raventai 0 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) Yea I know not typical, in the picture thread there are quite a few painted in a "cast iron" color paint, somewhat mimics blued steel. why not the real thing? light polish and cold blue? do the various parts of a saiga take blue well? some steels do not, Any pictures? Just thinking about what direction I want to go with my conversion, its going to need a finish at some point. Edited December 29, 2010 by RavenTai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulyski 2,227 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) Hot blue it. Cold Bluing isn't as durable a finish. I believe Saigatech has hot blued some of his, or someone has that I've seen. It's a beautifully finished look. Hot bluing is a harder, more involved process that requires a hot bluing tank. It's much more involved than simply painting, so you'll rarely see a blued Saiga. If you strip your gun down to bare metal & lightly polish it, a decent gunsmith will hot blue it for around $100.00. ETA; If you plan on Bluing, never use WD-40 for rust prevention. WD-40 (Water Displacement formula 40) does work great for rust prevention, but it's been known to, if used over a period of time, inhibit a steel's ability to hold a decent blue. Edited December 29, 2010 by Paulyski 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kresk 10,063 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Agree--cold blue is only for small screw head touch-ups and the like. If you want to blue the gun, do it right in a hot tank at a gunsmith. Not exactly the best finish for a 'combat' gun though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JDeere7296 1 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Have also heard that about WD-40 among other things, although we used it growing up to clean our guns pretty much all the time.... I agree a blued Saiga would be nice, although not a combat finish, but lets face it.....how many of us actually use our saiga for hard use. If I were you and if I blued one, I would go with wood furniture, maybe a laminate or nice grained wood. That would definately make the gun stand out......I guess it depends on the gunsmith and the blueing he uses, some blueing jobs look almost black, and some look a deep blue. I think a deep blue color and wood furniture would look sweet! just me .02 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulyski 2,227 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) A load of buck from a blued combat shotgun will do every bit as much damage as a load of buck from a painted one... The difference is the gun can remain a beautifully dressed lady until the time comes when she has to get down & dirty for a while. This is why I keep some course steel wool in the hidden second hole of my S-12's Russian AKM takeoff stock. If a situation arose where the gloss finish on my wood stocks might be a liability, I could matten it down with a few swipes. If the world's ending & a person thinks the time may come where he can't find oil to treat his gun, he can go grab a can of spraypaint & go to town. If the enemy is close enough to judge you on the looks of your firearm, well... You're doing something wrong. I don't know.... Maybe it's just the ADD, but I like shiny things. I still intend on hot-bluing when I decide that I'm completely done with my personal gun. Edited December 29, 2010 by Paulyski Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Heath_h49008 442 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 I'm too rough on my guns to keep them shiny. I spare no expense with my Krylon, but may be switching to Cerakote as a base on my next rifle project. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scarbrough68289 76 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Man a case colored AK would be tits though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Superhawk138 202 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Here is a writeup of some work down on a couple S-12s that were "Vodka Specials" . Although I don't agree with welding the relief hole in the gas block it is a very informative write up with 2 Saiga's that they hot blued. http://earthseaphoto.com/SagaofMySaiga.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Klassy Kalashnikov 1,393 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulyski 2,227 Posted December 30, 2010 Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 His finish may have come out smoother if he had preped the steel better first with prep wheels & polished it up. I've been planning on eventually hot-bluing mine since the beginning, so I already did that part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raventai 0 Posted December 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 interesting article, not sure I like the bluing on a abrasive blast surface. Looks more like parkerization, its an apropriate look for the saiga 12, but it does not have that sexy gleam that a polished blue can have. Good to see that the saiga metals are blue compatible. I do want to go with walnut furniture, ironwood is working on a one piece forend for the saiga, but it will be at least a few months, and who knows how manydelays for a developing product. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigmegina 3 Posted December 30, 2010 Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 rust blue Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobRez 1,896 Posted December 30, 2010 Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 I think I would have to go for the "Ultra-Pimp" Gold plating, like the AK-47.Totally over the top! Tacky, gaudy, cheesy, yet strangely alluring. Of course I do have weird tastes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kresk 10,063 Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 rust blue Most guns I've seen refinished in this manner are old double barrels that are soft soldered together and cannot withstand the heat of a normal blueing tank. Most places I know of don't have rust blue capacity although they will have hot blueing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XdamagedX 248 Posted December 31, 2010 Report Share Posted December 31, 2010 I think I would have to go for the "Ultra-Pimp" Gold plating, like the AK-47.Totally over the top! Tacky, gaudy, cheesy, yet strangely alluring. Of course I do have weird tastes. it would never tarnish! