How much to reblue?
 

Just looking for an estimate on what it would cost to clean up and reblue a Luger? Not a restoration. I talked to my local gun shop, and the guy thought that their gun smith was charging around $150 for a reblue job. Oh, and it would be on a shooter, nothing original and rare.

Pat,

Does he rust blue? Or salt blue? Ask for examples of his work first. Just because someone knows how to blue a gun, doesn't mean that they are good at it.

If he uses a buffing wheel, find another source.

Ron

about $145 for a standard blue here.....

Pat, Ron is more than correct...Talk to the smith directly. Make it be known that NO buffing be allowed. Like Ron says ask for examples of his bluing work. Bluing is guite variable. Bluint to one smith is different to another.

Jerry Burney

So what is the preferred method of cleaning and preparation if one is to avoid buffing ? glass bead blasting or similar ?

Chris,

The preferred method is light draw filing (if required) and hand work with fine grit sand paper wrapped tightly around dowels or some type of mandrel with the correct conture. Small files wrapped tightly with fine sand paper ( used "worn-out" 220-240 grit) work well so long as no teeth are exposed while maintaining contures, angles and sharp edges.

Also being sure that it is taken down to fresh metal, if possible, without going too far. Knowing how to follow the grain of the metal can be important.

It's a pains taking process, when done correctly. Buffing wheels round off the edges, wallow out or obliterate proof marks, and just muck the gun up in general. The lazy mans way of refinishing.

Ron

Ron, Wouldn't a chemical strip work?

Jerry Burney

Not Ron, but my .02 cents worth, first chem strips leave a "wash" to the metal and without additional metal prep, it will not blue well....I take a small bit of offence to Ron's statement of a lazy mans way of refinishing, but I know he meant none, but some customers want the $99 just dip it job and some are more drawn to their collection and want it perfect and are willing to pay for it, what I am try to say as a full time gun smith is some folk to not want to put the money into some meaningless non descript gun, and with some folks the sky is the limit......don't blame the gun smith for what someone wanted

Ron , I know what you mean about buffing , I have seen heavily buffed and re-blued Lugers and other guns and they look "orrible" . I can see that all that hand work may be necessary if the finish is pitted or marred in some way but if basically good and simply needs re-blueing or refinishing is there a quicker more efficent way ?

The reason I ask is I have just ordered a Russian capture P38 that looks good and all original except for the Re -blue . so I'm thinking of stripping it and restoring the original finish . Not sure if it was rust-blued or parkerised . I am still leaning toward glass bead blasting or Vaqua blasting , as we use it in the motorcycle restoration industry and it is non aggressive and takes the article back to clean bare metal.

Has anyone tried it on guns ?
I don't mind a little pitting if thats the way it came , preserves the character and originality of the gun . guess it depends on what sort of restoration your doing and the end result your looking for .

Chris,

Bead blasting is used on guns quite often. If done correctly with fine beads and polished with a fine carding wheel. I've seen guns done in this manner that appear to have a high quality rust blue.

The gunsmith, Ron Lynaugh, that I learned from later specialized in this type of finish. His work was in high demand.

Robert G "Bob" West who was P.O. Ackley's assistant for many years, built $2000-$3000+ custom rifles. Bob had Ron bead blast and blue all of his high dollar customs.

Russian "DIP" can be removed with 0000 steel wool and a good oil. It's not a very resilient finish. Just a hot dipped (very weak salt blue) coating over the original blue. Wrap steel wool around a Q-Tip for corners, etc.

Howard,

I was taught to never use a buffing wheel except for a very few select applications. It didn't matter what gun he was re-bluing. Everything was done by hand with expedient technics. If it was an inexpensive gun, he still took pride in it's outcome. He would just cut corners where he thought appropriate. He would quote the customer his price or tell them in all honesty that it was or wasn't worth refinishing.

Ron

Thanks Ron . That's most helpful . I might just get lucky and find the original finish underneath ! What's a Q-Tip by the way ? We have different
terminologies for tools out here .

Chris,

Q-Tip's (actually a brand name that has become a generic term) are what we call the little sticks with cotton(wool) swabs on each end. Like the type that are used to clean babies noses and ears.

Ron

Ron, thanks for info, 127 bluing jobs in 2007, very few were willing to pay for such extensive hand work, 0=complaints.......I like the cotton swab that's on a 5" or so wood stick with cotton applied to one end, you can really reach into far corners of chambers and the like.....looking for someone to take this over in a few years, Ron the job can be yours, you just need to move down to this hot dry desert.....

Howard,

Must be a lot more blue worn guns there than here. I'm going to start doing rust bluing as soon as my shop is complete. Don't need the hazards of salt bluing , but will probably do some now and then. I have all of Ron's salt bluing equipment.

He died of lung and liver cancer, suspected to be caused by inhaling the salts for all of those years. I have seen him come out of his shop with salt crystals hanging from his eyebrows and his glasses coated like frost.

Ron this is a strickle outside job, and the daily afternoon breeze can play hell with flame control, sadly the LA fire's of last year, have produced an abundance of water/fire damaged guns, and I have been getting my share to re-blue.

Howard,

When I get my shop done. It will have two large industrial exhaust fans. I'm not taking any chances. My friend Ron had a special room at the back of his shop for bluing with nothing but a small window. He would often be in there for hours.

I had forgotten about all of the fires and fire damage. Makes sense that there would be a bunch.

Ron

I have a Dr./friend/customer who for years has brought me work from the So. Calif. hill country, and continues to do so. Bluing is dangerous as you know.....good luck in your endeavor

Ron , what sort of "good oil" were you thinking about . I usually use kerosene for cutting and polishing metal parts ?

Chris,

About any gun oil will work. Kerosene might work. The trick is to just rub lightly with the steel wool, and wipe it down with paper towel. Checking periodically to see if the residue is coming off on the towel. Once it no longer shows on the towel you've got it.

don't get too heavy handed or you could damage the original finsh below.

Ron