josey88 21 Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 (edited) Ok... I would like to take the paint out of my Saiga(receiver, barrel, etc ) and then re-blue it . I cut use Birchwood Casey`s Super blue , Outers Gun Blue or perhaps something better (?) , but I am thinking it will look better . What is the opinion of the Gurus here ? Thanks Edited July 21, 2013 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jdub23 21 Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 I painted a Saiga .308 real quick for a sale one time. I hit it with a wire brush on the drill "high speed." Dremmel sanding disc for the final touches. I don't think you even need to take all the old paint off just give it a good rough clean surface. But, I took mine down to the bare metal. Then hit it with brake cleaner, heated it in the stove to bleed out grease and oil and hit it again with brake cleaner, "at least a half a can nearly a whole can each time." Then I used Rustoleum Black Appliance Epoxy spray paint on a warmed gun and warmed paint. Just hung it up and hit it with short strokes until it had a good coat without pancakes. Baked it at 350-400 deg F in the oven for 30-40 min. The damn selector wont even carve a spot on the receiver! Its a little glossy but tweaking your temp and bake time can change that some. It impressed me... I watched a demo by some guy on here on YouTube. Just do a search. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted July 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 Is not that . My Saiga is painted and it looks great painted . The paint is in good condition . I would like to try to blue it using OXPHO BLUE from Brownells and get rid of the paint . I think it would look great . I like the looks of the Ravan `s Saiga here on this site . He blued it and to me it looks great . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jdub23 21 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Oh yeah it does have a good blue job then. I suck at gun blue products... I do think the rotary wire brush is great for removing paint. I guess if it scores anywhere you can buff it... You will need to have it really clean or blue will not do well at all. Good luck. Edited July 22, 2013 by jdub23 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Blued guns are pretty, and it does look nicer than paint. I have done some cold blue work and it's hit and miss. It can streak and blotch if not applied evenly. It will also cause rust if you don't get cleaned up 100%. On top of that you have alot of paint to remove, and while it's naked it may be prone to rust if you don't get it blued right away which will effect blueing. Any blemish will show when it you blue it so you have to get the surface as perfect as you can before applying the blue. Best blue job will be from a hot blue solution, but it's not likely something you will want to do yourself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Some, if not most Saigas are parkerized under the paint. You might need to bead blast before bluing. If I was going to go that far, I would have it professionally hot blued. As it stands, I prefer AKs painted. Doesn't require the attention of bluing or parkerizing, and in most cases looks pretty good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 This is getting complicated by the minute . I guess that I best leave it the way it is , which is fine by all standards . I would not want to spend a couple of hundred dollars on a professional hot blue job , if there is one close to me , which I doubt . I thought I cut do it with Oxpho Blue , but I now realize that it won`t work . Thanks to all for the right advice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SgtRaven 531 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Dang, I've just got excited, hoping to learn something new and try out... However, knowing me, you just saved me time, money and spared from major headaches. Nice discussion topic, though... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Just for everyones info, the saiga factory paint is quickly and easily removed with brake cleaner. Bleeds right off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Just for everyones info, the saiga factory paint is quickly and easily removed with brake cleaner. Bleeds right off. Hummmmm... this is tempting news . My original idea was to blue the receiver and barrel only , to make a nice contrast with my black german ak-74 zig zag brake and receiver cover . Both are nicely coated from factory , specially the brake , which is the real thing , all chromed inside and a beautiful finish outside (how the germans are able to make the zig zag holes is a real mistery to me ... perhaps laser machinery ? ) . Also , the black CSS Quad rail (it arrives this week ) , black folded stock , black Zahal rubber grip and gas tube would add to an interesting contrast with the blued receiver and barrel ... at least , I think it would ... !!! I have examined my receiver very close and it doesn`t look like it is parkerized beneath the paint , and neither is the barrel ... both are very smooth , without the rough surface of the parkerizing finish . The ideal thing would be a hot bluing job , but that is costly , I don`t have a local shop around and I really have an acute aversion to allow others to put their hands on my guns , so this option is out . Anyway , to be frank , I would not dismiss this idea completely . I`ll keep thinking about it . The flat sides of the receiver would be the most worrisome trouble spots for color