How To Hot Blue a Gun – [Secret Easy & Effective Method]

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Do you need a stable solution for the bluing to your gun? Do you want also a less expensive way on how to reblue a rusty gun?

If you want that, the hot blue can be the perfect solution for that. You just need to know how to hot blue a gun. For you, I have come up with the details process in bite-size chunks. Be prepared and dig into it. Let’s see-

Why hot bluing is important?

First thing first, there are hardly any alternatives to bluing a gun if you’re concerned enough about its durability and maintenance.

There are several processes of bluing. All of them are available and none of them are impossible to do. But each of them, excepting cold bluing need, a good experience. But among them, hot bluing is easy and also less expensive. You must get training to perform rust, fume and carbon bluing.

So, considering these things, it will be wise to apply hot blue to your gun.

What will you need?

First thing first, you just need to know what you will need in this bluing process. In case we’re dealing with hot bluing a gun at home, these gun bluing products are crucial to have in hands-

In case you’re interested in commercial-grade products, here goes the best hot gun bluing kit: G96 1069 Liquid Gun Bluing

Note: As long as professional gun bluing, a number of other gun bluing liquid and gun bluing paste will be required.

Make your blue solution first

You have to make sure that you are making this solution in an open place or in a well-ventilated area. Let’s see the process-

  • Take the pot and there pour water (Approximately 3 gallon, less if you’re spot bluing a gun)
  • Then add their sodium hydroxide
  • Now add sodium nitrate

Here in this part, some fumes will be created. Don’t go near to the pot at that time.

  • Now place the pot on the stove or gas burner.
  • Let the solution get boiled
  • When it will be boiled, all the ingredients will have been mixed properly

So, here your blue solution is ready to use perfectly. You can exclude the excess salt from the blue solution by cooling the solution fully. After cooling the solution fully, the extra salt will go as sediment at the end of the pot.

how to hot blue a gun

Remove old bluing

This may seem like the opposite of our title but when rebluing a gun, you have to remove the blue first. If you don’t remove the old one, all the space of the gun won’t be blued perfectly. A slight presence of old rust will hinder your process of rust proof bluing.

Take a perfect shot with the abrasive blasting. No other process can beat this universal process. but it is my duty to acknowledge you about other processes.

Before that let’s know about the universal process-

Abrasive blasting

Right after you’ve taken the old blue off, a layer of rust will show up. So, how to remove rust from guns without grinders?

Well, here the only thing you need to perform this method is grit paper. With the simple grit paper, you can remove all the old blue perfectly.

But it will be better if you use steel wool and gun oil before using grit paper. These will help you to remove scratch, rust or pit. Just soak the wool with the gun oil and use that. Proceeding further, it will make the surface prepared for complete rust bluing a gun.

Remember one thing that grit paper size differ the finishing of your work. It will be easy to get a good finishing if the grit paper size is high. At first start with 400 grit, and then one round again apply steel wool with oil. Then use 600 grit for finishing.

After all of this, your gun will be free from previous old blue and also from harmful elements.

Using chemical paint stripper

You can use this effective and easy method but this process takes too much time. If you have no problem with the time and you are dealing with two or three guns then you can apply this method using a gun bluing solution.

At first, you have to apply chemical stripe by the brush. Don’t apply the too much thick layer. It is better to apply a thin layer. Then you have to wait. You have to wait for a minimum of several hours. I have also seen that many people stay for a day at all to just let it sit perfectly on the metal. Then clear the surface using soft steel wool, nylon brush, etc. Clear it until the metal comes into its original look.

Blue removers

There are so many blue removers in the market. You can use those types too. Select the blue remover by giving a look at the description and also to your budget.

Degreasing

After removing old blue you must remove the oil, grease, or other unwanted droplets that can ruin your gun. And to remove this there are few types of solutions in the market. They are known as the chemical cleaner. They contain normally sodium metasilicate. You can also use the commercial detergent which contains sodium triphosphate. And there are some people I know who use acetone and sometimes I also use that. And moreover, you can also use denatured alcohol. But I always suggest people use nail polish remover which is actually acetone. It fully cleans the metal and removes any kind of oil that is stuck into the gun.

Mix the solution into the water. Then bath the gun into that mixture. Some solutions may need to heat up and some not. Before doing so be sure about that.

Rinsing

You need to rinse the metal after degreasing. You can pour hot water on the metal and that will remove all the existing solutions over the metal. You shouldn’t rise more than two or three minutes.

Steps of Hot Bluing a Pistol/Gun

By now, we’re provided with a newly polished gun surface. From here on, it’s the steps of how to hot blue steel or other metal-made guns or pistols. We’ll start by applying a hot blue solution. Take a good solution from the market. Almost they are all same but yes; some of them work like a beast.

Given are the steps of the best gun bluing method so far-

  • Pour the solution into a pot of stainless steel and heat the pot up to 140 degrees C. Remember one thing that before heating up you have to stir the solution. Stir until all the solution is mixed up properly.
  • Now hold the gun with a clump and pour it into the hot solution.
  • Let the gun immersed fully into the water.
  • You should make it ensure that all the parts of the gun are being coated properly. Ensure this with the proper handling of the clump.
  • After 20-35 minutes remove the gun from the solution on a dry place. The more you’ll let it dry, the more effective it will be in preventing rust on guns in the future.
  • Rinse it with hot water and let it dry.

It will be better if you immerse the gun into the hot water after all the steps, as it will help to boil remain blue.

Conclusion

Therefore, the aforementioned steps conclude how to hot blue a gun in every detail. In case you’re up to the process of how to store guns to prevent rust, hot bluing in this manner is all you need. But be careful when dealing with hot water. Put gloves on your hand when handling the gun. Also, maintain essential gun bluing safety measures.

Also, beware of what causes rust on a gun and keep your firearm away from those. You can also read our shotgun recoil pad guide to choose your best shotgun recoil pad today.

Best of luck!