Question about re-bluing a firearm

[Broadside]

Greetings,

Please forgive me if this question does not make sense. I have a very limited understanding for bluing or re-bluing a firearm.

It is my understanding that before you can do a good hot re-blue (as opposed to cold re-blue?) of a firearm, you have to first strip off the old bluing and you may need to re-polish the metal. I assume that this process would inevitably remove some metal.

So, is there a limit to the number of times you can successfully re-blue a firearm?

Thank you.

 

[john traveler]

Prepratory polishing is the whole key to a quality bluing job.

Bluing only colors the metal. It is the quality and attention to detail in polishing that determines the quality of the rebluing job.

As for your question on the limit of how many times a gun can be refinished, that is determined by the skill of the polisher, the amount and depth of remaining rollmarks and stampings, and whether re-marking is an option. Excessive buffing and polishing of course, will degrade the original factory markings and sharp edges.

Genuine factory refinishing is usually best if you want a gun restored to "factory new". Close behind that is the small number of name-brand restoration services that can make a used gun look like new.

 

[Broadside]

john, thank you very much for your reply.

Is polishing necessary for all re-bluing, or can you get a satisfactory matt re-blue by just stripping off the old bluing?

 

[dfariswheel]

In addition to actual polishing, you can get a matte re-blue by bead blasting the metal to remove the old bluing.
Depending on the blasting media used and on the air pressure of the blaster, you can get anything from a satin frosty blue to a dead-flat black.

Re-finishers also offer "brushed finish" processing which leaves a satin blue finish.

Most of the good re-finisher services offer the full range of options with the price varying according to the level of finish desired.
All of these methods do remove minute amounts of metal, with the most removal caused by ham-handed semi-amateurs who don't have the skills of more professional people.
It's easy to spot these jobs by looking UNDER the bluing at the condition of the metal.
A bad polish or prep will leave ripples in the flats of the gun, dished-out areas around holes, rounded off corners and edges that should be sharply defined, and lettering thinned.
The actual bluing may be nice and shiny and a dark blue/black, but the gun looks like crap to any knowledgeable gun person.

In gun bluing you get exactly what you pay for. These days, you can have good bluing, or you can have cheap bluing. You can't get both.
The people who can do good bluing don't work for minimum wage.

 

[Pisgah]

Proper polishing is a must for the best result, regardless of the type of reblue you are getting. Even with cold bluing, you can get eye-popping results with a good polish and complete degreasing before applying the blue. Even though most cold blues will claim you can refinish without much of anything in the way of prep work, you'll end up with more of a cover-up than a refinish.

Now, how much polishing is "proper" depends on what type of finish you want. Duplicating the old S&W or Colt blue will require a perfect mirror polish. A matte finish will not need quite so fine a polish, but it still needs to be done evenly and thoroughly.

The finest home-refinish I ever did was a well-worn Model 36 which I polished and nitre-blued. I gave it to my daughter as a college-graduation present -- but that's the ONLY person (except, maybe, her brother) that I'd have given it away to! It has a smooth brushed finish that is the deepest, richest, most dense blue-black you ever laid eyes on.