continuity , and the barrel ... I`ll keep giving it some thought for some time more before I do it or not . I understand that Brownell`s OXPHO BLUE in creme is pretty good for spots , so I just don`t know if it will work well for the whole receiver and barrel ... too many variants . I need more research Edited July 22, 2013 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Just for everyones info, the saiga factory paint is quickly and easily removed with brake cleaner. Bleeds right off. yeah it does, but on mine at least, once the paint was gone there was still a layer of factory parkerizing. I would've left it that way, but I had some grinding to do. but the paint does run right off with either chlorinated or non-CL brake cleaner. looks like purple squid ink. Edited July 22, 2013 by mancat 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) That doesn`t worries me .. that would be the easy part . Two things worry me : 1) That I can obtain uniformity on the bluing on the sides of the receiver . I would do it as many times as it takes ... 2 , 3 , 5, whatever as long as it comes out ok . 2) That I will be able to match the bluing color between the receiver and the barrel /rear sight block , given that the metals are different and I , since I don`t have a hot bluing equipment , I will be using the Oxpho Blue stuff for the entire proyect . I know that if things go bad I can always paint it back up , but still I have to research some more to see if it is doable , how durable it is ,etc etc because I don`t want to be bluing that thing every week !!! I am beginning to get the feeling that I am perhaps getting myself trapped into something difficult and stupid ... Edited July 22, 2013 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ravan 17 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Just get some Laurel Mountain Rust brown, then follow the directions to blue it, by soaking it in distilled boiling water, Its what I did to mine, and It looks good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Ok... I would like to take the paint out of my Saiga(receiver, barrel, etc ) and then re-blue it . I cut use Birchwood Casey`s Super blue , Outers Gun Blue or perhaps something better (?) , but I am thinking it will look better . What is the opinion of the Gurus here ? Thanks Blue wounder Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) Well, guys , I decided to keep it the way it is . It really looks good and now with the CSS Quad rail , it is magnificent . The finish is perfect , with no scratches , nothing , so I am keeping it original . I guess I was looking for something to do ... I am glad I changed my mind . Perhaps in the future , if the finish gets marred or scratched I will go ahead and do the bluing . Anyway , thanks to all for the advices . Couple of pics with the new Quad rail : [/url] L] Edited July 25, 2013 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 That's part of enjoying guns for me. You can always go back to do something later, and it gives you a new project to tinker on, and a new life for the gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 (edited) That's part of enjoying guns for me. You can always go back to do something later, and it gives you a new project to tinker on, and a new life for the gun. Yes... As a matter of fact , I have been looking at the CSS trigger guard , the one made of a solid aluminum billet . It looks great but I wonder if I want to spend $40.00 +S/H in it ... but if I order this trigger guard , I may as well go all the way and get the extended RAM magazine release also , to complete the upgrade . That is the problem with these things ... once you start to upgrade and add parts , there is no end to it and there is always something new and better , lol ... Edited July 26, 2013 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SgtRaven 531 Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 (edited) ...once you start to upgrade and add parts , there is no end to it and there is always something new and better , lol ... Tell me about... Edited July 26, 2013 by Sgt. Raven 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
josey88 21 Posted August 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 (edited) Well... I ordered the CSS Trigger guard and the Enhanced mag release to complete the upgrade . This trigger guard is really , really nice and thick . Also , this magazine release is very convenient and I can dislodge the mag with one finger . A little difficulty when mounting it because of the spring , but it took me 2 minutes to do it , no big deal at all . I had to file a mm to make it work correctly ... there were some instructions as to what to do , but I just paired the original mag release lever (the one that came with the gun) with the new one and file it until they were both exactly equal ... tried it and it was perfect . I tried it on my 7 mags , to be sure . I like my Saiga ...the only thing is that now it is heavy . After adding scope/mount , folded stock , Quad rail , etc this thing is now really heavy to carry around in a SHTF scenario... I guess that there is always a trade off in everything . It will work for range sessions , but carrying it around , forget it . I am glad I chose the side optics/mount that will eliminate a big weight if I take it off to carry the rifle and also the bipod ...then , the rifle becomes manageable . Here are a couple of pics : Edited August 2, 2013 by josey88 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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