ever be able to determin the original color.