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What a nightmare but i managed it.
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Blacking a gun barrel.
- Thread starter frank rabbets
- Start date
Is that a BSA Airsporter Frank? it looks familiar.
Towpack
Well-Known Member
I cold re-blued a BSA Scorpion air pistol many years ago and it came out quite good. Can't remember exactly who made the reblue but Parker Hale springs to mind? I also had a rebarrelled/refurbed Lee Enfield No. 4 MK2 with ladder sights which had been professionally done and you could tell the difference though. I also had an Airsporter and the pic does look like one. Still got a Weirauch HW35E I bought in the mid 80's. The blueing on that is first class but is starting to wear a bit thin on top of the barrel through cocking the action.
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Yes it is an Airsporter. I have a Model 50 Original in show room condition. I bought it in 1976 and only used it for 12 months. Still have the original pellet box left with a few in it.
The process I used is the same as the gun factories and pro' restorers use. The finish is only as smooth as the steel you black. This barrel is very pitted with rust on top. Where the barrel had the nice shiny original finish it has come out like a black mirror.
The process is to boil the barrel in 65% Caustic Soda and 35% Saltpetre. 10 lbs dry mix to 8 pints water and this will give correct boiling temperature. Boiling temperature is 290F which is the right temperature. Takes 15 minutes. This can be a very dangerous business so eye protectors on BEFORE any work is started. I removed the barrel and some dripped onto the blanket I had put there to rest the barrel on it's end so I could pour boiling water over to clean. The blanket almost burst into flames. It was like a fire with no flames. Obviously if that went into an eye it would cause instant blindness.
The process I used is the same as the gun factories and pro' restorers use. The finish is only as smooth as the steel you black. This barrel is very pitted with rust on top. Where the barrel had the nice shiny original finish it has come out like a black mirror.
The process is to boil the barrel in 65% Caustic Soda and 35% Saltpetre. 10 lbs dry mix to 8 pints water and this will give correct boiling temperature. Boiling temperature is 290F which is the right temperature. Takes 15 minutes. This can be a very dangerous business so eye protectors on BEFORE any work is started. I removed the barrel and some dripped onto the blanket I had put there to rest the barrel on it's end so I could pour boiling water over to clean. The blanket almost burst into flames. It was like a fire with no flames. Obviously if that went into an eye it would cause instant blindness.
I've got a Weirauch HW35E as well and my BSA Airsporter, I haven't taken either of them out of their cases for years though.
Pumpy
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I used to work at my mates chemical blacking company in Macclesfield yrs ago when I was on leave, more power to your elbow for doing a DIY job!
Even tho I know what I'm doing, I think I'd just get a pro company to do it
careful ditching the gallon of chems, you're supposed to neutralise it with acid before getting a disposal comany to collect it, the neutralisation process can release phosgene gas, well dodgy!
Even tho I know what I'm doing, I think I'd just get a pro company to do it
careful ditching the gallon of chems, you're supposed to neutralise it with acid before getting a disposal comany to collect it, the neutralisation process can release phosgene gas, well dodgy!
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Towpack
Well-Known Member
Just dated my 35 and it was manufactured in 1980 so I've had it a bit longer than I thought. The first 35's appeared in 1955 and it holds the record for the longest production run of any air rifle ever made.
