Gun blueing advice

I have an old Dan Wesson needing some touch ups, the finish is closer to black than blue…suggestions appreciated
thanks
capt jack

Spot touchups, at least the ones I've tried have not come out all that well. The bluing I have tried has never really matched and sometimes actually makes the gun look worse. Most of my guns are in excellent condition and don't really need touch ups but there are a few that have a little bluing loss at the muzzle and I have tried spot touch ups - when the bluing wears off (and it usually does), I just leave it alone.

If your Dan Wesson does not have a traditional blued finish (more black than blue), you might call them and ask what to use. There might actually be a paint that works better than bluing. Black might be easier to work with as far as spot touch ups go. Let us know how you make out - like to see before and after pic's.

Brownell's Dicrophan T4 is a cold "blue" that's actually a Black in color.
This is a much closer match for modern gun bluing color.

It's also one of the most durable cold blues I ever tried.

The finish of the metal to be blued needs to be the same. We usually use steel wool and it makes the metal smoother or shinier. Try and match up the texture as well as possible. Oxphoblue and Dicropan are my go tos and dont leave that white residue.

Try calling CZ,they own Dan Wesson last I heard. They may be willing to steer you in the right direction.
I have 3 revolvers from the 70's and the bluing they came in had always, at least in my opinion, rated right at the top with Colt's royal blue.

That's my story...and I'm sticking to it.

if you have an older 15-2 what you have is a finish that Colt used throughout it's history as a "premium blue" or what many old timers called "liquid" blue. That is a cyanide based hot bluing process and I believe that Ford's still offers this type of bluing. Problem is that I've seen posts that the turnaround at Fords can stretch into years.

If you want a much simpler and very effective process you can do the final stage of Rust Bling the gun by boiling it in water. You could also purchase a Rust bluing kit and add a layer of rust bluing on top of the current finish. Mark Novak has a video on Rust Bluing that is well worth the time to watch it.

Note, if you want to keep it really simple just boiling the gun will provide a real improvement to the current finish without a huge amount of cost. Just be aware that you will have to remove every single part including the barrel and shroud to get down to a tray of independent parts. having taken my 15-2 completely apart I can tell you it's not that difficult but you absolutely need to take pictures of the action before you start removing parts and you want a picture of the action at each individual removal step. As for tools for barrel removal in a DW revolver they may be available on the current Dan Wesson web site and I know that they are available on Ebay.

The first thing to do after getting all the parts out of the frame is to wash the oil off the parts. I like to use Acetone for this because it will clean out the oil and a cheap toothbrush will hold up to Acetone for 10-20 minutes of scrubbing. For the actual conversion of red rust into black oxide that is done by boiling and a large pot and you'll want to keep that boil going for about 1 hour. After boiling let the small blued parts dry in a strainer and hang items like the frame up on hanger wire to dry. Then take another cheap toothbush and use that to clean any "dust" off the surfaces. Technically you should be "carding" the finish with a very fine wire bronze carding brush but those are exceedingly difficult to find now that Brownell's is getting out of the gunsmith supply business. If you insist on trying what they sell now be aware that Stainless Steel bristles are much much more abrasive than bronze so tread very lightly with this brush. If you find that you still have some red rust after the first boil then do another.

Final note, watch that Mark Novak video on Rust Bluing. IMO Rust Bluing is actually the most durable finish you can use on a firearm. The only reason it's not used today is the cost, it takes a lot of time to build up a first class 7 layer rust blued finish and in manufacturing Time is Money.

Rust bluing is a topic unto itself. There have been all sorts of rusting solutions proposed and used from saltwater to urine and in some cases rusting was done by Mother Nature, but that is a really slow way to do it. I have seen acid fumes used as a rusting agent. It is laborious procedure to perform, but it does work well and looks good. I noted in another forum question response that Winchester did rust bluing for their guns until the 1930s. Some of the older gunsmithing books have chapters on how rust bluing and browning are done. I have thought about doing some experimentation on rust bluing. But I never worked up enough enthusiasm to actually do anything.

Brownells also sells the Dicropan (sp?) solution. It's a commercial steel blacking solution. Ain't cheap but i've got a couple of rifle barrels I used it on after rebarreling and it looks/wears great. T4 is certainly more economical.

A very clean surface is necessary. Use a couple of different solvents. Brake cleaner, acetone, denatured alcohol are some I have used. Dawn dish washing detergent is a good final clean.
As said above the surfaces must match. I am always surprised at the low polish on very nicely blued guns. A 1500 grit finish will almost not take the bluing. Some where between 240 grit and 400 grit is about right. But it has to match the rest of the gun. Polish in one direction, so all the “scratches” line up.

I have use Vans. It is more blue than black.

Jaco1234 said:

A very clean surface is necessary. Use a couple of different solvents. Brake cleaner, acetone, denatured alcohol are some I have used. Dawn dish washing detergent is a good final clean.
As said above the surfaces must match. I am always surprised at the low polish on very nicely blued guns. A 1500 grit finish will almost not take the bluing. Some where between 240 grit and 400 grit is about right. But it has to match the rest of the gun. Polish in one direction, so all the “scratches” line up.
I have use Vans. It is more blue than black.

Click to expand...

MEK makes a most excellent degreasing solvent prior to bluing. Just wipe down using paper towels dampened with MEK. For polishing on flat surfaces, 800 grit cloth wrapped around a flat file works very well.

I appreciate all the replies but I have done a lot of bluing very familiar with the process I was looking for recommendation on product to give me more black than blue
I did order Brownell's Dicrophan T4
Thanks again

A major advantage of Dicrophan T4 is unlike most other cold blues it won't start to puddle on the surface after an application or two.

After applying and flushing with hot water, I give it a spray with 91% or denatured alcohol to insure a clean surface, dry with a hair dryer to dry and warm slightly and apply again.
I've put on as many as 8 coats this way.
Years ago I blued a Marlin 39-A trigger this way, and years later the finish is still perfect and unworn after a lot of use.

Another trick is to pour a little T4 in a cap and apply with a small brush.
This prevents contaminating the bottle and seems to give better, non-streak coverage.
Pitch whatever T4 isn't used.

Thank you for those comments That's a process I have not done but I will incorporate big help thanks again

dfariswheel said:

A major advantage of Dicrophan T4 is unlike most other cold blues it won't start to puddle on the surface after an application or two.

After applying and flushing with hot water, I give it a spray with 91% or denatured alcohol to insure a clean surface, dry with a hair dryer to dry and warm slightly and apply again.
I've put on as many as 8 coats this way.
Years ago I blued a Marlin 39-A trigger this way, and years later the finish is still perfect and unworn after a lot of use.

Another trick is to pour a little T4 in a cap and apply with a small brush.
This prevents contaminating the bottle and seems to give better, non-streak coverage.
Pitch whatever T4 isn't used.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice here.

The new Brownells site is awful and the product is “Dicropan”. I mention this only because it took some convolutions to find anything other than a 12-bottle sample pack.