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385kb restoration

I recently purchased a 385kb to learn restorations on. Stock is decent, may sand it down and coat with linseed oil. I want to reblue the barrel, and I have been considering cold bluing with Birchwood Casey bluing kit. Comes with all the stuff to do this. Is there enough to do a 26" barrel? Has anyone else had experience with this product?
 
I have a tube of Birchwood Casey paste & I get the feeling it's going to last for a long long time.

The stuff is strong and it just takes a little dab.

It doesn't really help to put too much on anyway. What you have to do is repetitive coats.

By the way, please post some pictures of your 385.
 
18056.jpg
 
That's pretty tiny and fuzzy. Maybe see if you can get one about 1024x768 pixels?

Bigger is ok, IF it's less than 1MB.
 
I have a single shot .22 that is a restoration candidate. It's a Springfield that was made between '29 and '48. It has also become one of my favorite guns in my stable.
 
Neat guns. One of those models had a well-known recall regarding the screw that stops the bolt's rearward movement. If its the same model I'd replace that screw with a heavy duty unit.

Refinishing stocks is E-Z and there is tons of info out there. Get some sandpaper, stain and go at it.

The cold blue works much better than people give it credit for. As the other poster said its all about multiple coats. Smooth the barrel out with fine wool and then go crazy with the blue. Seems to work better at slightly elevated temperatures.
 
I like to apply "cold" bluing to warm metal. In the summertime you can just sit it out in the sun for a while and it's plenty warm. Otherwise just prop it up over the stove and let it warm up.

Like virtually all chemical reactions, this will proceed quicker if the solution and the metal are both warm. But since you're applying small amounts of solution to a large piece of metal generally it's the metal temperature that is the most important.

But it's very easy to apply three or four coats an hour if you are keeping the metal warm.

When you rinse off the acid (yes bluing is basically acid) use warm water. This dilutes the acid and it's carriers more quickly and thoroughly.

You can do as good looking a job as any Factory bluing if you take your time, and frankly you can do much better than the blue I see on cheap guns now days.
 
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