Bluing firearms yourself has been attempted for many years, with varied results. Most bluing that will be used at home will be a cold bluing process. In this article we will cover some things to hopefully give the best possible results. We used two different bluing products, both of which are a cold blue. The first one used is Birchwood Casey’s Perma Blue paste. The second product used is Oxpho Blue from Brownell’s. Both products were applied according to instructions and then the barrel was placed on the ground under some Oak leaves for a week to see if any difference in durability would be observed.
Preparing to Blue the Firearm
Before bluing a firearm, the parts need to be polished and degreased. depending on how rough the surface is, start with 220 grit or so and use progressively finer grit until the desired finish is obtained. Take care to not round over any flat parts and be careful to not ruin any of the stamped lettering and numbers. A product like Birchwood Casey’s Blue and Rust Remover can make the process go a little faster. Patience and polishing will accomplish the same thing, it just requires a little more work. After the parts are polished, they can be degreased with alcohol. If there is a small spot on a firearm that just needs touched up, simply applying Oxpho Blue to the spot and burnishing with 4 ought steel wool may be all that is needed. The instructions for Oxpho- Blue state that degreasing is not generally needed for this type of application.
Bluing the Firearm With Perma Blue
To apply Perma Blue paste, place a small amount of the paste on a dauber and rub it onto the firearm, adding bluing as needed to get a smooth even coating. Allow the coating to dry for 30-60 seconds. Wipe off any excess with a clean rag and burnish with 4/0 steel wool. This process is repeated until the desired color and coverage is obtained. The sample in the picture has been done four times. Perma Blue is also made in liquid form and is applied the same way as the paste.
Birchwood Casey recommends limiting exposure of the product to skin. Gloves are recommended.
Bluing the Firearm with Oxpho Blue
Oxpho-Blue is applied in a similar way as Perm-Blue. Brownells recommends dipping a thumb-sized cotton swab in the solution and cover the entire gun. Dip the swab into the solution as often as necessary to keep everything wet. After drying for 60 seconds, the entire firearm should be wiped nearly dry. After the firearm is dry, burnish with steel wool and repeat the process until the desired color and depth is obtained.
Brownells recommends rubber gloves, eye protection, and adequate ventilation.
After bluing was complete, both Perma Blue and Oxpho-Blue had similar results in appearance. The Oxpho-Blue did exhibit a little bit darker blue and has the appearance of being deeper. This is after four applications with each product. The barrel was oiled and set outside under some oak leaves for 7 days to see which product gave the best protection to the barrel steel.
After bringing in the barrel we wiped it down with a rag and a little Break Free CLP. The rust came off easily. After lightly burnishing the barrel with a stainless-steel pad, the remaining bluing can be seen. Both ends of the barrel had bluing remaining. The Perma Blue was noticeably thinner than the Oxpho-Blue and Had more spotting. The following pictures clearly show the difference.
The results of our test show that the Oxpho-Blue was more durable. Applying more coats of bluing would no doubt add to the durability of either product. This test of these two products is consistent with past experience. Both products will blue a firearm or touch up a spot that needs some attention. Both products are reasonably easy to use. In our test, the Oxpho-Blue is somewhat more durable than the than the Perma Blue.
Perma Blue and Oxpho-Blue are both available at Craig’s Outdoor Sports. Craig also offers hot bluing services if you don’t want a do-it yourself home blue.