Can't speak for K guns specifically, but I can speak for other guns.

There's a place in Hamilton Montana, Home

They have had a television program for a number of years on the Outdoor Channel IIRC, and they do restorations of guns, mostly high grade guns.

Some have to be polished enough that the engraving is polished off, but they take pictures beforehand and if the engraving is polished off, they re-do the engraving with a laser. Pretty amazing stuff, even to an old laser jock like me.

 

Can't speak for K guns specifically, but I can speak for other guns.

There's a place in Hamilton Montana, Home

They have had a television program for a number of years on the Outdoor Channel IIRC, and they do restorations of guns, mostly high grade guns.

Some have to be polished enough that the engraving is polished off, but they take pictures beforehand and if the engraving is polished off, they re-do the engraving with a laser. Pretty amazing stuff, even to an old laser jock like me.

GunFather ,just up the road from us . They do SPECTACULAR WORK but ain't cheap. Did a Pistol for Me years back ,as I didn't want the Colt Stallion logo diminished on re-bluing .

Phosphoric acid for conversion of iron oxide aka rust into iron phosphate and for serious etching hydrochloric or Nitric acids or combinations when doing Pakerizing .
Also used is Zinc and Manganese Phosphate ,oil or cosmoline grease .
Decades back I was very fortunate to have actually contacted the accredited inventors daughter of Parkerizing and was Given her fathers personal notes . He worked for Parker Brothers Metal Finishing Company and was their senior chemist . Before moving onto US Military Parkerizing supervision of ALL service weapons . Clark Parker bought the patents from Thomas Cosslett and Frank Richards ,both of whom had separate patents for a modified version of Parkerizing processes . Helen's father Perfected the process ,to the extend that our Military wanted Service weapons done with his process .

I used to make some side monies on Matching service weapons coating colors . As folks were and still are restoring Military memorabilia . Those colors did vary and his notes explained WHY and cause in effect corrections

 

Also, it depends on if the gun/barrel has pits in it. If it is just worn blueing, a (in my opinion) lazy gunsmith will take the barrel to a buffing wheel and have at it. I do all my own polishing and then a friend blues the guns/barrels for me. I have yet to take off any engraving/stamping. However, I start with rust and blue remover and then start polishing by hand using wet & dry paper, lubed with light oil. This is how I learned to polish when working in shops many years ago.

Below is a barrel I did (by hand) after I had it done and then ruined the blueing trying to blacken the silver solder studs for the vent rib. As you can see, it is the equal or better than a buffing wheel without taking too much metal off. I can take them to a mirror finish this way if I wanted to.

I also did the receiver. Flat sided receivers I polish on a surface plate. That keeps everything crisp and sharp. No dished out screw holes and the transition lines between the sides and top and bottom are as they should be, not round over, which a wheel will do.

 

Here is another receiver. If someone can't get the screw holes as crisp and sharp, as well as the edges, I wouldn't use them. Always ask for/look for examples of their work. You can cut your fingers on the edges of the screw holes.

On Ithacas, I only move the receiver back and forth in a straight lines. That is the way they were done at the factory. Some of them I would swear were surface ground.

 

Ottsville.

 

i heard negative reports about ottsville blueing.
and, sending it there doesnt tell me how they do it.

 

i got this off GI to show the different colors on a crown. look at the detail. there is no way someone is going to polish that. there has to be some chemical way.
i knew an old smith to say.... naval jelly. t/f?

 

Naval jelly is 2 kinds of acid, amongst a couple other ingredients. It turns rust into iron phospate, it can also mildly etch a surface. I wouldn't use it on that kind of gun, others yes, that one no. After all Blue and Rust Remover is a kind of acid product.

This company does restorations and on their page they say they polish the same way I do.

Swift River Gunworks | Gunsmith & Gun Repair

sr-gunworks.com

The cost of quality re-blue work is not in the application of finish, but in the preparation. We do not polish with hi-speed buffing wheels. We do the majority of surface preparation by hand, or by lathe polish.

This page has different techniques, along with a video

Video: Introduction to Metal Preparation - Polishing - Turnbull Restoration

Introduction to Metal Preparation (5 of 7) outlines the steps needed to do a quality metal preparation job on your own gun. Not just the actual steps in polishing, but the first steps you need to know in order to do a quality job. The video also shows the various finishes used by the...

www.turnbullrestoration.com

I found that gun out on GI. It is this one. There is a bit of apparent discoloration from the light source. We would need to see that gun in natural light to see if it is actually discolored.

