Ospho Blue is Da Bomb!

snake284 · February 2019

When my gun smith barreled my Zastava Charles Daly Commercial 98 Mauser action to 7x57, he wasn't doing any bluing at the time because he only does bluing about once a year when he has a lot of guns to do. I got tired of waiting on him and decided to try something else and also a little cheaper.

I had heard Teach and some others talk about Ospho Blue and I was curious so I bought a 4 ounce bottle of the Creme forumula and a can of Brownell's TCE Degreaser. First of all I want to say, that TCE is some good stuff. It took all the oils off the barrel in the first application. After spraying the metal I wiped it down clean with a rag. However for good measure I repeated the treatment.

After cleaning the barrel with a clean rag, I got some cotton balls and a couple of rags and began applying the creme to the barrel. It didn't look like it was doing much for awhile, however if you leave it on for a full minute it turns the metal to a deep blue. After about a minute I wiped it off and sprayed the barrel again with the TCE and wiped that off.

I put several coats on and evened it out, cleaning each coat off with the TCE and a clean rag. It looks like a professional hot blue job. It actually reacts with the metal to for an oxidation that turns the surface dark. I think this is what hot bluing does.

I have tried cheapo Birchwood Casey cold blue and another brand before that, but they were almost like a dye and only put a color on the metal.

This stuff is serious bluing. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to see what it does over time and how it holds up. Anybody else ever tried this stuff? And if so how did it weather and hold up over time?

Jayhawker · February 2019

Do you mean Oxpho-Blue?

Freezer · February 2019

Oxpho-Blue does work. I've tried a number of cold blue agents through the years including 44-40 and Brownel's Dicropan system. I take Oxpho Blue over them all. If you had post here before you treated the metal we would have advised you to heat the metal with a blow dryer or heat gun. This is the technique I've used and it works great!

Accipiter · February 2019

I have I have had good result with the oxopho stuff. Mostly touch ups, or parts I moded.

Old Ron · February 2019

I have never done it on a big peace . Did you polish the barrel ? Post a pic. if you have time to see the result .

tennmike · February 2019

Old Ron said:

I have never done it on a big peace . Did you polish the barrel ? Post a pic. if you have time to see the result .

You should polish the barrel same as if hot bluing. Any imperfection on barrel or part surface will show just like hot bluing. If the barrel is in good shape, with no scratches or dings, I'd still give it a good going over with 0000 DEGREASED steel wool to get off anything that is on there that doesn't necessarily show up. Then clean the barrel with a degreaser, heat with hair dryer or heat gun, apply the Oxpho-Blue Creme, and follow directions. The heat helps open up the pores of the metal.

jaywapti · February 2019

I have used Oxpho-Blue both the liquid ans paste, I prefer the paste, that said i actually prefer the black Teflon/Moly spray finish, it gives a much harder more durable finish. Since i dont have any polishing/buffing equipment any more i use emery cloth or paper to "shoe shine" the barrels. I'll give you a tip if you use emery paper, i cover the paper with heavy duty duct tape than cut it into strips, it keeps the paper backing from cracking and it lasts longer. I also warm up the parts with a heat gun before using the bluing. For de-greasing and cleaning I use brake cleaner, it does a good job and leaves no residue and its cheaper than TCE.

JAY

FFLshooter · February 2019

.....

mitdr774 · February 2019

Used the liquid as it's what I could buy that day. Turned out okay enough. Not like it was a high end .22 to begin with anyways.

Old Ron · February 2019

That looks great ...... now I have to try a barrel & see what it does for me .

tennmike · February 2019

Looks good. Heat that thing up with a hair dryer set on high, and get it HOT. One or two more coats with the barrel about too hot to handle should darken it up considerably. Makes using the liquid Oxpho-Blue easier to use, and like Johnny Bench said, "No runs, no drips, no errors" when the barrel is hot.

mitdr774 · February 2019

Used a propane torch for heat. Worked well. It's actually darker than the picture makes it look. Probably 5 applications of cold blue at this point.

