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In another thread, I posted pictures of the "modernized" Winchester 94, but I thought it would be neat to demonstrate the difference in finish that different bluing processes can create. Some of you might find this information useful if you are looking at refinishing your 94. Both 94s shown are post-64, with sintered steel receivers that are notoriously difficult to refinish.
The un-molested 94 had the receiver bead blasted to remove the plating, and then sanded/buffed. I stopped at red Scotchbrite pads, providing a nice brushed finish. The barrel, mag tube, and finger lever received a similar treatment. The front band a few select other parts were brought to a high shine on the buffing wheel. The receiver was rust blued using "Mark Lee Express Blue". It took about 10 applications and roughly 2 hours to achieve a nice, deep blue. It was a satisfying process, and one that could easily be done by most anyone, but it was very time consuming. The rest of the rifle was hot blued, with results similar to what the rifle must have looked like when it left the factory.
The "modernized" 94 had all the parts bead blasted. The receiver was lightly heated and then dunked in "Caswell's Black Oxide" solution. I believe this to be essentially a cold bluing solution. In this application, it worked very well. The rest of the rifle was hot blued, and you can see how well the finishes match. Not perfect, but pretty close. I would be curious to see how well the Caswell's works on a polished receiver.
The un-molested 94 had the receiver bead blasted to remove the plating, and then sanded/buffed. I stopped at red Scotchbrite pads, providing a nice brushed finish. The barrel, mag tube, and finger lever received a similar treatment. The front band a few select other parts were brought to a high shine on the buffing wheel. The receiver was rust blued using "Mark Lee Express Blue". It took about 10 applications and roughly 2 hours to achieve a nice, deep blue. It was a satisfying process, and one that could easily be done by most anyone, but it was very time consuming. The rest of the rifle was hot blued, with results similar to what the rifle must have looked like when it left the factory.
The "modernized" 94 had all the parts bead blasted. The receiver was lightly heated and then dunked in "Caswell's Black Oxide" solution. I believe this to be essentially a cold bluing solution. In this application, it worked very well. The rest of the rifle was hot blued, and you can see how well the finishes match. Not perfect, but pretty close. I would be curious to see how well the Caswell's works on a polished receiver.