Krieghoff Model 32 Crown Grade 12ga 4 Barrel Set - USED

Krieghoff Model 32 Crown Grade 12ga 4 Barrel Set - USED for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

With that said, I did some searching and out on the web there was a discussion of a Krieghoff being returned to Germany and the inlays had a color change from the refinishing being done on it.

Once again, the actual gun in question would have to be seen to truly find the best way to do it.

Just so everyone knows how to do it, if you are running Google Chrome, right click on the image. An option block will appear with one of the selections being "Search with Google Lens". Select that, adjust the brackets to fine tune what it is searching for and most times you can find what you are looking for on the web. To get out of the search, there is a little X over on the top right of the retrieved results.

 

swift river appears to do a lot of guns w/o engraving.

curious.
ive seen my smiths touch up areas they worked on with a dabb of fluid and it blended perfectly into the gun. he had numerous shades of chemicals.
could that receiver with engraving just be dabbed with solution on a cotton ball?
bob

 

There are different brands of cold bluing. My buddy (gunsmith) and I both use OxPho. I have actually blued an entire barrel with it. Is it as durable as hot blue, no. But it does the job. Good for touchup.

 

I once blued an entire barrel with Oxpho-Blue and yes, it works fine.

 

The key is never put the applicator back into the bottle or the entire mix will be contaminated. Also heat the metal up with a hair dryer. Not a heat gun. A hair dryer doesn't get hot enough. You just want the metal warm not hot enough to do damage.

 

The quality of workmanship you perform on these old Ithacas is amazing . You are a true craftsman

 

Since you bring up the Good, the Bad And The Ugly, that's been my cell phone ringtone since the year 2000.

 

the video still requires steel wool. on gold and engraving?
mmmeeeehhh.....
i may have no choice than to send it to KI.
i just wish i knew the trade secret.

 

I would never use steel wool on gold. it is softer than steel. 0000 (quad zero) steel wool will not scratch nor abrade a gun.
That is the grade I use, NEVER EVER any coarser as it will scratch the blueing.

There is also brass and bronze wool, both softer than steel.

When I touch up spots, I usually just rub it with a Q-tip while applying the Oxpho. The steel wool is just to shine it up. Little pieces can be used.

However, when in doubt and when dealing with an expensive firearm, sometimes it is best to let someone who has liability insurance handle it. If you send it to them, make sure that you have ample "before" photographs. And I would post them here, which will establish a timeline that can't be refuted.

 

others are telling me rust blue is the best way.

 

I've always admired master machinists, tool & die makers, that sort of thing, but it's not something I ever did.

 

Fortunately most of the shops allowed a creative itch to be fulfilled. I enjoyed working with metal and the precision.

However, in the Akron, Ohio area wages were low. I made 3-4 times more writing code than I did working in the shop.

I always wanted to have my own hobby shop, but my buggered hands got in the way of that. Plus the expense of the machines. Hard to justify a $70,000.00 lathe just for fun.

 

CAREFULLY and it can be done . Gold will need to be removed REGARDLESS of who does what and then reapplied . Can't blue over Gold and who would want too

Hot salts Bluing is a boiling caustic salt solution ,which can have additives introduced to vary color . S&W blue isn't Colt Blue or SKB ,it matters who does what . SEE their work prior to just having someone do it . I Know why Colt Blue is Nearly Black but I'm an old chemist and I'd damn well better know

 

for anyone wondering...after lots of calling and asking, it came down to rust blue as the best choice for an engraved k32. i have a very skilled fellow in del set up to do a job in the near future.

Dirty Donkey Gunsmithing Llc, 16393 SOUTH UNION CHURCH RD, BRIDGEVILLE, DE | FFLs.com

Dirty Donkey Gunsmithing Llc, 16393 SOUTH UNION CHURCH RD, BRIDGEVILLE, DE 19933 FFL Number 8-51-005-01-6L-01096 expires 11/1/2026.

www.ffls.com

 

Bob, you ever try calling Doug Turnbull in NY? His work is legendary

 

pricy but yes. hes the best. long wait is the issue with him.

 

dirty donkey is a usmc retired vet. im going with him.

 

Semper Fi