Half ass painted the stock, rough fitted a recoil pad (butt plate was cracked), and threw on a scope I had. I should really alter the bolt handle to allow lower rings though. Its truly a beater .22 that looks only slightly better than how I got it.

Hopefully see how it shoots soon. Hope's are not high.

tennmike · February 2019

O.K. That second pic looks better. The white background was making some shine all around and washing out the black. If that bolt handle was adjusted down you could for sure lower the scope mounts.

mitdr774 · February 2019

Medium mounts will allow the bolt to move freely for normal use, you just cant remove the bolt without removing the scope first. I may have to try the medium rings again and then see if it would be possible to just re-contour the handle without bending it.

I may have to try the creme stuff next time just to see if it is easier or more even on apply than the liquid. Overall for my first experience bluing anything, the liquid seems fairly easy to use and the overall cost was not very high.

Big Al1 · February 2019

Brownell's sells quality products! They are "gunsmith" supplies, professional grade! Since I never had the room for a hot blue set up, I used Dicropan IM with great results. All I needed was a tank full of hot water and a carding wheel. Those of you that have seen my #1 and .280, that blue job was done with Dicropan. As close to a slow rust blue as you can get. Of course, all the prep work and attention to detail improve your chances for better results!!

Jeff in TX · February 2019

Though I've never tried cold bluing. I did read a while back that heating the metal prior to applying the cold blue really makes the stuff work and work well.

Great job Mike!

BigDanS · February 2019

I bought a large bottle, and dipped my pieces when I could. Worked great for me as well.

tennmike · February 2019

I have a Dicropan setup in my shop. Makes for a lot easier job than the normal bluing salts, and you don't have to worry about breathing nasty fumes. The Dicropan does a really good job, too, and is really easy to use.

FFLshooter · February 2019

Looks good for a cold blue job. Just remember that it doesn’t offer much protection against corrosion compared to a hot blue job. There’s also folks that can get your gun properly blued and back to you in less than a months time (ahem, ahem)... lol

mitdr774 · February 2019

Sometimes something just isnt worth the cost of a proper job. I dont even know if it will shoot well. The front sight had been removed and the end of the barrel mangled to a point that it had to be cut down. Never tried a drill bit muzzle crown job. Then again it is a complete beater that as long as it holds a couple inches at 50 yards should be acceptable enough for what it is. This is a prime example of things that shouldnt be done. the cold blue job was just to use the gun as a test to see if I could even get an acceptable result.

snake284 · February 2019

Jayhawker said:

Do you mean Oxpho-Blue?

Yeah

mitdr774 said:

Used a propane torch for heat. Worked well. It's actually darker than the picture makes it look. Probably 5 applications of cold blue at this point.

Half ass painted the stock, rough fitted a recoil pad (butt plate was cracked), and threw on a scope I had. I should really alter the bolt handle to allow lower rings though. Its truly a beater .22 that looks only slightly better than how I got it.

Hopefully see how it shoots soon. Hope's are not high.

That don't look half bad at all Dude! My Mauser got dark with about five coats. I didn't have a way to heat it but I cleaned it really will with Brownell's TCE and I used the cream. It looks as good as a hot blue job. Now I just need to finish the action. It needs a couple more applications. But the barrel is as black as if it just came out of the hot blueing vat.

mitdr774 · February 2019

For what it is, I don't mind how it turned out. If I knew it was a good shooter, and had a decent looking stock I might have had it hot blued. I might refinish the stock on another one and if that turns out good the metal might get a hot blue.

joeg52 · February 2019

If it turns out to be a good shooter you could mount an extended eye relief scope forward of the bolt handle.

gunner81 · February 2019

I have an older Winchester lever action 30/30 I think its a 94 but its not a pre 64 mine was made in 69 or 70 there is no blueing on the receiver and very little on the barrel the action looks like it is a different metal would this stuff work on it because it would make a good experiment gun

Big Al1 · February 2019

gunner81 said:

