Re-bluing Pietta

[garandman]

I had to open up the rear sight on my 1858 Pietta Sheriff's Model. Using a triangular file, I opened up the V-notch.

Now I gotta re-blue it. I pickep up some Birchwood Casey PermaBlue paste gun blue. After four treatments, the metal seems only a slight tinge darker than bare metal.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Farmerted]

I've used the paste myself. It looks more like "Parkerizing" to me when it's done and not so much like bluing. The liquid stuff seems to look more like bluing , but lacks the thickness (for lack of a better word) that the original bluing had. I'm in the same boat as you I guess.

 

[Zonie]

I agree with Farmerfred. The liquid Perma Blue works very nicely.

All of the cold bluing methods require the metal to be absolutely oil and wax free so you may find that cleaning the area with MEK, acetone, lacquer thinner, Disk Brake cleaner or denatured alcohol will help.
In a pinch even rubbing alcohol is better than nothing.

After applying several coats and washing the area with water, dry it off and apply a coat of a good gun oil.
That will usually darken the surface.

 

[necchi]

Yup, like Zonie said clean an oil free is the key,,

But for a small area like that I use a Sharpie Black Perminant Marker, :idunno:

 

[cynthialee]

I didn't know about the greese free requirement. That now makes sense as to why I have had really good blueing with parts I have hit with some CLR then rinsed in alcohol than I did with the pieces I just cleaned up and then blued.

 

[mb3]

Make sure there is no oil on the metal, as others have said. I have used rubbing alcohol and Gun Scrubber in the past and they both worked well as a de- greaser. Make sure you wear rubber or vinyl gloves to keep your body oil off the gun. MEK and Acetone also work well but, personally try to avoid using them when possible. Apply your bluing solution, burnish with clean steel wool, and repeat. Keep doing this until you get your desired color. Two observations: I don’t think you will ever get to the blue/ black of the original color with cold blue. The Pieta bluing is very dark. Secondly, I personally have not had much luck with Perma Blue; it never gets dark enough for me. I use Oxpho Blue and get better results.

 

[necchi]

"have not had much luck with Perma Blue; it never gets dark enough for me. I use Oxpho Blue and get better results. "

That's true, I haven't had much luck with any of the cold or touch-up bluing on the market.
If i'm serious about wanting a decent blue on a blued repair job,
I use Laurel Mtn Forge and follow the rust blue procedure, basiaclly rust brown then drop the part in boiling distilled water,,
It's perminant.
A link to the Instructions are up top in the sticky's

 

[LRB]

The steel does not need to be perfectly clean with Brownell's Oxpho Blue, but no cold blue will perfectly match hot blue.