Do the Casey Birchwood Cold Bluing kits stink? Or am I just dumb?

[SuperMario92]

So I'm trying to refinish a surplus CZ75 Compact. After spending forever and a day removing the 'polycoat' finish and another eternity removing the melanite finish underneath the polymer coating, I finally have something that (I think) is untreated steel. It needs a little more work to get a polished finish, but I'm not terribly worried about that.

My problem is that I've done some spot tests with a CB Cold Bluing kit and the finish is only barely darker than the steel. I've done multiple 'coats' and it doesn't really get much darker after the 2nd.

My question is this - has anyone had really dramatic results with one of these kits? Or are the results always going to be subtle? At least knowing that I can decide whether to keep troubleshooting or to move onto another process. (The test spot was the bottom of the trigger guard).

 

[Bypass]

Those kits suck. Take it to a pro and get it hot blued.

 

[Ken Ford]

So I'm trying to refinish a surplus CZ75 Compact. After spending forever and a day removing the 'polycoat' finish and another eternity removing the melanite finish underneath the polymer coating, I finally have something that (I think) is untreated steel. It needs a little more work to get a polished finish, but I'm not terribly worried about that.

My problem is that I've done some spot tests with a CB Cold Bluing kit and the finish is only barely darker than the steel. I've done multiple 'coats' and it doesn't really get much darker after the 2nd.

My question is this - has anyone had really dramatic results with one of these kits? Or are the results always going to be subtle? At least knowing that I can decide whether to keep troubleshooting or to move onto another process. (The test spot was the bottom of the trigger guard).
View attachment 3230858 View attachment 3230859

Are you following the directions? The steps are critical to good results. Yes you can get a dark blue from them if you follow the steps exactly.

 

[TommyT]

Some of their kits say not for stainless steel but makes me wonder how it would work on any steel. The Super Blue looks like it works 10 times better compared to Perma Blue on some YouTube videos.

Is Perma Blue in your kit?

 

[JET 5.45x39]

Second for getting it hot blued. But, I’ve had better luck with the “blueing paste” they sell. It comes in a tube like toothpaste you just apply some with a rag and rinse it off.

 

[killerv]

read up on rust bluing, easy to do at home with minimum investment. I watched a lot of these guys videos before trying it. I used a classic rust blue from brownells. For a pistol, you would just boil the parts after the rusting occurs. And not all steel is the same, same prefer different type of bluing.

 

[JBWJr]

It works well if you follow the instructions to the letter.
The main thing is polishing and degreasing.
I heat the part with a heat gun a might before sponge brushing the bluing on the part.

 

[BLIP]

Let me show you a home trick you can go from

 

[BLIP]

To this with patience with rust blueing

 

[Rabbit2047]

Durablue is where it's at. It's like cerakote only it mimics blueing. Super durable