I just finished bluing my first barrel with Birchwood Casey Super Blue.

[hunter540]

I selected the Super Blue because it said it end up a deep blue/black color, and it didn't require heating the barrel or the blueing, and it was cheap. All I needed was the Super Blue, Cleaner Degreaser, and 0000 steel wool. i just followed the instructions for degreasing and applying the blue. I ended using 5 applications of Super Blue, each followed by rinsing and light steel wool to even the blue/black. The barrel is now hanging with a liberal application of gun oil to cure for 24 hours. The color is a nice, even, semi gloss deep black finish with the oil on it. It won't match my Model 11 matte black (almost parkerized flat black look), but it will be black. We'll see how it looks when I wipe the oil off tomorrow. The whole process took about an hour and a half.

I'm happy with the results so far, and I'm looking forward to see how durable the finish is. I bought the barrel through the Gun Shack group buy for $128.00 shipped (Last fall). The supplies cost $20.00 (Super Blue, Cleaner Degreaser, and 0000 steel wool). For a total of $148.00 for a new 260AI Barrel. Not Bad! This will be my Antelope gun for Wyoming next year.

[thomae]

Huzzah!
Photos?

[devildogandboy]

we need to see pics!

[hunter540]

I'll post some pics after I get back from Cabelas tomorrow... Road trip to Hartford.

[handsomerob]

Barrel material - Stainless Steel or Chrome-Moly?

[Maztech89]

If he is using Super Blue I'm willing to bet its not on a stainless barrel as it doesn't exactly "work" on stainless.

[Admin]

Barrel material - Stainless Steel or Chrome-Moly?

I've yet to see a method of bluing stainless that turns out looking even remotely decent. Most methods result in more of a blue/purple hue that isn't nearly as dark or deep as bluing chrome-moly. Mainly it's because bluing is by nature a rusting process and stainless by design is much more resistant to rusting.

[Leonardo63]

I did a Rem 1100 back in the spring with the same thing. I did about the same coats and somewhere I picked up a tip of curing by heating the steel up with a heat gun and coating it in vasoline and let it set for a few days. I happened to pull it out this afternoon for some critter control and just kind of looked at it still thinking "Can't believe I made it look so nice"

btw- I used my table saw as a worktop doing the cleaning and blueing as I didn't want my wooden workbeches absorbing this stuff and I thought, wth- so I did my table saw top....then my jointer...no more surface rust from humidity! That blue and rust remover is pretty amazing at getting stuff to bare metal.

[hunter540]

It is Chrome Moly... the picture is of the barrel still hanging and curing. I rotated it to fit the screen. I like the black. Now off to Cabelas!

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx316/hunter540/260Barrel.jpg

[devildogandboy]

looking at the pic, i think it came out very well. great job, hope it holds up well.

[handsomerob]

If he is using Super Blue I'm willing to bet its not on a stainless barrel as it doesn't exactly "work" on stainless.

I figured it wouldn't be stainless but he said he got it from a Gunshack group buy and from what I see those tend to be stainless. I had to ask for my own curiosity. It does look pretty nice.

[ellobo]

I sure wish that stuff had been available some yrs ago.

El Lobo

[Eric in NC]

Tried all the cold blues out there. Oxphoblue cream is the best one I have worked with (just apply on a pad of 0000 steel wool). However, none of them offer much in the way of protection and none last compated to hot blue, rust blue, parkerizing, etc. On the plus side - reapplying is just as easy as the first application!

I ended up getting set up to parkerize at home - by far the most durable and protective of finishes for chrome moly (by itself or as a base for duracoat etc.).

[PBinWA]

I find Super Blue works pretty good and holds up OK. You definitely want to do two coats to get the deep black. Also, the more time you put into prep and polish before the better the results.

A home parkerizing set-up would be very nice to have.

[Leonardo63]

I love the park jobs too. I wanted to get my 1100 done, and still will, but I wanted to get it shooting. Just hate loosing it for so long waiting to get work done. I figured it would be a good learning experience with the cold blue. Pretty neat stuff.