My Pre-B refinishing and modification diary

[Underwhere]

temperature definitely makes a difference. I am using the aircraft stripper and put it out in the garage and it did nothing for 3 days. I moved it inside today and it is starting to work now.

How much did you take out under the beaver tail? It don't look like there is much in that area to remove without cutting through. Also how much did you remove under the trigger guard?

That's hard to define. You have to go by shape.

Here is another beavertail I did yesterday. I think it's better than the first one I did.

I did this one by starting in the center and getting the center shape correct. Then I hit the edges and blended the edges.

[Underwhere]

This is what 2 days in the Aircraft stripper looks like after a light brushing and rinse in water.

Still some spots left in the slide serrations and front sight roll pin pocket.

I'm sure 1 more day and the slide will be ready for the next step.


I do have to comment that this stuff is very nasty. If you've ever dealt with hydrochloric acid it seems very similar. Walking near this stuff will sting your eyes.

I used a respirator that particularly filters out vapor. Most do not so don't think wearing a dust mask will help you.

The 3m filter I used is 60926 but it does not make specific mention of methylene chloride which is the nasty stuff that Aircraft stripper produces..

3M actually suggests a fill face mask that covers your eyes as well. The vapor will burn them.

[Underwhere]

The frame and slide are out of the stripper. I got as much stripper off as I could then dunked in a nearby bucket of water and tried to remove more of it with a small brush. (careful not to get any on you from the brush spitting it)

Then off to the sink for rinsing and more brushing.

Took small parts and out them in my ultrasonic cleaner with white venegar. Hopefully that removes the bluing so I can reblue it all at the same time.

The frame and slide now sit in EvapoRust.

[Earl Keese]

Evaporust will remove bluing more effectively than vinegar.

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[Underwhere]

Evaporust will remove bluing more effectively than vinegar.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Going back down to my basement as I type...


Thanks for saving me the extra step.

[Underwhere]

The frame and slide are out of the Evaporust.

Used power purple and a acetoned 0000 steel wool to clean it off.

Looked fine.
Then I hit it with a heat gun to make sure it was dry and I got almost an instant surface rust.

Anyone done this before : is this expected?

[Earl Keese]

 The flash rust is normal depending on your location/relative humidity. That's because the Evaporust removes the oem phospate coating as well. If you leave the phosphate coating alone, it is quite resistant to rusting. In fact, if you have areas that won't take when rust blueing, it's likely because the phosphate is still there(slide serrations, etc.).
 While I'm working on mine I keep them in a gallon zip lock bag soaked with WD40. I buy the non-aerosol can since its cheap, will displace water, and wipes off easily. After the metal work is done it goes in the ultrasonic for several cycles, then gets a good acetone soak before applying rust blue solution.

[Underwhere]

The flash rust is normal depending on your location/relative humidity. That's because the Evaporust removes the oem phospate coating as well. If you leave the phosphate coating alone, it is quite resistant to rusting. In fact, if you have areas that won't take when rust blueing, it's likely because the phosphate is still there(slide serrations, etc.).
 While I'm working on mine I keep them in a gallon zip lock bag soaked with WD40. I buy the non-aerosol can since its cheap, will displace water, and wipes off easily. After the metal work is done it goes in the ultrasonic for several cycles, then gets a good acetone soak before applying rust blue solution.

Got it. That makes sense.

I still have some spots of polycoat so I think I'm going to manually sand and then drop back in Evaporust to make sure the phosphate is gone.

[Underwhere]

The factory blued parts are out of Evaporust and hit with steel wool.

I dropped the slide back in the stripper. There was poly still left on the ribs of the slide and some spots that would not come out of the roll marks... Even picking with the tip of a spare knife. So I'll redo it (stripper, clean, Evaporust)

You can see the polycoat on "e" and "r" of Luger

[Underwhere]

The stripper isn't working anymore. The temps have dropped outside and the area it's in (bulkhead) is just a tad above freezing.

I made a makeshift insulated box and a lamp in it to raise  the temps. Hopefully that does it.

[Underwhere]

I forgot I had an LED bulb which only puts out 9 watts. After 2 hours the temp hadn't changed.

I found a 60 watt in my master bath that luckily we missed when we switched to LED.

Now after 1 hour I'm at suggested temp. It'll take a while for the actual solution to reach that.

So while the slide sits in stripper, the frame is out of Evaporust and cleaned up ready for metal prep.

I think I got all the polycoat out of the lettering.

[Underwhere]

My slide is sitting in a toasty 70 degree makeshift oven. Hopefully by tomorrow the slide rib will be free of polycoat.

In the meantime I 320'd and then 400'd my frame.

I did find a few areas with small pits but overall it was good.

I'd appreciate any comments here. I'm flying blind a little bit.

I did NOT polish any of the inside of the frame other than my beveled magwell and the walls that the hammer rides in.

My assumption is that I'm going to rust the inside of the frame as it is, only polishing for aesthetic purposes on the outside.

[Earl Keese]

It may be due to lighting in your pics, but it looks like you have some random sand scratches on the frame. Even though the rust will generally fill 320gr scratches and make for a nice smooth surface, I always make sure to sand parallel with the slide rails. I use w/d sandpaper on a small block with a few drops of tool oil, turning and changing the paper frequently.
 After that I thoroughly clean in the ultrasonic on the hot setting and then dry with a heat gun or hair dryer. Then it soaks in a container of acetone for a day or so before bluing. After this, don't handle the parts w/o gloves on.
 For carding, I use 0000 steel wool that's been soaked in acetone. For hard to reach places, a soft stainless brush works well. After carding, the parts go back in the acetone bath for a short soak before applying the acid again.
 Your biggest issue right now will be getting a good coat of rust to form without a sweat box. If it rusts too slowly, put a few inches of hot water in a bathtub and hang the parts from the curtain rod. Close the door and hope the wife doesn't notice! With this method, you should be able to get a couple rust cycles per day. Don't worry too much if the finish looks uneven, it will look better after a few cycles.

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[Earl Keese]

Here are a few of my past projects. The 75 has been finished for a year or so, and is shot weekly(at least) for matches and practice.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[Underwhere]

It may be due to lighting in your pics, but it looks like you have some random sand scratches on the frame. Even though the rust will generally fill 320gr scratches and make for a nice smooth surface, I always make sure to sand parallel with the slide rails. I use w/d sandpaper on a small block with a few drops of tool oil, turning and changing the paper frequently.
 After that I thoroughly clean in the ultrasonic on the hot setting and then dry with a heat gun or hair dryer. Then it soaks in a container of acetone for a day or so before bluing. After this, don't handle the parts w/o gloves on.
 For carding, I use 0000 steel wool that's been soaked in acetone. For hard to reach places, a soft stainless brush works well. After carding, the parts go back in the acetone bath for a short soak before applying the acid again.
 Your biggest issue right now will be getting a good coat of rust to form without a sweat box. If it rusts too slowly, put a few inches of hot water in a bathtub and hang the parts from the curtain rod. Close the door and hope the wife doesn't notice! With this method, you should be able to get a couple rust cycles per day. Don't worry too much if the finish looks uneven, it will look better after a few cycles.

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OK thanks for that feedback. I may try and lightly re-sand front to back.

Am I correct on not bothering to polish the inside of the frame?