Question: engraving on blued FA

hi there!

im new at this, this is my 1st project on blued FA. the blue is just the common or typical blue, so anybody could be of help.

i just want to ask if these is the basic procedure to engrave a blued firearm. i dont re-blue the FA, i only do engraving.

a) remove blue
b) prepare steel (sanding, buffing etc)
b) engraving
c) inlay (if applicable)
e) detailing
f) re-blueing (by client or other gunsmith)

i was planning not to remove the blue and do the engraving directly without preparing the steel, the finish is good but not excellent.

also my shop is just a kilometer (half a mile) from the sea coastline (pacific), so our air here is a bit salty, i dont want to remove the blue for protection of the FA. i just want to put oil while engraving. below is my plan steps:

a) engraving
b) detailing
c) re-blueing (by client or other gunsmith)

is these the better procedure?

while you do some contemplating on your feedback help, here is the beach just at least 2 kms from the shop, care for a dip anyone? :biggrin:

Hi Jay

Always remove the blue first on all parts. Then prep the gun removing all dings and dents and scratches. Then engrave etc then reblue all parts.

There is a very good reason for this........if you slip or make a ragged cut with a bur, then you will need to burnish and sand the area. This will mar the surface. Then you have a problem on your hands.

By taking the blue off all parts, when you reblue, all parts will look the same. Not mismatched.

If the gun is for yourself then take pride in your work and follow all necessary steps.

if for a paying customer, never believe them when they say it will be alright. When they pick up the gun the mismatching blue will be noticeable and they won't like it. They always forget any conversations you have about it and they never remember your warnings!!! It is always your fault. That is just human nature.

Always remember the golden rule.......it is your work that is always judged and the finish is part of that work.

As for salt in the air, don't worry about it. Once the blue is removed from the parts. Rub down with meths or something similar. Spray with WD40 or a good gun oil and wrap in a cloth. They won't rust after that. The biggest enemy for causing rust is fingerprints and the oils/acids from your hands.

Cheers
Andrew

thats a very good advice!

i will definitely "hammer" those to my brain! very correct indeed. the final product is what the customer wants. all the things while doing the product is just secondary.

wow that was quick! just notice your from new zealand so at least time frame is not that long, thanks neighbor! cheers!

Andrew is right!

Here is setup one. 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAeEky-nfAI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Carlos De La O III

thanks carlos for the video link! much appreciated!

Andrew gave you the facts you need. I would only add that, if you intend to inlay metals, install the inlays after the metal preparation stage, but before starting the rest of the engraving. Otherwise you may damage the scene while pounding the gold into place.

@ mike - so if ever im going to add inlay so as not to damage the engrave area:

a) prep and remove blue
b) inlay
c) engrave
d) detailing
e) re-blueing

wow thanks for the addl info.

cheers!

Thanks Andrew for the good advice