CLASSIC RUST BLUE Reviews & Ratings

I love Brownell's rust blue. It's the equal of the "other" brand for about half the price. I get fast, even coloring of the parts and the black is deep and rich. My most recent usage was on a pair of CZ 82s. Both only took 3 coats to achieve a dark, full satin black color (carding by hand with 4/0 wool). Oddly, one trigger guard did not turn black after the first boil despite coming out of the humidity box the same red color as the rest of the pieces. I was worried I'd have to strip it and start over but after carding and coating again it went straight to black during the second boil. It matched perfectly. I don't hot tank blue because this process produces the best finish with only a little extra effort.

If you are an amateur gunsmith and have thought about trying out a hot blue for cylinders or barrels, this is what you are looking for. If you do not have the time nor the patience, stick with the cold blue. This is time-consuming and labor intensive, but if you use it, I don't believe you'll ever go back to cold blue.

I have tried a few different bluing solutions, and this is the one I prefer. It's easy and quick (well, as quick as rust bluing gets anyway...) to work with and gives you a nice and durable finish. As with most rust bluing solutions, the color and rusting time will depend on the environment and the quality of the steel you apply it to, but it usually gives a nice, almost graphite looking dark grey to black color, sometimes with a tint of blue. The application is a no-brainer as long as you follow the instructions and have enough patience, but keep in mind that the times set out in any rust bluing instructions should be taken with a large grain of salt. It's done when it's done and not when the instructions say so, and this will depend on temperature and humidity. Experiment a bit and you'll soon find out what's best in the environment you work in. In my experience, it's better to err on the safe side and cut it short, rather than letting it rust for too long and end up with a coarse, unattractive finish. You'll have to apply more coats this way, but it's way better than ending up with a lousy finish. If you let it take it's time, you'll get a very professional and attractive finish. I should mention that I have also tried Pilkington's, but I can't see that it's any different. There may be subtle differences depending on the application, but Brownell's own product seems to be just as good and less than half the price of Pilkington's, so it's an easy choise for me. I would recommend it to any professional, or anyone who just wants to try his hands at rust bluing. Just as a tip: I can't remember if this is the case with this particular solution, but most instructions tell you to pour some solution in a separate container, soak the swab and squeeze out the excess. You can't pour any solution back in the bottle as this can contaminate the solution, so you always end up wasting some for each application. I use a cheap, disposable pipette and drip the solution on the swab to dampen it, and this way I use a minimal amount of solution without wasting anything.

Like Pilkington Classic this is real bluing, not cold or touch up bluing, that can be done at home without special tools or equipment. It is time consuming, labor intensive, but the finish is beautiful and durable. Brownells product is much less expensive then Pilkington and it is actually much faster working. It is also much easier to get uniform coating with multiple applications.

I find that I get great deep color with this product. The secret is the metal prep. If you don't go the extra mile you will see imperfections in the metal and this product will highlight the imperfections.

For a classic old world metal finish on custom longarms and restorations in a ready-to-use solution there is no better out there. This stuff is much more aggressive than the others the color is the same but it can be polished a little more. DO NOT re-coat until the first coat is dry.

good stuff but as usual I had to wait forever for it Brownells needs to get back to their roots, and not so much ar 15 stuff.

This is the best rust blue in my experience, but three out of four bottles leaked badly during shipping, losing about one fourth of each bottle.

I've used this product on several guns...and I've also used pilkingtons. Here are my results... 1. This solution is easier to use and works faster....it turns the metal a nice black color after oiling. 2. It is not, however, that durable. I've had customers come back after only a month with the bluing almost worn off. 4-6 applications...a beautiful finish...but the bluing comes off easy...that has never happened with pilkingtons. 3. It etches the metal very easily. Its somewhat difficult to get anything other than a dull finish.

Horrible packaging - Received broken and leaked out into the box. Make sure you pay for the shipping protection before buying anything…. I didn’t, I didn’t know they’d place a bottle in the corner of a box with no protection…