Blueing a STEEL/ALUMINUM rifle.....help needed

[Boeing]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've talked to several people and no-one seems to have sugestions about cleaning the poly OFF the gun. Several have said that the receiver is NOT aluminum....I can test it with a magnet. Has anyone used this kit? Birchwood Casey® Perma Blue® Paste Gun Blue Kit Available at Bass Pro. The gun does not APPEAR to have any rust on it so I don't need to use the de-rust stuff do I? Just the degreaser/cleaner then a few coats of blueing......Am I on track here?

 

[dusty3030]

Brownells oxphoblue.

Hotter the parts the better it takes.
Buff it in like shining shoes.

 

[sld]

I have refinished a few guns in the past. You always have the option of powdercoating. It is relatively cheap and a long lasting finish. I have done this on aluminum or steel. The last shotgun I did had an aluminum receiver. I paid about 20 bucks to have it powder coated. They threw it in when they were doing some other gloss black parts.

Factory finishes on aluminum are usually black anodize. This is probably not a DIY process.

 

[55woodie]

The 742 is steel. It's difficult to find parts for it today and was affectionately known as the "Remington Jam-O-Matic".

I still own one (30.06) and have taken 3 dozen whitetails with it over the years . . . and have had shell casings hang up in the ejection port.

Take the trigger, slide and wood stock off.. . . hot bluing is the way to go. I reblued my 870 12 gauge using wet sanding paper to remove scratches. Be sure to use a sanding block on the flat sides.

You can try a superfine 1200 to 3000 grit automotive wet sanding paper or steel wool to buff off the old poly coating. Remove 100% of it and follow the hot dip method of bluing. I used a heat gun to informally warm the parts (receiver and barrel) before the blue. Mine turned out really good.

Of course if you're looking for a 100% professional bluing job and are not confident, take it to a gunsmith.

Good luck.

 

[jbooth]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've talked to several people and no-one seems to have sugestions about cleaning the poly OFF the gun. Several have said that the receiver is NOT aluminum....I can test it with a magnet. Has anyone used this kit? Birchwood Caseyｮ Perma Blueｮ Paste Gun Blue Kit Available at Bass Pro. The gun does not APPEAR to have any rust on it so I don't need to use the de-rust stuff do I? Just the degreaser/cleaner then a few coats of blueing......Am I on track here?

I have used the Birchwood Casey. It is very easy to use but not very durable. Because of it's ease of use you can touch up wear spots easy also. Probably the best way to clean the present finish is with the wet sandpaper as suggested by another post. Possibly powder coat the aluminum trigger assembly??

 

[Boeing]

Thanks for the input guys, I cleaned the poly off the second magazine today. Comes off fairly easily with Acetone (wifes finger-nail polish remover) The FFL still has the gun since I have to wait 7 (or 10) days to keep the government happy. Funny how it took 15 days to order and get it shipped to my FFL, but then I have to wait ANOTHER 7-10 days to make sure that I'm not a psycho....
Back to the topic, after the poly is off it leaves a dull, thin blue or bare metal.....There shouldn't be a need to sand anything should there? Someone mentioned a "HOT blue"....is a heat gun enough heat for that? I was thinking of a cold blue and just re blue it every 3rd year or so.... ideas?

 

[toddbailey]

The quick and cheap way would be to wet sand the poly off as already mentioned, then spray the metal parts with a few coats of spray paint, I would first do a function test to make sure it doesn't jam and shoots decent groups, there is no use making a gun pretty if it doesn't shoot good or function properly.

 

[55woodie]

Take the wet sand approach and using a flat block, wrap the 1500 grit around the block and wet sand 5 strokes . . in one direction. Look at the results and judge for yourself. Does it need 5 more, 10 more etc. then the 3000 grit for a smooth clean metal finish. The letters and logo stampings will not be affected by the fine grit but the poly/bluing and any surface scratches will begin to disappear. Hand sand the curved surfaces with just your finger and the wet sandpaper. Bluing kits will allow cold finished but I prefer a heated method. Search on You Tube for a few "How To" videos on bluing a gun and it will give you more ideas. You can mess up on the sanding , ie circular motions, zig-zags etc.....but the bluing process is pretty easy and the results get better the more coats you apply to the metal. Good luck with your project.