Why people cold blue guns

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Bill DeShivs

New member
A guy "ends up" with a gun. Maybe an inheritance, gift, or just a good deal. The guy knows a "little bit" about guns from hunting or military service. So, he ends up with a Winchester 94 or a 1911 that is well used but otherwise in good shape. The first thing he sees is that there is bluing missing. Since he knows a "little bit" about guns, he thinks that this is something to be embarrassed about. What if another guy who knows a "little bit" about guns sees it? Everybody knows guns can be reblued, and everybody knows owning a gun with a little bluing missing will let everybody know you are just plain ignorant about guns- and a guy's ego cant have that!
So, he goes to Walmart and buys cold blue kit and goes after his gun to make it look new. Since he has done a little carpentry work in the past, he figures he's a wood expert, too-so he sands down the stock, stains it, and puts a coat of polyurethane on it.
After all this work, he is very proud of his gun.
This is all well and good, until he finds out he has ruined it.
I've seen it hundreds of times. It's a pity.
 
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Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
Or it could be that he just has this gun, HIS gun mind you, that he wants to look better IN HIS OPINION, and so he cold blues it, and he likes it, and he doesn't really give a damn what anybody else thinks... which is not a shame, cuz it's his gun and a free country and why do we care what he does?
 
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christcorp

New member
Why do you say he's ruined it?

1) If he likes the way it now looks, then he SUCCEEDED in what he did.
2) No cold bluing or re-staining of stock is going to affect the way the gun shoots.
3) Nothing that he has done can't be "Redone".

So, if a person wants to make it look better/different, and they like it, so what. Personally, if I have an antique or significant old gun, I don't want it "Refinished". Not even if it's done professionally. I want the original appearance. It's part of the history and character. But if someone else wants to re-blue or re-stain, and they are happy with the results; then more power to them.
 
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oneounceload

Moderator
Nothing that he has done can't be "Redone".
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Nor can it be "undone", which if it was a valuable collector gun like some vintage Colts and S&W's are, then he has ruined it as far as that aspect is concerned.....which, IMO, is where the OP was going with this......
 
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christcorp

New member
But if the OWNER of the gun likes the way it turned out, then who are you, me, or anyone else to step in and say that what he did was wrong? Just because you or I wouldn't re-blue an original Navy Colt from the civil war; or an original 1911M1 45acp pistol; doesn't me another person shouldn't do it if they want to.
 
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oneounceload

Moderator
Having seen some of Doug Turnbull's work, I'm not saying it should or shouldn't be done....but I've also seen the "Bubba bluing company" work as well.......
 
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Dustin0

New member
I have done it too.

Here is my 10/22 that has been redone with one of those kits. My Father got me the gun on 10th Birthday. I would never sell it. The finish on the stock and barrel got eaten off by brake fluid in the trunk of my car. So I refinished it.
Ruger1022.jpg
 
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Pahoo

New member
Bill DeShivs
Certainly appreciate what you are saying and can relate to it quite well. However, what peetzakilla said is the last say. Isn't it?? ;)

There is no right or wrong here, just what we would do and certainly have no say as to what others should do. The last time I ran into this was over a Winchester Mod 12, in 26" barrel. Asked my buddy why he had a container of Cold Blue and he showed me his shotgun. I asked him if he would let me take it home to clean it and if he still didn't like what it looked like, he could cold blue it or I suggested sending it in. When I returned it, he liked it but really don't know if he kept it that way.

Posting here does however informs folks about the limits of cold blue and yes, it wouild devalue some guns. Most of us have used it but in my time, I have only seen one cold blue that I can say really looked good. Thanks for your post. ... :)


Be Safe !!!
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
I'm looking at cold bluing a Smith & Wesson .32-20 right now.

How do I KNOW that I'm not damaging a valuable gun?

I know Smith & Wesson revolvers. I'm cognizant of their value.

This gun has probably 40% original bluing left.

The grips are mismatches and definitely not original to the gun.

The metal is pitted in a number of places.

I bought it for, IIRC, $110. It's worth maybe a bit more than that, but not a lot.

This .32-20 is a shooter, pure and simple. It's never going to be anything but. I bought it as a shooter knowing the condition issues, its value, and its potential.

I'll do with it what I want, and know with certainy that I'm not ruining anything.
 
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langenc

New member
Reminded me of 'Antique road show' and some exhibitors on that show.

Lady has her prized possesion-chest of drawers etc. She is asked where she got them, how long owned etc, etc.

Somewhere she states that "a few years ago we had the piece refinished and all that 'black stuff' removed."

The appraiser tells her how nice it is blah blah blah and it is worth $4000. The lady about falls over at the est value. Then the appraiser says "if you had NOT removed the "back stuff" it would be worth $30,000.. then the lady really feels lousy.
 
