Gunsmithing Do you have to blue before paint?

mscott

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 10, 2007
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Central Ohio
Is it necessary to blue a barrel before painting or is it O.K. to leave it in the white? The rifle is planned to be painted in a camo pattern, but does bluing offer any other protection under Krylon?
 
Re: Do you have to blue before paint?

Bluing is a controled rust. IMO it's old technology and seems to be fading away with coatings like duracoat and Cerakote becoming so widely used.

As said above, just paint away. If it's chromoly and you leave it bare, it'll rust


Keith
 
Re: Do you have to blue before paint?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AZPrecision</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Bluing is a controled rust. IMO it's old technology and seems to be fading away with coatings like duracoat and Cerakote becoming so widely used.

As said above, just paint away. If it's chromoly and you leave it bare, it'll rust


Keith </div></div>

In tactical terms it's old tech, but for an elegant rifle with a fine piece of wood, there's nothing quite as beautiful IMO.

It's an Fe2+ state, hence the blue/black color. It's significantly tougher than the Fe3+ "red rust" we all associate with damage.

No you dont have to blue, if you do, the rifle is less likely to rust or be damaged when the paint begins to flake.
 
Re: Do you have to blue before paint?

Since it is CM not SS--you have other pre-paint options as well such as Parkerizing or black oxide. Either will make the metal more durable than Krylon alone.
 
Re: Do you have to blue before paint?

The surface texture is also an important variable.

If it's polished, paint or coatings will be more likely to flake than if the surface has some texture.

In your case, without anything under the krylon but steel in the white, you'd open yourself up to rust in a big hurry with even the smallest flake of paint protection gone.

I'll second <span style="font-weight: bold">19Scout77's</span> recommendation of parkerizing/oxide prior to the paint.
 
Re: Do you have to blue before paint?

Abrasive blasting and Parkerizing will provide something for the paint to stick to if you want to do it right. You can sand with #220, and GunKote makes a spray on parkerizing that provides a better surface.

Brownells Alumahyde is tough...regular paint is not that durable, but any paint, even Krylon will prevent rust and is easily touched up...no worries either way.

TC
 
Re: Do you have to blue before paint?

If your up for a DIY project, I strongly recommend parking before painting. It is not hard to do, and it will make the final product come out much better. The good thing about painting it yourself is if it starts coming off or you get tired of the color, just blast or sand it down and do it again. Duracoat over park last much longer than over bare metal. In either case, metal prep is the key. Get it clean!