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Posted: 4/21/2024 11:37:53 AM EDT
I got a little impatient with a relatively tight fitting gas block, and have some striations visible directly in front of the block where the barrel steps up to exactly .750.
Obviously entirely cosmetic, but if it is possible, I would like to darken them. I have: 1) Birchwood Casey perma blue, which I use after shaving a front sight block. 2) Birchwood Casey Aluminum black pen (works well on aluminum receivers, but not normally steel) Neither is doing anything at all. I figured the Perma blue should work (steel), but no dice... I see a number of similar Birchwood Casey products and don't know the exact differences between them. Has anyone used any specific product to good effect cleaning up minor barrel scratches, and wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks |
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Birchwood Casey Presto Gun Blue Pen.
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Try degreasing the spot and heat it up a bit with a hair dryer / heat gun.
Also if you re dip a q-tip or whatever you use to apply it back into the container, you contaminate it and it will not be as effective. As to product, I like Brownells oxpho-blue. https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/paint-metal-prep/metal-bluing/oxpho-blue/ |
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Rattle can the whole thing!
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Can't never could 'til try came along.
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless R.I.P. to the EE |
Don't laugh. Have you tried a Sharpie?
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Remy wont let me down like Mia did.
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Originally Posted By DVCNick: I got a little impatient with a relatively tight fitting gas block, and have some striations visible directly in front of the block where the barrel steps up to exactly .750. Obviously entirely cosmetic, but if it is possible, I would like to darken them. I have: 1) Birchwood Casey perma blue, which I use after shaving a front sight block. 2) Birchwood Casey Aluminum black pen (works well on aluminum receivers, but not normally steel) Neither is doing anything at all. I figured the Perma blue should work (steel), but no dice... I see a number of similar Birchwood Casey products and don't know the exact differences between them. Has anyone used any specific product to good effect cleaning up minor barrel scratches, and wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks View Quote Perma Blue, Super Blue, Cold Blue, I have asked this question about what the differences are numerous times, no one knows and Birchwood Casey wont say either. |
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Originally Posted By OTDR: Perma Blue, Super Blue, Cold Blue, I have asked this question about what the differences are numerous times, no one knows and Birchwood Casey wont say either. View Quote Look up the MSDS sheet on them. https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/content/datasheets/Perma%20Blue%20Liquid%20Gun%20Blue.pdf https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/content/datasheets/Super%20Blue%20Liquid%20Gun%20Blue.pdf @OTDR |
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I know you can feel it let it in people will still hate you in the end.
So hate back, plan the attack then they will realize they cannot crack the mind of a fucking maniac. The voice inside you always wins your grave's been dug so lie in it. |
Thanks but which ones are used best for which application?
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Originally Posted By SSeric02: Birchwood Casey Presto Gun Blue Pen. View Quote Back in the mid 90's a buddy had a franken-ar he built with an XM gray receiver. He used the touch-up pen to turn the receiver black. Another time I ordered a replacement trigger frame for my Marlin model 60. I ordered the wrong one and got the gray-ish housing for the stainless version versus the blued version. I used the pen to turn the trigger frame black. |
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Originally Posted By OTDR: Thanks but which ones are used best for which application? View Quote I know what you mean it is one of those things you have to try on the application to see if it works. I imagine based on the steel composition it will have a different effect. I have used the different bluing products and sometimes I would get weird results. On front sight chop jobs they would work great, I used one on a 1911 I bought used with a dumb ass mark and it matched the bluing perfect, used it on a unknown stainless steel with no effect, and a friend of mine had an old USMC Ka-bar that was all rusted we cleaned up and blued it. The knife turned out a weird greening color which I imagine something in that steel reacted with the copper compounds. I could explain the chemistry going on in both the compounds if anyone were interested. The nitric acid is your oxidizer and the selenious acid is your catalyst (very similar to sulfuric acid) and the cupric(copper) salts is where you will get the coloring. |
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I know you can feel it let it in people will still hate you in the end.
