Getting Started on the Metal Finishing
Getting Started on the Metal Finishing
I knew I was going to need to finish the metal on this Mauser. I've previously tried cold bluing (which later turned brown) and a now-discontinued spray-on product called Perma-Fin. I wasn't thrilled with either of those results.
I got my hands on some Cerama-Coat, which is a spray-and-bake finish that comes in a rattle-type aerosol can. I got two cans of the stuff, which turned out to be a good thing, as you will see.
The cans are tiny and only contain four ounces of the stuff, and I disagree with their claim that one can will coat two guns. Besides the small size of the cans, you end up wasting the stuff when it doesn't spray properly.
The instructions said that the appearance of the finish, which turns out to be matte black, will be the same regardless of whether the metal to which it's applied is polished or rough - but that adhesion will be much greater if the surface is rougher. So, after thoroughly removing all rust and other crud, I sanded the surfaces to rough them up, and thoroughly degreased the parts.
I did not prep every part before I began finishing some of them; in other words, I would prep a couple parts and finish them, and start prepping other parts while those parts were cooking. I started small; first I did some screws.
I shook the can of Cerama-Coat very well, for a full minute - which is a long time to shake a can. When I attempted to spray the heads of the screws, the substance came out like silly string instead of spraying.
(I'd read of this in user reviews on MidwayUSA's site.) I swapped nozzles with the other can, and had the same results.
So, I shook the second can for a minute and then used it. It sprayed, but it came out pretty lumpy-bumpy. I took some photos and allowed the parts to dry for the required 30 minutes, then applied another coat. 30 minutes later, I put them in the oven to bake for an hour at 350 degrees.
The bumpiness settled down and the finish became matte instead of glossy, as the photo above illustrates... but the finish had tiny craters in it, and later fell right off of the screws in several places, and I had to refinish them.
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Adjusting Bake Time and Temperature for Finishing Gun Parts
I coated the floorplate and the bolt release (pictured above after the finish was baked) while the screws were baking. This time, the spray worked much better and didn't create such a lumpy finish.
I gave these parts three coats, 30 minutes apart, and baked them for an hour at 350, per instructions.
After discovering that the finish fell right off of the screws, I decided to increase baking temperature and time for the rest of the parts.
I went with 375 degrees F, and baked them for 1.5 hours. I also made a point of really roughing up the metal before spraying on the Cerama-Coat.
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I had to get creative in figuring out how to suspend the main part of the gun (the receiver with the barrel installed) from one of the oven racks... I conjured up a simple but tricky affair using some stiff wire, but utterly failed to capture it in a photograph.
I don't mind saying that I'm glad I was working with a nice short barrel. If the barrel had been much longer, it never would have fit in the oven while assembled to the receiver, and I don't trust Cerama-Coat to hold up to the rigors of a barrel vise or action wrench.
So keep that in mind if you try this yourself.
I spent a lot of effort getting parts prepared for finishing. I did much sanding to remove all traces of rust and crud from every nook and cranny, and I cleaned and de-greased everything very thoroughly with acetone. Very thoroughly. There are many places where crud can hide in a receiver, and it's important to clean every bit of crud from every one of them; one little bit of oil, rust, or gunk under the finish could really cause problems.
I ran out of finish (so much for their "one can coats two guns" claim) and had to use part of the first can - the can that originally did the "silly string" trick. This time it sprayed just fine - so don't give up if you have a can that doesn't spray properly at first.
I baked the parts - the action screws, bolt shroud, trigger guard, and barreled action - for 1.5 hours at 375 degrees, then allowed them to cool and put the gun together.
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The resulting finish was matte black, as promised. Matte, or flat, is much better than gloss for a hunting rifle because it's not as shiny and therefore is less likely to be spotted by an animal. It also does a much better job of hiding flaws.
I was pleased with Cerama-Coat's ability to get into nooks and crannies - like the many pits left behind by the old rust, and the stamped markings - rather than filling them up.
And while I wouldn't mind if this gun had fewer pits, I sure wouldn't want the number stampings and other markings on it to fill up and become illegible.
