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Rust blue made easy

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  mtdew 
#1 ·
I re-build and re-assemble east german rifles ( ak variants) I found a formula that cheap and real easy no metal boiling tanks or caustic chemicals all you need is a deep Tupperware plastic bowl and a narrow black window flower pot 36' as sold by home depot in the garden department. the window planter may have holes not cut all the way so some tub chaulk seal them up.
I use Laurel Mountain forge "Barrel brown & degreaser" I know barrel brown! but when used with distilled water it turns BLACK Laurel Mountain Forge

follow the instructions
Laurel Mountain Forge: Barrel Brown & Degreaser Instructions

prep is easy too nothing special is required, I clean the metal with fine sandpaper and then fine steel wool then a acetone bath. dry then ready the metal small parts are coated with a cotton rag and cotton swabs ( ear) if in a humid area let dry 3-6 hours I prefer longer (even here in florida) once the metal displays a rust coating I soak in boiling distilled water

after the first coat with a old toothbrush I wipe of the excess material and hit with a warm wet rag ( you will get black on your hands) this is called carding

I let this sit a few hours, then repeat the process 3-4 times
 

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#2 ·
once you have a uniform surface and the desired color and coverage I steel wool with warm water and warm rags. if you feel you need more depth go one more round. and repeat. once you are satisfied place the parts in boiling distilled water with baking soda this stops the rust blue process. I then pour boiling hot distilled water over the parts and air dry or assist with the wifes old hair dryer

once dry out comes the oil I prefer break free and/or 3 in 1 I soak the parts and I let this sit over night
 

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#3 ·
picture 1 here is the whole rifle before the rust bluing process, and 2nd picture is a comparison of a previous ak-74 in 223 again with east german parts and the 3rd picture after I finished and assembled the final product

I will have another thread on building ( yes building) the wieger / stg 940, a ten year process using east german parts & 922 comp parts & American parts
 

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#4 ·
I want to add that I found this process on another site, I wish I could remember the site and the original person who turned me on to this process he deserves all the credit

feel free to ask any questions, if done right this stuff is BEAUTIFUL, I will also use this process on my STG 57 project gun/build receiver

you can also brown rifles/pistol to look old

if you decide to rust blue using laurel mountain forge YOU MUST USE DISITLLED WATER, the use of tap water will be browning
 
#7 ·
DEFINITELY!!!!! Nice to see some building/finishing related info. Great job Sprat. Thanks for posting that.
 
#8 ·
Been using Van's of late. Gun Bluing Made Easy With Van's Instant Gun Blue! I really like it. Blast, degrease, soak in solution 3 minutes, rinse in water about a minute, dry with blow dryer, soak in oil a few hours. Wipe off with dry soft cloth. Some black will come off at this point so I wear rubber gloves. This gun was done a month or so back and it seems to be wearing well and no rust is showing up. I may try Sprats solution next time. Always looking for what works best! BTW, if your parking doesn't turn out as black as you would have preferred, you can dip the parts in Van's, rinse, dry, oil and it comes out darn good. I did this on my tantal as my park solution was getting pretty weak. I'll post pics of it soon.
 

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