Again, the gun has NO value. Even before I re-blued it, just outta curiosity I brought it in to a few of my favorite shops, while I was looking for other things, to see what they'd give me for it. The top offer I got was $45. In your seeking for a sense of superiority, you assume that I can't tell the difference between original bluing and cold bluing. I can. My whole point was, if the gun is worthless, and its worn, beaten condition makes it look as worthless as it is, a cold blue CAN make it look better than before and you're not hurting anything. I doubt I will ever be able to get more than $75 for that gun, and a professional re-bluing, here at least, will cost 150-200. And in the case of my Sterling, would probably add no more than $20 to the resale value. Sorry, but the fact of the matter is, in this case, the gun looks to be in better shape, and its value is not affected in even the slightest way. Sometimes, it just doesn't matter.
Why people cold blue guns
- Thread starter Bill DeShivs
- Start date
Huntergirl
New member
I see the "bluing police" are migrating early this year. Free country, individual choice, many opinions. But the one that counts is the guy owning the gun. I do not care about the rightness or wrongness of bluing practices of the general population. Thank goodness hunting season is 2 weeks away. Time to get a life.
Your baseball cards wouldn't be worth as much if my mother (and 100's of other mothers) hadn't thrown my cards away.
If you have that rare gun that is the same as the rare gun that he cold blued (actually refinished in any way) yours should eventually go up in value by a bit.
Like a classic car goes up in value every time another one hits the junkyard.
Hang on to the cards, make them look like you want them and drive it like there is no tomorrow.
If you have that rare gun that is the same as the rare gun that he cold blued (actually refinished in any way) yours should eventually go up in value by a bit.
Like a classic car goes up in value every time another one hits the junkyard.
Hang on to the cards, make them look like you want them and drive it like there is no tomorrow.
Guilty as charged...I've used & continue to use cold blue for malfeasance even beyond that articulated by JohnKSA. Now this will give Bill a case of the vapors...but I've even used it on knives!
And goodness, Bill..."I wish cold blue was outlawed." If I didn't know better, I might think you had a vested interest in the refinishing of guns or something.
Sarge
An incorrigible 'Heathern Savage' (can't help myself...Viking blood) who happens to like a good rounded corner or two-touched up with cold blue-on his carry guns.
And goodness, Bill..."I wish cold blue was outlawed." If I didn't know better, I might think you had a vested interest in the refinishing of guns or something.
Sarge
An incorrigible 'Heathern Savage' (can't help myself...Viking blood) who happens to like a good rounded corner or two-touched up with cold blue-on his carry guns.
Mike Irwin
Staff
"Like a classic car goes up in value every time another one hits the junkyard."
So, how's that Chrysler Cordoba with rich Corinthian leather appreciating for you?
Face it.
Some guns will simply NEVER have value other than as a shooter, even if it is the last one on earth.
A correlary example is books. I'm big into books. I have a small collection of leather bound books. OLD leather bound books.
The oldest one is a religious book, printed in London in 1626, in Welsh.
HOLY CRAP!
Leather bound, almost 500 years old, and printed in Welsh (which is uncommon)? That's gotta be worth hundreds of thousands of millions of billions!!!!!!
It's worth about $25.
For whatever reason, its intrinsic value slight.
Maybe in another 500 years it will be worth more, but at that point I won't be around to see it.
The simple truth is...
Not everything has, or will have, value greater than what it has now, so it's no great sin to alter them.
The book I mentioned above?
It's only worth about $25, but I spent nearly double that having the spine stabilized.
Why?
Because it's worth it to me.
So, how's that Chrysler Cordoba with rich Corinthian leather appreciating for you?
Face it.
Some guns will simply NEVER have value other than as a shooter, even if it is the last one on earth.
A correlary example is books. I'm big into books. I have a small collection of leather bound books. OLD leather bound books.
The oldest one is a religious book, printed in London in 1626, in Welsh.
HOLY CRAP!
Leather bound, almost 500 years old, and printed in Welsh (which is uncommon)? That's gotta be worth hundreds of thousands of millions of billions!!!!!!
It's worth about $25.
For whatever reason, its intrinsic value slight.
Maybe in another 500 years it will be worth more, but at that point I won't be around to see it.
The simple truth is...
Not everything has, or will have, value greater than what it has now, so it's no great sin to alter them.
The book I mentioned above?
It's only worth about $25, but I spent nearly double that having the spine stabilized.
Why?
Because it's worth it to me.
Bill DeShivs
New member
I'm not "seeking superiority."
While I refinish the occasional pistol part, I can assure you I'm no plating guru!
While I refinish the occasional pistol part, I can assure you I'm no plating guru!
When you say, "you can't tell the difference, but I can" you do assert a sense of superiority.
I don't doubt that you know a lot more about refinishing weapons than I do, after all, it appears to be what you do for a living. I guess what gets to me, is that you imply that I'm just some ignorant hobbyist that doesn't know what he's doing. My whole point was, I did know cold bluing wouldn't yield results that are indistinguishable from factory bluing, but furthermore, I was aware of the potential consequences of redoing the finish of a gun using this technique, which is why I did to a gun that is essentially worthless. It has no collector's appeal and isn't even a particularly good choice if you're after a .22 pistol as a shooter. It was a completely informed decision, and not a bad one.
Like I said, I certainly wouldn't do it to any of the guns I care about, so in that sense we agree. One certainly shouldn't to it to a fine gun, still their choice of course. I just think there are cases, however, where it really doesn't matter, and where it doesn't do more harm than good.