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Rich Miranda

New member
The reason it's a tragedy is that some bluing missing is honest wear and honest wear is really cool. It shows the gun has been around, seen some use. It makes one wonder who owned it before, who fired it, or has it been used to defend a previous owner's life? Was it used in a crime? Or, dare I say it, a murder? (Gasp!)

When that beautiful, wondrous patina is so callously scratched off, then replaced with cheap cold blue, it denies one the allure, the mystery, the enjoyment.

It becomes just a refinished old gun.
 
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christcorp

New member
I agree that there are some cringe moments with some of the work people do. Then again; there are some who cringe when they look at my 90% restored 1966 mustang that now has a modified GM Electronic Ignition and distributor. Along with some digital gauges, electric fuel pump, etc... But guess what; I've had this car for about 20 years, and it's the way I like it. And if the historical mustang crowd cringes, so be it.

The only time I wouldn't do such modifications or improvements; whether it's a car, gun, or whatever; would be if I was thinking of selling it; or if I wanted an original collection. But if a person doesn't plan on ever selling a particular gun, and they want to PAINT it PINK to give to their wife to simulate a lady gun. And if the wife and he likes it; more power to them.

P.S. TexasRich; while I appreciate your passion, it's still NOT a travesty. I have collected quite a bit of original art. Some original paintings as well as original prints and lithographs. And my wife was always confused that I could actually pay $20,000 to $40,000 for an original painting, print, litho, etc... of Monet, Vernet, White, etc... And in the same breath, buy a $100 dollar painting by G. Whitman. The answer is quite easy. I liked the painting. What you see as some historical travesty, someone else sees as part of the present. And that they will eventually be part of history.
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
So, he goes to Walmart and buys cold blue kit and goes after his gun to make it look new. Since he has done a little carpentry work in the past, he figures he's a wood expert, too-so he sands down the stock, stains it, and puts a coat of polyurethane on it.

After all this work, he is very proud of his gun.

This is all well and good, until he finds out he has ruined it.
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Only ruined it if it was a real collectible, in the first place.

An old gun doesn't always have that much value -- and if you're not a collector and you're looking for a gun, you might like the one that has been cold-blued better than one that was shiney in spots.

I've found, too, that some cold-bluing, like Brownell's Ox-Pho Blue, holds up pretty well if you heat the metal before application, and put on a bunch of light coats. (It doesn't always hold up as well as hot-blued finishes, but it can sometimes be indistinguishable from the original, and easily retouched.)

For a real collectible, you're right -- it's been ruined AS A COLLECTOR'S GUN, but not otherwise.

I quit trying to keep guns as a potential investment, as I've found that even the most valuable ones I've had probably aren't keeping up with inflation. There are exceptions -- and a Colt Pything I had a few years ago has gone up a bit. But even then, the time-value of money is a horrible, nasty creature -- which means that inflation can bite you on the butt when you're not watching. A gun you paid $600 for in 1988 would have to sell for roughly $1100 today to just break even in buying power.

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

(It's just when I find a good one that is underpriced that I have a chance at making some money, some day.)
 
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Skans

Active member
Only ruined it if it was a real collectible, in the first place.
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Agreed! I have a 1973 Winchester 70 with a rough stock and typical rust spots on the receiver. There's not much you can do to this gun to make it worth less than it is. There's also not much you can do to this gun to make it worth more than it is worth. Not even much you can do to make it prettier. If I could cold blue it and fix the stock by sanding, filling and oil staining it, I would.

My C-Series Browning Hi-Power is near perfect, and there's no need for me to mess with it. But, if it had a few small spots where the blue had worn, I might try a little cold blue, or paste, to see if I could touch it up a little. I can't see this harming the value of this particular gun either.

There are a number of older guns that were in pretty rough condition, but have been professionally restored. So long as they aren't all that collectible, I actually prefer a nicely refinished period piece...just some stuff from the 1930's forward, and not any military piece.
 
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raftman

New member
Yeah, it's definitely not always a bad thing to reblue. I've done it to a couple of my guns, including a .22 semi-auto rifle. It is old, so I did make sure to look up any possible collectible value. In its condition, it would have gone for between $100 and $130. So what I had was a fun gun, that shoots with relative reliability and very solid accuracy but of very little value and one that wouldn't be easy to sell. It also had around 30% of the original bluing, if that. Sure looked like an old piece of junk. After the reblue, it just looks a lot nicer, and the value is completely unaffected. What's wrong with that?
 
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BigJimP

New member
If he did it - thinking it would increase in value ... its too bad.

If he did it - because he wanted to - and didn't care if it affected the value / and he likes it - its just fine.

Its too bad, in this age of the internet, if he didn't take the time to find out first / but its still his gun .....and while it means I would offer him less money for it, if he were selling it, if I wanted it at all - but that's ok too.
 
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