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raventai 0 Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 disassembled my S12 last night, went at the safety lever by hand with a fine polish while watching TV, cutting through the paint is annoyingly slow by hand, I have heard that brake cleaner will remove the paint from the reciever, what about other parts? the finis looks slightly different, is there a chemical stripper that will remove the finish on the barrel gas tube etc? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 disassembled my S12 last night, went at the safety lever by hand with a fine polish while watching TV, cutting through the paint is annoyingly slow by hand, I have heard that brake cleaner will remove the paint from the reciever, what about other parts? the finis looks slightly different, is there a chemical stripper that will remove the finish on the barrel gas tube etc? Same. Brake parts cleaner will strip all of the factory paint to my knowledge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TYBOY 33 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) disassembled my S12 last night, went at the safety lever by hand with a fine polish while watching TV, cutting through the paint is annoyingly slow by hand, I have heard that brake cleaner will remove the paint from the reciever, what about other parts? the finis looks slightly different, is there a chemical stripper that will remove the finish on the barrel gas tube etc? MEK ( Methyl Ethyl Ketone) It is sold at hardware stores. Be cautioned though, this stuff is awful for you. Banned by most Aviation companies that I've worked for, but it will strip anything. Just put some in a small glass bowl and dip a white scothbrite into it and go to town. I dont think the low abrasive scotch brite will do any damage, do a test area. Dont get any on your skin. Or just get some paint stripper. TYBOY Edited January 21, 2011 by TYBOY Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Etek 32 Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Gentlefolks, 'Cold Blue' can be a durable and easily repaired finish but it must be done correctly. Strip the weapon down completely then degrease. Beadblast using a fine medium then degrease again. Keep your bare hands and fingers off the blasted finish. Blue the piece by dipping or applying the bluing acids with superfine steel wool. Wash it in COLD water. Blue it again a couple times if you wish after washing. Getting a NICE finish requres superfine steel wooling between or during washing. Worry not about a bit of surface rust. The last time you blue it wash it one last time and let it dry at normal temps. Use a rag if needed but do NOT rub the finish. Now here is the trick. Using a CLP that contains PTFE (Teflon) apply liberally but do not rub, let it run off. Heat the part to no more than 600F (It smokes well before 600) and let it cool. Apply CLP lightly after it cools and gently wipe dry. The key is sealing the finish with PTFE. Simply oiling a cold blue finish won't work. Matter of fact it seems to make the finish easier to rub off. I refinish parts for Naval AA guns and use this technique on many parts and they hold up quite well even in wet corrosive environments. Be not surprised if sme Eastern European pieces do not blue correctly/are spotted. Even Italian parts have spots of stainless/non-blue-able metal in them. Your choice at this point is of course the typical Communist PAINT IT deal. I'd suggest Oxypho (Brownells) rather than the shitty tiny bottles of paste or liquid with a 'Shoe Shine' ball attached to a stick. Get a gallon of Brownells stuff and go to town. Use a cheap plastic tub to dip your pieces in and discard the used acid correctly. Wear gloves AND eye protection please. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gunfanatic 221 Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 disassembled my S12 last night, went at the safety lever by hand with a fine polish while watching TV, cutting through the paint is annoyingly slow by hand, I have heard that brake cleaner will remove the paint from the reciever, what about other parts? the finis looks slightly different, is there a chemical stripper that will remove the finish on the barrel gas tube etc? MEK ( Methyl Ethyl Ketone) It is sold at hardware stores. Be cautioned though, this stuff is awful for you. Banned by most Aviation companies that I've worked for, but it will strip anything. Just put some in a small glass bowl and dip a white scothbrite into it and go to town. I dont think the low abrasive scotch brite will do any damage, do a test area. Dont get any on your skin. Or just get some paint stripper. TYBOY Also don't get MEK anywhere near the plastic parts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raventai 0 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) Just an update on my slow progress, still waiting on word from Ironwood about a matching drop in wood set, Both the 3m brake cleaner and acetone I tried were only partially effective, MEK and a small wire brush did the trick for removing the factory BBQ paint. I looked into hot blue its not in the budget right now maybe later, I already had a small bottle of birtchwood casey cold blue that I do touchup with and tried it on the top cover, the results look almost acceptable indoors, but in good light it has a murky uneven brownish look, Etek, do you think I will get better results with Brownells Oxypho? Edited February 17, 2011 by RavenTai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Desolo 55 Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 I actually think that looks kind of neat, reminds me of pictures ive seen of very old, much used AK's... I Bet an S-12 made to look battle worn would be freaking awesome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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