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Top quality you say? Yes, better than the current commercial hot caustic bluing
done in professional shops. The process is fairly simple and requires no expensive
equipment to get started.
It is important to keep in mind that the purpose of finishing the metal of a gun is
to prevent corrosion. The most effective way to prevent steel from rusting is to
protect it with a fine layer of rust. That is what bluing is all about. In addition, we
get the added benefit of glare reduction and a fine appearance.
Early military rifles were kept in the white, or bare metal, because the soldier
has time to constantly care for his rifle. The person who carries a gun for hunting
or home defense needed a way to prevent corrosion.
Early gunsmiths began developing secret formulas to let them carefully grow a
layer of rust on steel in order to create an effective barrier to further corrosion.
These formulas included toxic and dangerous materials that induce a very fine
grained oxide on the surface of the steel. They would remove the top surface of
rust and repeat the process until the steel was a very fine brown in color and
would hold oil as further protection.
Please allow me to digress a bit and explain the rusting process in a way that is
not scientific, but makes a little sense to those who are trying to understand why
we might rust a gun to prevent it from rusting. The damaging form of rust that we
often see on a firearm is caused when oxygen reacts with the steel to cause
oxidation, or rust. Think of the uncontrolled process being like a heavy weed
growth with a thick stem and roots. It is unsightly and leaves the large stem and
roots showing on the ground when we mow these weeds. This is similar to the
pitted versions of rust we occasionally see on guns that have not been cleaned
and oiled properly.
The controlled oxidation process is more like planting a putting green. We use
special chemicals, humidity, and proper timing to produce a very fine layer of
ferrous iron oxide on the surface of the steel with very fine pits into the steel. We
then "mow" the iron oxide with steel wool to remove the surface layer and leave
only the very fine pits in the steel to provide color and hold oil.
Bare iron is likely to oxidize when exposed to moisture, acids from the hands, or
impurities from the environment, but the oxidation process slows quickly once the
first layer of rust forms. The creation of a very fine surface layer of ferrous iron
oxide on the surface of the steel is very effective in retarding further rust. This is
especially true if oxygen can be sealed away from the steel with a substance such
as oil.
Another form of accelerated oxidation that had been used in the early 1800s
was to raise the temperature of the steel to around six hundred degrees where an
oxidation process takes place and the steel turns dark blue in color. This process
was known as Fire Bluing and was not only very difficult on large surfaces, but the
penetration of protection was very shallow and easily worn off the steel. It is
often used today to quickly and easily blue small parts like screw heads.
The oxidation process was an excellent way to provide a rust barrier on guns, but
it left us with a brown color on the gun. Another good finishing process would be
to change the ferrous iron oxide to ferro-ferric oxide, which is black in color. This
is done by exposing the ferrous iron oxide to very hot water.
Modern gun companies began looking for a way to quickly produce the popular
dark finish on their guns in an assembly line fashion, so the hot caustic blue
method was developed. This process uses high temperatures and very dangerous
caustic materials to quickly blue the gun. This process is way beyond the scope of
most hobby gunsmiths and is best left to the professional refinishing shop.
A process that is within the reach of the advanced hobby gunsmith is to use a
process known as black chrome. I have never seen the process used on firearms,
but I am entertaining the notion of trying this process at home.
Most of the materials needed to do a fine job of rust bluing at home are
inexpensive and most can already be found in the shop or kitchen.
METAL FINISHING:
 Sandpaper
 Mineral spirits
 Rubber gloves
 Tweezers or clothes pin
 Distilled water
 A pot for boiling water
  Old newspapers
 genuine cotton balls or strips of cotton fabric
 acetone
 wire for hanging parts
 wood dowels
 0000 steel wool

Materials needed
For the rusting:
3% Hydrogen Peroxide (the usual kind)
Table salt

For the bluing:

Distilled water
Accessories:
Pot large enough to accommodate the object you are going to rust
(do NOT use aluminum; stainless still is fine, but will rust heavily. Non-stick pans
seem to be unaffected by the process, but your experience may vary)
Toothbrush (for scrubbing and polishing)
tongs (for moving and manipulating the item being rusted)
Gloves (For keeping your greasy fingers off the steel- I use cotton Oil for finishing-
Boiled linseed
works great (do NOT use WD-40 or any other anti-rust oil! )

