Thread: Durablue anyone used it ?

Got a wee project coming up and was thinking about using Durablue by duracoat to try and get a nice glossy blue back finish.
Has anyone here used Durablue and if so would ypu reccomend it ?
The other option is proper rust blue but I won't be attempting that where as I'm confident I could apply durablue without much hassle and get a nice deep and resilient finish according to the reviews I've managed to find.

https://www.finlaysltd.co.nz/product-page/durablue

I used an aerosol can a few years back on a single shot 12g. It came out pretty good, I dont think i have any pics of it but will check and no longer have the gun.

From memory it came out fairly shiny compared to cold blue and the like.
I think you can get a concentrate and use an airbrush which tends to be better. I could be wrong about the concentrate


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257weatherby did something with a stainless rifle awhile back...looked just like normal blueing.......

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

257weatherby did something with a stainless rifle awhile back...looked just like normal blueing.......

That's what I want to hear @257weatherby can you confirm or better yet got pics of before and after or a thread link ?

I've used Birchwood Casey "Perma Blue" for touching up old rust spots and silencer wear marks. Comes up great.

I'll be doing a blued action and stainless barrel so hoping the durablue will cover both and leave it looking reasonably even.

Originally Posted by dannyb

That's what I want to hear @257weatherby can you confirm or better yet got pics of before and after or a thread link ?

Thorough scrub with a hydrocarbon solvent, $12 can of Rustoleum enamel. Leave to hang in a warm place for a few days. Job done. Have done it a couple of times to get rid of bright shiny barrel and action giving away my existence/position, and it just plain looks better. No idea how to do the link carry on. Somewhere in the forum are pics of a my .243 and a T3 I've done. My .243 gets carried, knocked, rubbed and shot a lot, if I don't like wear, a quick touch up with the can and all new again. Not as hard as Duracoat, but cheap, fast and endlessly repeatable.

I have only used black duracoat and I like it. I would advise leaving the painted parts to cure fully for at least a week (or more if you can) in a warm environment before re-assembly. I made the mistake of getting into it after a couple of days and chipped the paint in one spot. Once it cured fully it has been pretty well indestructible.

Yep I durablued with airbrush -my BSA 243 in Jan- looks awesome- not perfect - but that's me not the product. I rekon I over did it- and applied too thick- if I did it again it'd be thinner coat/s. Dust black is primo too. Bake in oven if you can.

Ive used the birchwood casey cold blue solution, which I assume is similar to durablue, on a variety of things including firearms, from small parts to entire barreled actions.
The quality of the finish depends entirely on the time and effort spent on the surface preparation. If the metal is cleaned and polished to a mirror finish that appears almost like chrome or nickel, it will come up very nice with a couple of coats of cold blue solution. However, if the metal surface is not near perfect, the finish will be disappointingly cheap and nasty looking. Imho anyway.

A quick prep summary of what I do >
Usual cleaning process of chemical agents and wire brushes if rust present, then if sanding is required, go right down to 1200 (or finer) grit wet and dry.
Then use multiple buffing wheels with at least three different density of cloth firmness, with the appropriate change in polishing compound to match the wheel.
If anything is imperfect, go back to a step that will correct that imperfection, and repeat the process for that particular area.
Apply solution, let dry, wash off. If unhappy, polish again and do another coat.
Repeat as many times as desired.

Originally Posted by -BW-

Ive used the birchwood casey cold blue solution, which I assume is similar to durablue, on a variety of things including firearms, from small parts to entire barreled actions.
The quality of the finish depends entirely on the time and effort spent on the surface preparation. If the metal is cleaned and polished to a mirror finish that appears almost like chrome or nickel, it will come up very nice with a couple of coats of cold blue solution. However, if the metal surface is not near perfect, the finish will be disappointingly cheap and nasty looking. Imho anyway.

A quick prep summary of what I do >
Usual cleaning process of chemical agents and wire brushes if rust present, then if sanding is required, go right down to 1200 (or finer) grit wet and dry.
Then use multiple buffing wheels with at least three different density of cloth firmness, with the appropriate change in polishing compound to match the wheel.
If anything is imperfect, go back to a step that will correct that imperfection, and repeat the process for that particular area.
Apply solution, let dry, wash off. If unhappy, polish again and do another coat.
Repeat as many times as desired.

Durablue is not a cold blueing product it is a finish more akin to cerekote, there is no chemical reaction between the product and the steel being coated.
Granted, prep is key even with duracoat, durablue, cerekote etc etc