So hate back, plan the attack then they will realize they cannot crack the mind of a fucking maniac. The voice inside you always wins your grave's been dug so lie in it. |
Originally Posted By EdgecrusherXES: I know what you mean it is one of those things you have to try on the application to see if it works. I imagine based on the steel composition it will have a different effect. I have used the different bluing products and sometimes I would get weird results. On front sight chop jobs they would work great, I used one on a 1911 I bought used with a dumb ass mark and it matched the bluing perfect, used it on a unknown stainless steel with no effect, and a friend of mine had an old USMC Ka-bar that was all rusted we cleaned up and blued it. The knife turned out a weird greening color which I imagine something in that steel reacted with the copper compounds. I could explain the chemistry going on in both the compounds if anyone were interested. The nitric acid is your oxidizer and the selenious acid is your catalyst (very similar to sulfuric acid) and the cupric(copper) salts is where you will get the coloring. View Quote Going to go out and buy one of each 3 Bottles and try them all at the same time. I have a bottle already of Brownells Oxpho Blue and in my opinion it works worse than Cold Blue or Super Blue, haven't tried Perma blue or any of the 3 Birchwood products all at the same time. |
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Originally Posted By OTDR: Going to go out and buy one of each 3 Bottles and try them all at the same time. I have a bottle already of Brownells Oxpho Blue and in my opinion it works worse than Cold Blue or Super Blue, haven't tried Perma blue or any of the 3 Birchwood products all at the same time. View Quote Brownells Oxpho Blue is the worst shit that I've tried. Awesome match for black parked steel.....until it turns a nice rust patina a few months later. |
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Can't never could 'til try came along.
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless R.I.P. to the EE |
Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Brownells Oxpho Blue is the worst shit that I've tried. Awesome match for black parked steel.....until it turns a nice rust patina a few months later. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Brownells Oxpho Blue is the worst shit that I've tried. Awesome match for black parked steel.....until it turns a nice rust patina a few months later. Interesting thing I have done using the Super/Cold Blue is apply it to metal with NaCl regular salt and it comes out like a parked finish. Varying time you let it sit yields different texture/finish. I have also experimented with other more let us just say more exotic and aggressive finishes some came out really interesting and some were complete catastrophes but fun to experiment. Just follow proper lab safety guys when messing with these chemicals and especially wear eye protection! Originally Posted By OTDR: Going to go out and buy one of each 3 Bottles and try them all at the same time. I have a bottle already of Brownells Oxpho Blue and in my opinion it works worse than Cold Blue or Super Blue, haven't tried Perma blue or any of the 3 Birchwood products all at the same time. The cold blue or super blue is the one I have used also with best results. |
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I know you can feel it let it in people will still hate you in the end.
So hate back, plan the attack then they will realize they cannot crack the mind of a fucking maniac. The voice inside you always wins your grave's been dug so lie in it. |
Wash with a degreaser, rinse, dry and use acetone a couple times to prep before applying anything.
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Originally Posted By OTDR: Perma Blue, Super Blue, Cold Blue, I have asked this question about what the differences are numerous times, no one knows and Birchwood Casey wont say either. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By OTDR: Originally Posted By DVCNick: I got a little impatient with a relatively tight fitting gas block, and have some striations visible directly in front of the block where the barrel steps up to exactly .750. Obviously entirely cosmetic, but if it is possible, I would like to darken them. I have: 1) Birchwood Casey perma blue, which I use after shaving a front sight block. 2) Birchwood Casey Aluminum black pen (works well on aluminum receivers, but not normally steel) Neither is doing anything at all. I figured the Perma blue should work (steel), but no dice... I see a number of similar Birchwood Casey products and don't know the exact differences between them. Has anyone used any specific product to good effect cleaning up minor barrel scratches, and wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks Perma Blue, Super Blue, Cold Blue, I have asked this question about what the differences are numerous times, no one knows and Birchwood Casey wont say either. I've used them all side by side, the Perma Blue and Cold Blue are basically identical, but Super Blue reacts faster, and each coat applied gets much darker than a coat of the others. In my opinion, the Super Blue is vastly superior and I don't know why they bother to offer the others going forward as it makes no sense. |
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WTB : KAC FF M4 RAS P/N 20208
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Thanks all.
The total lack of any sort of result makes me think it might be something over the finish instead of into it, but it looks all the world like a scratch to me, and it doesn't seem to rub off at all. I'll try cleaning with acetone, heating it some, and try again with the perma blue. I guess if that doesn't work I'll order some Super blue. I could definitely have been double dipping the same qtip applicator before; didn't realize that could be an issue, but likely that has been done a number of times. |
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Vinegar will also darken a carbon steel sometimes. A trick with knife blades is the paint it with mustard and let it dry.
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