removing bluing- K frame hammer, trigger

Smith & Hammer

Smith & Hammer

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like my title says. recently picked up a 15-1 for a good price but someone blued the hammer and trigger. I can't tell but I suspect that maybe the gun was re-blued at some point.
what's the best solution for removing bluing, in this case just the trigger and hammer.

Bryce
 
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Engine49guy said:
If you want them shiney a metal polish like Flitz moves blueing,
If you want them back to original case color probably cheaper easier to replace them
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Yeah, I was hoping to get the original look. I've heard you can soak them in an acidic soak like vinegar or something else. Any thoughts?


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Birchwood Casey Blue & Rust Remover. I believe it's a phosphoric acid based product.
I have no idea what it might do to any case color under the blue, and for that matter, I have some doubts any case color remains, because bluing is not an applied coating like paint, but rather is an oxidation process on the surface of the steel, just as is the case coloring.
Thinking out loud, bluing is very, very thin, whereas case hardening can run .004"-.007" deep into the steel. Maybe you will luck out and reveal it stripping the blue off.
If you don't like what you have, then you don't have much to lose spending about $7 for the Birchwood product and seeing what happens.
 
Navel Jelly as well as Evap-o-rust are also effective at removing blueing. I assume you plan on removing from the gun. Just soak in a small plastic container and rinse when done.

Rosewood
 
Smith & Hammer said:
Yeah, I was hoping to get the original look. I've heard you can soak them in an acidic soak like vinegar or something else. Any thoughts?


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Click to expand...

Vinegar will work just fine. Don't need a Birchwood Casey specific blue remover.
Immerse them in ketchup will do as well. It has vinegar in it.

The blue will be gone, so will any Case Color that may have been there. But I doubt there was anything there when they were blued.

They should still be Case Hardened unless someone polished the surfaces excessively in removing the colors or perhaps some pitting & rust.
 
There's case hardening and COLOR case hardening.
Case hardening gives the surface a thin glass hard "crust" to prevent wear. It's invisible.

Color case hardening gives the hard surface, but also the mottled colors, which are decorative.

Ordinary sunlight will fade color hardening, and so will bluing, cold bluing, and any method of removing bluing.
The only was to get it back is to have the parts re-color cased.
It's sort of possible to give a fake look by applying blotches of cold blue, but it usually doesn't look very good and doesn't wear well.
 
dfariswheel said:
There's case hardening and COLOR case hardening.

Case hardening gives the surface a thin glass hard "crust" to prevent wear. It's invisible.



Color case hardening gives the hard surface, but also the mottled colors, which are decorative.



Ordinary sunlight will fade color hardening, and so will bluing, cold bluing, and any method of removing bluing.

The only was to get it back is to have the parts re-color cased.

It's sort of possible to give a fake look by applying blotches of cold blue, but it usually doesn't look very good and doesn't wear well.
Click to expand...
Good to know. This is a shooter grade gun, it's become my "let's see if this works". Before doing anything more serious.

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steelslaver said:
Once the blue is gone takw a Qtip dap it in mustard and dap the hammer and trigger surfaces and when wait a day or so then wash it off. It will give them a blotched up look, No great colors though.
Click to expand...
Now I've heard everything, that is so strange that I'm going to try it. I have everything here at home.
Thanks for the "tip".


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walter o said:
Toilet bowl cleaner works wonderful to remove bluing ,and won't attack the metal if rinsed off quickly and oiled...
Click to expand...
I wasn't going to mention that, but a former coworker cleaned his Mossberg 500 barrel with "The Works", because that was all he had at home. :rolleyes:

It took the bluing right off! :eek:
 
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If the revolver has been reblued, just leave the trigger and hammer as-is. The blueing will at least provide a little corrosion protection for the hammer and trigger.
 
I find that using materials that are made for a specific purpose are always the best bet. Bluing is rust so rust removers remove bluing. Triggers and hammers are seldom polished steel and most factory original parts are matte finish. Sometimes, people polish these pieces before bluing, so I am thinking that if stripped by some of these home remedies the steel may remain polished?

The best products I have used for this purpose are Naval Jelly or Metal Rescue. For hammers and triggers, once stripped, are submerged in the material for 1 to 2 days, and maybe longer on highly polished steel. These materials will eventually give the parts that original matte look, since they finely etch the steel if left in the liquid long enough.

Using an artist airbrush, you can spray on rust bluing solution and bluing in very small patterns, so you can get the look of color case hardening. Experiment on a piece of scrap steel.
 
The Bolt, Trigger and 2 of the 3 frame pins are Case Colored.
But they are done using an artificial process.

It is one I came up with quite a long time ago. It holds up well and I use it on occassion on small parts such as this.
Quick and easy to do.

 
I’d just replace them.

They are all over eBay and you will be able to get exactly what you want, i.e. smooth trigger, etc…

Almost always just a drop-in.
 
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