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Leave it, or blue it???

1K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  sandog 
#1 · (Edited)
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#2 ·
Very nice! I can see all the work and care that went into it.
Word of caution though. Some of the home "bluing" jobs I've seen look like a train wreck.
Unless you have some experience and a whole lot of confidence I'd at least check with a gunsmith about contracting it out.
Richard
 
#4 ·
Looks real nice. Brownells Aluma-Hyde is awesome stull and far cheaper than a Pro bluing. Ive done several AK 's in Aluma-Hyde and they look great. Comes in a lot of colors, gloss , satin and flat and the stuff is pretty much bullit proof .
 
#5 ·
I haven't yet seen a Shilen Mini-14 barrel in SS, though they do make them.

If yours is Chrome Moly (in-the-white), you're going to have to do something to keep it from rusting, whether that be bluing, plating, or coating (i.e., DuraCoat, AlumaHyde, etc.).

Ideally, that should have been done before the barrel was installed...
 
#9 ·
If it is chrome moly you'll want to protect the metal. I find a good hot blue takes the right equipment and some experience. I have only had luck using cold blue as a touch up, and only then with Brownell's Oxpho-Blue. It seems to better than the cheap cold blue you find at stores. If you are experienced at painting, you might want to Cerakote the barrel. You can get colors that aren't so woodsy, like Gunmetal and Graphite. I really like their Sniper Grey, which is a matte dark grey. It goes well with a wood stock. Try to get the metal media blasted by someone experienced in firearms blasting, as the media size and pressure has to be right for best adhesion. The guy that has done mine charges around $50-$60, maybe a bit more if you are wanting him to blast a bunch of small parts as well. A jar of Cerakote is around $35 and is enough to do several guns. I bought a small spray gun from Brownell's for $25, but you probably already have a sprayer that will work. Just keep the pressure on the sprayer low, like 25-30 PSI. The barrel and any other parts you want to do will have to first be put in the oven to drive oils out of the pores, and this stinks quite a bit. Actually baking the Cerakote after it's put on doesn't smell up the house hardly at all. The oven bake Cerakote holds up better than the Air dry version and parts can be reassembled and used as soon as the parts cool from the oven. The air dry stuff has to cure for a good 7-10 days before being handled. Here is a Marlin/Glenfield in .356 that has the Sniper grey Cerakote. It and the darker colors like Graphite almost look like Parkerizing or a grey phosphate, but protect much better. Good luck on the project, and let us see how it turns out.
 
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