I don't doubt that you know a lot more about refinishing weapons than I do, after all, it appears to be what you do for a living. I guess what gets to me, is that you imply that I'm just some ignorant hobbyist that doesn't know what he's doing. My whole point was, I did know cold bluing wouldn't yield results that are indistinguishable from factory bluing, but furthermore, I was aware of the potential consequences of redoing the finish of a gun using this technique, which is why I did to a gun that is essentially worthless. It has no collector's appeal and isn't even a particularly good choice if you're after a .22 pistol as a shooter. It was a completely informed decision, and not a bad one.
Like I said, I certainly wouldn't do it to any of the guns I care about, so in that sense we agree. One certainly shouldn't to it to a fine gun, still their choice of course. I just think there are cases, however, where it really doesn't matter, and where it doesn't do more harm than good.
Bill DeShivs
New member
No, I don't refinish weapons for a living. If I did, I would weigh a lot less than I do now. My work is a part time endeavor.
When I was a kid, I built muzzle loaders from kits and cold blued them. They always looked crappy, no matter how many coats you put on them, no matter how well the metal was prepped. And durability in the field was poor.
Then I learned how to rust blue, then Parkerize and now I do hot bluing too. And they are all really simple to do. If you knew how easy it is to do any of these, you'd never use cold blue for more than spot touch-up again.
Then I learned how to rust blue, then Parkerize and now I do hot bluing too. And they are all really simple to do. If you knew how easy it is to do any of these, you'd never use cold blue for more than spot touch-up again.
Maybe some people refinish their guns to help preserve them. That's the reason a finish was put on metal and wood in the first place. I'm glad car collectors don't think like some gun collectors otherwise car shows would look like junk yards.
I have guns that I refinished the stock and cold blued because I want my guns to look and stay in good condition. I like the results better than a beat up worn out looking gun. I also bought my guns for me to enjoy and not to be a caretaker for some collector. There's more to owning a gun than its collector value.
Why do collectors often seem to think everyone is a caretaker for their collection and set the rules for gun owners? Why do they even give a damn when someone refinishes a gun? It only makes the worn out broken down looking guns that much rarer and more valuable to collectors. I'm surprised I haven't heard any complaints yet about removing historic cosmolene from a gun.
Also, who else but a hard core collector would pay a lot more for a worn out looking gun than one that has been restored with no intention of ever shooting it and only want a gun for its collector value. Who else but a collector would be so blinded by a cartouche, roll mark, or certain part that they don't see a gun anymore. Does anyone else find some collectors a bit odd and arrogant or is it just me?
I have guns that I refinished the stock and cold blued because I want my guns to look and stay in good condition. I like the results better than a beat up worn out looking gun. I also bought my guns for me to enjoy and not to be a caretaker for some collector. There's more to owning a gun than its collector value.
Why do collectors often seem to think everyone is a caretaker for their collection and set the rules for gun owners? Why do they even give a damn when someone refinishes a gun? It only makes the worn out broken down looking guns that much rarer and more valuable to collectors. I'm surprised I haven't heard any complaints yet about removing historic cosmolene from a gun.
Also, who else but a hard core collector would pay a lot more for a worn out looking gun than one that has been restored with no intention of ever shooting it and only want a gun for its collector value. Who else but a collector would be so blinded by a cartouche, roll mark, or certain part that they don't see a gun anymore. Does anyone else find some collectors a bit odd and arrogant or is it just me?
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Bill DeShivs
New member
Interesting replies.
Cold bluing offers little to no protection from rust, just so you know.
Whether it sounds elitist or not, anyone who has been around guns for any length of time can spot a cold blued gun, so it doesn't keep them "in good condition" or make them look new.
If you had a '67 Mustang with crappy paint, you wouldn't repaint it with a brush. You would take it to a professional.
And that brings up another question:
If you were truly concerned about rust or protecting the gun why not have a better finish put on? Bluing is not durable, and offers little protection. If the gun has no value, spray painting it with black lacquer will protect the gun from rust, and it can be removed easily and reapplied. You can even paint over the existing blue, as long as any rust is removed. If the gun is moderately valuable, why not have it hard chromed or nitrided? It costs money, but those finishes are the ultimate and they protect inside and out.
The "gun paints" like Duracoat require sandblasting, Parkerizing, and then painting-so if you use them you are removing all of the original finish, and then you are still PAINTING the gun.
Cold bluing offers little to no protection from rust, just so you know.
Whether it sounds elitist or not, anyone who has been around guns for any length of time can spot a cold blued gun, so it doesn't keep them "in good condition" or make them look new.
If you had a '67 Mustang with crappy paint, you wouldn't repaint it with a brush. You would take it to a professional.
And that brings up another question:
If you were truly concerned about rust or protecting the gun why not have a better finish put on? Bluing is not durable, and offers little protection. If the gun has no value, spray painting it with black lacquer will protect the gun from rust, and it can be removed easily and reapplied. You can even paint over the existing blue, as long as any rust is removed. If the gun is moderately valuable, why not have it hard chromed or nitrided? It costs money, but those finishes are the ultimate and they protect inside and out.
The "gun paints" like Duracoat require sandblasting, Parkerizing, and then painting-so if you use them you are removing all of the original finish, and then you are still PAINTING the gun.
"Cold bluing" encompasses a fairly broad range of preparations which have an equally broad range of corrosion protection properties. Some offer very little corrosion protection, some may be nearly as good (perhaps even better) at preventing corrosion than hot blue. What hot blue offers is a great combination of features. Good durability, good corrosion protection and good appearance. Some cold blues can equal or exceed hot blues in one particular category, but I'm not aware of any that can manage to equal it in all three.
orionengnr
New member
Well said, HunterGirl.