No. 3 — Metal finishing

Metal finishing.

Protecting steel from Hill Country weather, and making it look right.

Starting at: $60
Bench time: 3–4 weeks

Fig. 3 — A steel bar over the bluing tank.

When you need this.

Rust has started under the scope bases or along the barrel channel.
The bluing is worn silver where your hand carries the rifle.
It lives in a truck or a blind and needs a finish that shrugs off sweat and rain.
It’s an older gun and deserves the finish it was made with.

Finishing is batch work. Much of the turnaround is waiting for a batch and for cure time, not hours at the bench. It can’t be hurried and we don’t try.

The work and what it costs.

Metal finishing: every service, with its starting price, time on the bench and how to get it to the shop
Service	Starting at	Bench time	Drop-off or send
Ceramic coating, long gun, one colorA thin ceramic coating sprayed on the metal and oven-cured; very hard-wearing. What this involves: Ceramic coating, long gun, one color The gun is stripped, degreased, blasted to give the coating a key, sprayed and cured in an oven. It shrugs off sweat and rain better than bluing, and it does not look like bluing.	$275	3–4 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
Ceramic coating, handgun, one colorThe same ceramic coating on a pistol or revolver. What this involves: Ceramic coating, handgun, one color Same process, smaller parts, closer tolerances: the coating has thickness, and moving parts have to be allowed for. It is reassembled and function-checked before it goes home.	$225	3–4 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
Additional color or patternA second color, or a pattern, over a one-color coating. What this involves: Additional color or pattern Each color is masked, sprayed and cured in turn. Patterns are quoted once we’ve seen what you have in mind.	+$75	1 wk	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
Reblue (hot blue)The metal stripped, polished and reblued to the traditional deep blue-black. What this involves: Reblue (hot blue) Nearly all the work is in the polishing, because bluing hides nothing. The parts then go through a hot salt bath in a batch, which is why the turnaround is mostly waiting.	$325	6–8 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
Slow rust blueThe old way: the steel is rusted on purpose, boiled, carded off, and the cycle repeated until it is a deep satin black. What this involves: Slow rust blue Each pass adds a little color and takes most of a day, and a good job is many passes. It is the right finish for classic rifles and double guns, and it cannot be hurried.	$650	8–12 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
ParkerizeA matte gray phosphate finish that holds oil well. What this involves: Parkerize The steel is blasted and then treated in a heated phosphate bath. It is the finish on a great many military rifles, and it suits a working gun.	$250	4–6 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
Bead-blast stainlessA stainless finish evened out to a clean, non-glare matte. What this involves: Bead-blast stainless The gun is stripped and the metal blasted with fine glass bead at low pressure. It takes the shine and the handling marks off without removing metal you’d miss.	$130	2–3 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne. Ask before sending a whole firearm.
Rust removal and finish touch-upActive rust stopped and the spot blended, without stripping the gun. What this involves: Rust removal and finish touch-up Rust is lifted with oil and fine abrasive, and the bare spot is cold-blued and blended as well as it can be. It won’t be invisible, and we’ll tell you that before we start.	$60	1–2 wks	Drop off at the shop in Boerne.

Labor only. Parts and ammunition are extra. Confirmed once it’s on the bench.

What changes the price.

Polishing. A finish only looks as good as the metal under it, and most of the labor is there.
Pitting. Shallow pits polish out; deep ones don’t, and we’ll say which you have.
Taking it apart and putting it back. A lever gun has more pieces than a bolt gun.
A second color or a pattern on a coated finish.

How long it will take.

The shop takes one job at a time, and only work it can do well. When yours could start is settled at the consultation, and your dates come in writing when the job is accepted.

Reply: within3business days
Bench: 3–4weeks

The bench time is the work itself, for the usual job of this kind. Each job’s own figure is in the ledger above.

Request

No. 3

Metal finishing

Starting at$60

Bench time3–4 weeks

Request a consultation Ask a question first

Replies by email within 3 business days.

From the Journal

At the bench4 min read

Why a rust blue takes the passes it takes

Slow rust bluing is the slowest finish on the price list, and the one people most often ask to have hurried. It can’t be. Here is what is actually happening.

Questions about this kind of work.

What’s the difference between bluing and a ceramic coating?

Bluing is the traditional finish: a thin layer of black oxide formed on the steel itself. It’s handsome, and it needs a little oil now and then. A ceramic coating is sprayed on and baked. It’s tougher against sweat and rain and comes in many colors, but it doesn’t look like a blued rifle. Neither is wrong. It depends on the gun and how you use it.

Why does it take longer here than at a big store counter?

Because the work is done one firearm at a time, and the shop only takes on what it can do properly. Bedding compound has to cure. Bluing goes at the steel’s pace. A rifle that’s hurried out the door usually comes back through it.

Should I have my grandfather’s rifle refinished?

Maybe not. Refinishing an old gun usually lowers its value to a collector, and it takes away the wear your grandfather put there. Often the right job is to clean it, stop any rust, make it safe to shoot, and leave the rest alone. We’ll talk it through before anything is touched.