The finish began coming off here and there very soon after the gun was assembled. Cerama-Coat is not very tough, and wears off quickly and easily when steel meets steel.
The most inexplicable finish loss occurred on the receiver, at the rear of the ejection port. I don't recall ejecting any of the shells with enough force to cause them to hit the receiver there - and if I did, it's a very weak finish that can't take a few raps from empty brass cases ejected calmly, by hand, at the range.
The finish also began coming off of the muzzle, and I hate to lean the rifle against anything because the finish has proven to be pretty fragile in that area.
The Cerama-Coat package boasts that it's "harder and more durable than your gun's original finish." I strongly disagree with that. And the finished product bears no resemblance to anything ceramic that I have ever seen.
Nothing on the package actually says that there is any ceramic in Cerama-Coat, although the manufacturer claims it's in there.
All in all, I'm very happy with this rifle, but the metal finish leaves a lot to be desired in terms of durability.
In the next and final article of this series, I'll wrap things up with some photos of the finished gun before and after its first hunting season (during which it took a very fine 10-point buck), and a summary of what parts and components went into building this fine new old popper.
- Russ Chastain
More of This Article
I knew I was going to need to finish the metal on this Mauser. I've previously tried cold bluing (which later turned brown) and a now-discontinued spray-on product called Perma-Fin. I wasn't thrilled with either of those results.
I got my hands on some Cerama-Coat, which is a spray-and-bake finish that comes in a rattle-type aerosol can. I got two cans of the stuff, which turned out to be a good thing, as you will see.
The cans are tiny and only contain four ounces of the stuff, and I disagree with their claim that one can will coat two guns. Besides the small size of the cans, you end up wasting the stuff when it doesn't spray properly.
The instructions said that the appearance of the finish, which turns out to be matte black, will be the same regardless of whether the metal to which it's applied is polished or rough - but that adhesion will be much greater if the surface is rougher. So, after thoroughly removing all rust and other crud, I sanded the surfaces to rough them up, and thoroughly degreased the parts.
I did not prep every part before I began finishing some of them; in other words, I would prep a couple parts and finish them, and start prepping other parts while those parts were cooking. I started small; first I did some screws.
I shook the can of Cerama-Coat very well, for a full minute - which is a long time to shake a can. When I attempted to spray the heads of the screws, the substance came out like silly string instead of spraying.
(I'd read of this in user reviews on MidwayUSA's site.) I swapped nozzles with the other can, and had the same results.
So, I shook the second can for a minute and then used it. It sprayed, but it came out pretty lumpy-bumpy. I took some photos and allowed the parts to dry for the required 30 minutes, then applied another coat. 30 minutes later, I put them in the oven to bake for an hour at 350 degrees.
The bumpiness settled down and the finish became matte instead of glossy, as the photo above illustrates... but the finish had tiny craters in it, and later fell right off of the screws in several places, and I had to refinish them.
More of This Article
- Page 1: Getting Started on the Metal Finishing
- Page 2: Adjusting Bake Time and Temperature for Finishing Gun Parts
- Page 3: Finishing the Barreled Action
- Page 4: The Final Finish
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 1: Before I Began Gunsmithing
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 2: Beginning The Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 3: More Gunsmithing Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 4: Modifying the Bolt Handle
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 5: Jeweling Bolt, Modifying Shroud
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 6: Shaping Trigger Guard, Finishing Chamber
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 7: Bedding Action, Fitting and Finishing Stock
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 8: Finishing the Metal Parts
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 9: Conclusion, Finished Rifle, Tools and Materials
Adjusting Bake Time and Temperature for Finishing Gun Parts
I coated the floorplate and the bolt release (pictured above after the finish was baked) while the screws were baking. This time, the spray worked much better and didn't create such a lumpy finish.
I gave these parts three coats, 30 minutes apart, and baked them for an hour at 350, per instructions.
After discovering that the finish fell right off of the screws, I decided to increase baking temperature and time for the rest of the parts.
I went with 375 degrees F, and baked them for 1.5 hours. I also made a point of really roughing up the metal before spraying on the Cerama-Coat.
