Scratch in blueing - suggestions?

[Vintovka]

I have a German mak with a minty original finish (very dark, nearly black, blued carbon-steel) with one flaw: a small but noticeable scratch on the slide (and no, it was there when I bought it ). Normally I would not consider messing with the original finish on a collector piece, and I may well not do so with this one either. However, if it's possible, I'd like to find a way to lay down a tiny amount of cold bluing within the scratch to both darken the metal and to reduce the risk of rust (I know, oil should suffice, but still...)

I've attempted this before on a "beater" gun, with awful results. I've tried a Birchwood Casey pen, paint-on cold blue solution, and the good old Sharpie. In every case, I end up with a nasty mess on the finish surrounding the scratch, and if I remove that, the finish in the scratch comes off as well.

Am I just not doing a fine enough job of (somehow) limiting the solution to the interior of the scratch, or is there just no good way to fix a scratch short of a complete refinishing job?

TIA

 

[stoneypete]

I have a German mak with a minty original finish (very dark, nearly black, blued carbon-steel) with one flaw: a small but noticeable scratch on the slide (and no, it was there when I bought it ). Normally I would not consider messing with the original finish on a collector piece, and I may well not do so with this one either. However, if it's possible, I'd like to find a way to lay down a tiny amount of cold bluing within the scratch to both darken the metal and to reduce the risk of rust (I know, oil should suffice, but still...)

I've attempted this before on a "beater" gun, with awful results. I've tried a Birchwood Casey pen, paint-on cold blue solution, and the good old Sharpie. In every case, I end up with a nasty mess on the finish surrounding the scratch, and if I remove that, the finish in the scratch comes off as well.

Am I just not doing a fine enough job of (somehow) limiting the solution to the interior of the scratch, or is there just no good way to fix a scratch short of a complete refinishing job?

TIA

You bought the gun with the flaw and accepted it for what it was. If you mess with it and make it worse you gonna hate yourself. Follow your gut and leave it alone.

 

[Vintovka]

You bought the gun with the flaw and accepted it for what it was. If you mess with it and make it worse you gonna hate yourself. Follow your gut and leave it alone.

Yes, I know you're right... I guess I'm hoping that there's some miracle product or technique out there that I just haven't encountered yet. Since I haven't found such a thing on Google, or searching through this and other boards, I'm guessing it's just wishful thinking.

Thanks for the good dose of common sense!

 

[drumenigma]

IMO there is nothing wrong with a little restoration work on a piece. A decent bluing agent is Oxpho-Blue from Brownells. I've used it with quite good results. You can get a pretty dark color if you use it right.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20797&hasJS=true

 

[Rob Boudrie]

IMO there is nothing wrong with a little restoration work on a piece.

Vintage cars go up in value when the finish is restored. Guns are not cars, however.

Refinishing a vintage gun all but destroys collector's value of the piece. This sort of restoration should be reserved for guns that are "shooters" not "collection" pieces.

 

[drumenigma]

Vintage cars go up in value when the finish is restored. Guns are not cars, however.

Refinishing a vintage gun all but destroys collector's value of the piece. This sort of restoration should be reserved for guns that are "shooters" not "collection" pieces.

I would think it would depend on what the restoration consists of as well. For example you wouldn't want to leave a rust spot alone as it will likely spread. I do believe in keeping a guns finish as original as possible and i'm not saying refinish it, maybe just touch it up a little to help the curb appeal or to prevent further deterioration.

 

[Vintovka]

IMO there is nothing wrong with a little restoration work on a piece. A decent bluing agent is Oxpho-Blue from Brownells. I've used it with quite good results. You can get a pretty dark color if you use it right.

Thanks for the tip! I haven't tried that particular cold blue - I'll add it to my next order and try it on a couple of project guns, whether or not I decide to attempt to blue this scratch.

 

[Vintovka]

I would think it would depend on what the restoration consists of as well. For example you wouldn't want to leave a rust spot alone as it will likely spread. I do believe in keeping a guns finish as original as possible and i'm not saying refinish it, maybe just touch it up a little to help the curb appeal or to prevent further deterioration.