I have an older Winchester lever action 30/30 I think its a 94 but its not a pre 64 mine was made in 69 or 70 there is no blueing on the receiver and very little on the barrel the action looks like it is a different metal would this stuff work on it because it would make a good experiment gun

No! The receivers on early post '64 '94s were made of an alloy that was steel plated. When the blue wears off so does the plating. It has to be blued by someone that does stainless. Oxynate 84 from Brownells is the salts they have to use.https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/metal-bluing/bluing-salts/oxynate-no-84-hot-chemical-bluing-compound-prod1103.aspx

FFLshooter · February 2019

The oxynate 84 is a hit or miss. It’s actually just a watered down/lower temperature version of their number 7 salts. I’ve never had good luck with it.

tennmike · February 2019

Buffco, a.k.a. Buffy, had one of those Winchester 30/30 rifles with that alloy receiver. He did one of Brownell's bake on finishes in a toaster oven and it came out really nice.

snake284 · February 2019

The way I see it whatever works for you is good. However, I'm confused about something now because in all this reading I came up with this sight:

http://tincanbandit.blogspot.com/2014/02/winchester-model-94-rifles.html

Whoever put this sight up thank you, it answered a couple of questions for me. First, all this time I was thinking my 94 was made in 1981. But this knocked some cob webs loose in my head. Thinking back, I didn't have an FFL until 1983 and I bought it and my 469 S&W in a package deal from one of my favorite wholesalers.

Also, after reading this article they didn't start making the Angle Eject until 1982. Mine is probably a 1984 or '85 model because it has a hammer block which was added in 1984. But what made me happiest of all is in 1982 they went back to high carbon steel forged machined receivers and they take regular bluing. Now I know why mine is so smooth. It's not clunky at all as has been described on here and other places. This was when they began using CNC machines and could again afford to machine the receivers from forged steel blocks.

The article says the most desirable models for collector value are as we all knew, pre-64s. But the most desirable for hunting rifles are the 1982s through 1991s because they had the forge steel receivers and the ones from 1984 to 1991 have hammer blocks but no cross bolt safeties yet. So mine fits what I always wanted in a '94 but didn't realize I had. And looking at the serial numbers the 1982s started with 5,103,XXX, and the '91s started around the low 6 millions. Mine is in the 5,327,XXX range. That kind of makes my day. Now I love that rifle even more.

Also, I haven't looked through the old Redfield scope on it in a while and i just now looked at it. I had thought the cross hairs were frayed. But on closer inspection, those are just thick spots at the edges. It's a thick cross hair anyway and they get thicker at the edge of the lens. I was thinking of re-scoping it, but I'm thinking for what I do with it I'll just leave the old straight 4x Redfield where it is. With that scope it's a real classic combination.

snake284 · February 2019

Old Ron said:

I have never done it on a big peace . Did you polish the barrel ? Post a pic. if you have time to see the result .

Ron I just hit it with some 400 grit cloth and cleaned it with the TCE and put it on. It's really black on there. I really didn't want it shiny, I wanted it like a matt finish. It's actually shinier than I wanted it. But it still looks good. I just put it on with cotton balls and left it about a minute. It was really weird to watch the metal grow dark. Then I wiped it off with a clean rag and then sprayed it with TCE and wiped it off and repeated that. As some say on here, Easy Peasy. However, I am curious as to its durability. But the way things are looking it's gonna be ok in that department too.

Old Ron · February 2019

This winter I have been trying different types of cold blueing ...... because I am to lazy to set up the hot tanks for just one job . The good news is the cold blueing come off easy so if it doesn't hold up or wear well I can always hot blue later . At least all the prep work is protected while waiting to see how things go .

snake284 · February 2019

tennmike said:

Buffco, a.k.a. Buffy, had one of those Winchester 30/30 rifles with that alloy receiver. He did one of Brownell's bake on finishes in a toaster oven and it came out really nice.

Now how in hell did Buffy get that whole rifle in a Toaster Oven? Never mind, I guess he just did the receiver.

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