oxpho-blue & Imbel lowers

[HD99FXR3]

does anybody know why my imbel lower won't take like the rest of the FAL? bead blasted, heated in oven, used 000 steel wool just didn't get dark in some areas.

[billiboy]

the hardness is different from front to back.
The same problem occurs when parking sometimes, I have 2 two tone L1A1 lowers.

The rear section, where the bolt may strike is harder than the forward section.

[W.E.G.]

Your choice of steel wool is bad. Too fine.

If you used too-fine beads, you may also have a too-smooth surface.

Get the most coarse steel wool you can find. Pour at least 8 ounces (half a bottle) of the Oxpho-Blue in a plastic bowl. Dip the receiver in the bowl and SCRUB THE HELL OUT OF IT with the coarse steel wool. Any place on the receiver where you cannot reach with the steel wool will not take the blue very well. This is one of the reasons why parkerizing is better.

[usmc326]

The drawback of trying to blue an FAL lower: heat treatment/RC hardness differences.

The only thing that may work is smoothing/evening the color, apply Oxpho, let dry, and repeat. You should be able to build-up the dark tones until the differences
are more subdued.

For some reason this seems to be more of a problem with Imbels. It works alot better on G1's, but it still isn't perfect. Swap lowers if you'll be parking the other.

If Oxpho can't do it with a build-up nothing, including hot blue, will.

The only possible alternative for bluing, that I do not recall being attempted, is a "slow Belgian rust blue". It takes a week or more, uses hot blue, and requires "carding"(removing the rust) everyday. It's what is used to restore the deep blue on high-end
collector firearms.

[HD99FXR3]

yea i could see exactly where it had been hardened and were it had not. i'll try a build up. if that doesn't work. i'll try reblasting with 100 AO and some rough steel wool. thanks for the tips.;)

[dougjones31]

KG Gunkote has a paint that duplicates the look of blueing! You may want to give it a try.