The process
Prep the steel:
Before you begin to oxidize the steel, you must first remove all traces of paint,
dirt, oil or coatings of any kind. Use acetone or alcohol to degrease the steel, and
use your gloves when handling the object from this point on. The oils from your
hands can cause an uneven corrosion, and fingerprints can even become
permanently imprinted in the bluing process.
*note* If you wish to preserve the edge on your blade and don't want it to rust,
you can use fingernail polish to paint over the edge. Use a few coats, as a little of
this may be removed in the boiling process.
Work progressively from 220 grit to 320, and then to 400-grit paper. If you desire a
finer finish, then move up to 600, then 800, and finish with 1200 grit.
Method 1- Browning the steel

Step 1. In a pot that you don't mind destroying, pour in enough peroxide that will
fully cover the object to be worked. If rusting an axe, keep in mind that you will
have to maneuver the head into a variety of positions to ensure even oxidation.
Next, heat the peroxide over the burner to just under boiling temperature. A little
under or a little over is no big deal; you just want the liquid hot, this part is no
exact science.
Once the peroxide is hot, start mixing in the salt. This may take a lot salt, just keep
mixing it in until no more will dissolve into the liquid. You will know when enough
is enough, as the salt will begin accumulating at the bottom of the pan. When this
happens, the solution is ready.
While the liquid is still hot, remove it from the burner and gently place in the steel
with a pair of tongs. The peroxide/salt mixture will immediately begin reacting
with the metal, and it will begin rusting right before your eyes.
The length of time you need to leave it in depends on the steel, and on the size of
the object being worked. Leave it in for just a minute at first, and then remove
with the tongs and check to see how the rusting is coming along. It should look
something like this:
Once the steel is almost completely covered in rust, rinse it off in water and then
dry thoroughly with a towel or napkin.
Using a toothbrush, very gently start brushing away the loose rust; it should come
off fairly easily. What you are doing here is evening out the layer of corrosion and
making the surface smooth. There should be rusty areas that don't rub off with
the brush, this is good.
At this stage, the finish may look like shit; It may appear splotchy and uneven, and
some areas may still appear to be bare metal; this is to be expected and is not a
problem.

Step 2. Step 2 is a repeat of Step 1. Now, place the object back in the peroxide
bath for a second dip. If the peroxide/salt mixture is still hot, it can be used again
for the second bath; you can reheat it as necessary. Place in the object once again
and let it begin to rust. This time it may react more slowly.
Continue the repeat of Step 1: Remove object from solution, rinse under water,
dry, use toothbrush until surface is smooth and even.
Continue this entire process until you have a nice, smooth, even layer that doesn't
rub off. This make take a few cycles; it all depends on your steel and the size of the
object.
Once you are satisfied with the finish, you have successfully 'browned' your blade
and can choose to stop here if you wish. Just rub some oil into the finish and your
done. If you are planning to do a brown finish instead of blue, you will not need
the distilled water or pot.
If you wish to 'blue' the steel, then move on to the next step.

Method 2--Bluing the steel

For this next step, you are basically going to boil your object in distilled water until
the rust is converted into another type of oxide, and becomes black.
In a pot (this one will not get damaged by the process), pour in enough distilled
water to cover the object to be blued. You will want to keep the object from
touching the bottom of the pan, so you will have to rest it on something, or
suspend it with wire or string. I like to simply put a few medium sized rocks or
even a brick in the bottom of the pot, and place the object on top.
Once your object is set up, bring the water to a rolling boil and boil the object for
about 10 minutes. Don't worry, the steel will only get as hot as the boiling water,
and this will not affect the heat-treat in any manner.
After about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the object, all, or most of the
red rust should have turned black. You may have to flip the object into different
positions during the boiling process so that the finish comes out even.
This is what the steel looks like as it begins to change:
After this process is repeated a few times, you should end up with a finish like this:
Once this method is complete, you can go back to the peroxide oxidation process
once again and repeat the entire process. This will build up several layers of
oxidation and will ensure an even, sturdy coating. You can of course stop here; it
all depends on the finish your trying to obtain.
Well, that's pretty much it. I welcome any questions or input on the methods
described here.

Yes, this process is somewhat involved and will take an uninterrupted afternoon to
accomplish. But the results are worth the effort, and are equal to or better than
many of the other bluing processes.
Hope this helps.
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