Refinishing with Graphite Rub 'Bluing'

[CatgutViolin]

A lot of airsoft guns have mediocre shiny black finishes that don't really look like their real counterparts. Here's an easy method to get a more greyish, blued look that can be adjusted in both color and shine.

 

I'm refinishing the WE M712 I detailed here. I decided I wasn't happy with the gun's stock finish, even after spending a few hours to strip the paint from parts that should be in the white, so I elected to use my usual refinishing method and document it this time.

 

First, the gun itself, with its (almost) stock appearance.

 

 

 

Notice how there's no depth to the finish, it's just paint. Not very exciting.

 

First, I disassemble the gun. It's much easier to refinish this way, especially since I'm trying to avoid the areas that are bare metal:

 

 

Next, I get my secret weapon- powdered graphite.

 

 

You can grind up pencils if you have a lot of patience, but this stuff is sold by the tube for lubricating locks and is ready to apply right out of the bottle.

 

I squeeze a little bit onto a water bottle cap, dab a rag (piece of old t-shirt) in it, and then start rubbing it onto the surface of the gun:

 

 

For this gun, I wanted it to look a little mottled, as real ones didn't have perfectly smooth bluing. For reference, the internals at the bottom are the stock black finish:

 

 

Now while the graphite looks pretty nice on its own, it will easily rub off or come off with water, so it needs to be fixed in place. I use Testor's Dullcote, a matte varnish used by hobbyists, and give all the pieces a couple of light layers. Each layer should be a quick dusting, with no pooling. I did accidentally apply a little too much in a few areas, which are visible in the final result.

 

 

When the parts are all dry, I reassemble, then vigorously buff all surfaces with another rag (the rest of the t-shirt). This is important to knock down the roughness of the matte varnish, which helps minimize unnecessary friction and risk of the finish scraping. You can do this as long as you want, a rag is not going to abrade the finish. When I decide I've done enough, I put all the parts together to see how they look:

 

 

Pretty good I'd say, and if I wanted I could be done here. Alternatively, for a lighter, greyer, parkerized look, I could repeat the process with a second layer. But in this case, I'd actually like for it to be a little darker, deeper, and shinier, so I spray some oil (Hoppes gun oil, but silicone or other oils will work) onto the gun and rub it into all the surfaces. The oil settles into the texture of the matte finish, turning it more satin. When that's all done, it looks like this:

 

 

At first, I thought I had basically come full circle to how it started, but then I inserted one of the magazines (which have the same finish as the stock gun) and the difference is clear:

 

 

There's still some exposed oil on the trigger that needs to be rubbed in but otherwise this job is done.

 

Here are a few other guns refinished via the same method, but without the coat of oil at the end:

 

WE Luger (stock finish on left, refinish on right):

 

 

AGM MG42, before and after:

 

 

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[hitmanNo2]

How many pistols do you reckon you could do with the tube you pictured?

[CatgutViolin]

How many pistols do you reckon you could do with the tube you pictured?

 

I used about 3/4 of a tube for the entire MG42, and that was a very thick layer, so I'd guess... at least ten pistols? Hard to judge. Maybe 'a bunch' is the more accurate answer. The Dullcote is definitely the more expensive consumable in the long run.

[Mitsu]

Very nice finish on that MG3! (and the pistols ofc)

[Greenmeance]

That's a really nice finish, but how durable is it? Doesn't normal wear and tear quickly take it's toll?

[CatgutViolin]

That's a really nice finish, but how durable is it? Doesn't normal wear and tear quickly take it's toll?

 

Durability is very heavily dependent on the preparation of the surface. If the gun has smooth paint, there's not too much for the finish to adhere to, making it easier to remove. If the surface is rough (or roughed up prior to finishing), then it can be significantly more durable than paint. The Luger was painted by scuffing the entire surface with steel wool before refinishing, both to rough up the paint and to expose some of the edges, and that finish seems to stand up to anything short of attack with a screwdriver.

 

The MG42 was done with minimal prep over a glossy stock paintjob, so is wearing down the most rapidly of any of the guns I've done this to. Here's how it looks after a year of use:

 

 

So yes, it does wear off (especially in high-contact areas, like the rear of the receiver), but it's easy enough to touch up and personally I'm okay with the worn look. If you're looking for something that will stand up to heavy abuse like a proper blued finish, this may not be the best method.

[Got Wood?]

Tube purchased! SVD will arrive next week so is a prime candidate

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[heroshark]

Would it work on plastic?

[tquilha]

It should. All you are doing is applying a layer of graphite on top of the existing paint. No reason not to work on plastics.

[CatgutViolin]

Would it work on plastic?

 

Absolutely. It tends to work better on plastic, because as I mentioned before the finish is more durable when applied to a rough surface, and porous plastics have surface imperfections that the graphite and varnish easily adhere to.

[heroshark]

Cool might give it a go .I've done similar using metalic paint before be interesting to see how it turns out.

[Kalashnikov_kid]

Moly grease does the same thing

[Bada Bing]

Excellent stuff mate.

 

I've used similar stuff ( graphite black grate polish for stoves/burners) with awesome results. Works a treat on plastics to give a lovely metal sheen.

 

I also have used a turbo flame lighter to treat metal surfaces with the polish applied to allow it to penetrate better. Wipe off residue and it'll look dynamite! Furthermore, it's good for removing the ghastly white lettering on KWA pistols /similar laser etched surfaces.