Agreed: sometimes a gun's finish is so far gone that a full refinish won't hurt the value (case in point: a TT-33 that some bubba had nickle plated... now there's rust beneath the plating, which now I have to strip... but that's a project for another post... )

In the case of the little scratch on my Mak, I know it doesn't qualify for refinishing. More the case of an overly anal owner trying to decide whether to hold on to a new C&R acquisition or eat the return shipping cost. I think I'm going to choose the former and give Mr. Sharpie a try

 

[dsm]

I know next to nothing about gun finishes, but my impression was that blueing would only affect bare steel, that sound blueing around the scratch should not be affected if it is in good condition. I guess that's not always correct?

I have touched up a couple of scratches with cold blue to avoid rust (non-collector guns anyway) and the touched up spots don't really match the rest of the finish (not as dark), but the cold blue didn't seem to change the color of the existing finish around the scratch. The scratches at least don't stand out anymore and have some protection.

Just wondering.

 

[Vintovka]

I know next to nothing about gun finishes, but my impression was that blueing would only affect bare steel, that sound blueing around the scratch should not be affected if it is in good condition. I guess that's not always correct?

I have touched up a couple of scratches with cold blue to avoid rust (non-collector guns anyway) and the touched up spots don't really match the rest of the finish (not as dark), but the cold blue didn't seem to change the color of the existing finish around the scratch. The scratches at least don't stand out anymore and have some protection.

Just wondering.

Thank you - you may well be right on that point. I guess I really need to do some more experimenting (on a gun whose finish I don't mind mussing up).

 

[Moderator]

I had an awful experience touching up my 6904. This was the end result.

 

[dsm]

Thank you - you may well be right on that point. I guess I really need to do some more experimenting (on a gun whose finish I don't mind mussing up).

Like I said, though, I know next to nothing. Really next to nothing, like immediately adjacent to nothing. My post was more of a question of my own than anything else.

The fact that I did it on relatively new guns may have made a difference in my results.

 

[Bugs100]

One thing you might want to give a thought too, is buying another one. Switching the slides and selling it to get your money back. You might lose a little money but it should make you happy.

 

[45collector]

Or just sell it to me as-is!!
I've been looking for a nice EG Mak for carry, don't much care how the finish looks.

 

[Vintovka]

Or just sell it to me as-is!!
I've been looking for a nice EG Mak for carry, don't much care how the finish looks.

If you have a c&r, one dealer still has a few, although the supply has supposedly dried up (supposedly, the main supplier has been bought out by the US Govt for use by the Iraqis - they must have quite the stockpile of 7.62 MAK). The dealer I bought mine from still has some in the $300 range... mine was a bit more as it came with the EG police maintenance records. I can give you more info by PM if you'd like.

 

[Vintovka]

One thing you might want to give a thought too, is buying another one. Switching the slides and selling it to get your money back. You might lose a little money but it should make you happy.

I'm actually considering picking up another as the supply is dwindling. Just what I need - an excuse for another gun

 

[drumenigma]

I know next to nothing about gun finishes, but my impression was that blueing would only affect bare steel, that sound blueing around the scratch should not be affected if it is in good condition. I guess that's not always correct?

I have touched up a couple of scratches with cold blue to avoid rust (non-collector guns anyway) and the touched up spots don't really match the rest of the finish (not as dark), but the cold blue didn't seem to change the color of the existing finish around the scratch. The scratches at least don't stand out anymore and have some protection.

Just wondering.

With a cold blue you probably won't be able to get the deep-dark color that a hot blue can give a gun. But you can get damn close that's for sure. On the gun that I did it on it is pretty hard to tell where I touched it up. The metal does not have to be bare persay, you just have to work it with a light abrasive.

 

[Vintovka]

I spent some time cleaning and degreasing, and was able to get the Sharpie ink to bind tolerably well into the crack. After letting it dry for a while, I dabbed some CLP on a soft cloth and very gently scrubbed down the dried ink to the level of the scratch. Now, I have to look carefully to see the line. Problem solved (even if I probably will have to reapply the "fix" after a few cleanings).

Thanks all for their input - I have a couple of new suggestions to try on my non-collectible toys.