More of This Article
- Page 1: Getting Started on the Metal Finishing
- Page 2: Adjusting Bake Time and Temperature for Finishing Gun Parts
- Page 3: Finishing the Barreled Action
- Page 4: The Final Finish
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 1: Before I Began Gunsmithing
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 2: Beginning The Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 3: More Gunsmithing Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 4: Modifying the Bolt Handle
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 5: Jeweling Bolt, Modifying Shroud
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 6: Shaping Trigger Guard, Finishing Chamber
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 7: Bedding Action, Fitting and Finishing Stock
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 8: Finishing the Metal Parts
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 9: Conclusion, Finished Rifle, Tools and Materials
I had to get creative in figuring out how to suspend the main part of the gun (the receiver with the barrel installed) from one of the oven racks... I conjured up a simple but tricky affair using some stiff wire, but utterly failed to capture it in a photograph.
I don't mind saying that I'm glad I was working with a nice short barrel. If the barrel had been much longer, it never would have fit in the oven while assembled to the receiver, and I don't trust Cerama-Coat to hold up to the rigors of a barrel vise or action wrench.
So keep that in mind if you try this yourself.
I spent a lot of effort getting parts prepared for finishing. I did much sanding to remove all traces of rust and crud from every nook and cranny, and I cleaned and de-greased everything very thoroughly with acetone. Very thoroughly. There are many places where crud can hide in a receiver, and it's important to clean every bit of crud from every one of them; one little bit of oil, rust, or gunk under the finish could really cause problems.
I ran out of finish (so much for their "one can coats two guns" claim) and had to use part of the first can - the can that originally did the "silly string" trick. This time it sprayed just fine - so don't give up if you have a can that doesn't spray properly at first.
I baked the parts - the action screws, bolt shroud, trigger guard, and barreled action - for 1.5 hours at 375 degrees, then allowed them to cool and put the gun together.
More of This Article
- Page 1: Getting Started on the Metal Finishing LI>Page 2: Adjusting Bake Time and Temperature for Finishing Gun Parts
- Page 3: Finishing the Barreled Action
- Page 4: The Final Finish
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 1: Before I Began Gunsmithing
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 2: Beginning The Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 3: More Gunsmithing Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 4: Modifying the Bolt Handle
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 5: Jeweling Bolt, Modifying Shroud
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 6: Shaping Trigger Guard, Finishing Chamber
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 7: Bedding Action, Fitting and Finishing Stock
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 8: Finishing the Metal Parts
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 9: Conclusion, Finished Rifle, Tools and Materials
The resulting finish was matte black, as promised. Matte, or flat, is much better than gloss for a hunting rifle because it's not as shiny and therefore is less likely to be spotted by an animal. It also does a much better job of hiding flaws.
I was pleased with Cerama-Coat's ability to get into nooks and crannies - like the many pits left behind by the old rust, and the stamped markings - rather than filling them up.
And while I wouldn't mind if this gun had fewer pits, I sure wouldn't want the number stampings and other markings on it to fill up and become illegible.
The finish began coming off here and there very soon after the gun was assembled. Cerama-Coat is not very tough, and wears off quickly and easily when steel meets steel.
The most inexplicable finish loss occurred on the receiver, at the rear of the ejection port. I don't recall ejecting any of the shells with enough force to cause them to hit the receiver there - and if I did, it's a very weak finish that can't take a few raps from empty brass cases ejected calmly, by hand, at the range.
The finish also began coming off of the muzzle, and I hate to lean the rifle against anything because the finish has proven to be pretty fragile in that area.
The Cerama-Coat package boasts that it's "harder and more durable than your gun's original finish." I strongly disagree with that. And the finished product bears no resemblance to anything ceramic that I have ever seen.
Nothing on the package actually says that there is any ceramic in Cerama-Coat, although the manufacturer claims it's in there.
All in all, I'm very happy with this rifle, but the metal finish leaves a lot to be desired in terms of durability.
In the next and final article of this series, I'll wrap things up with some photos of the finished gun before and after its first hunting season (during which it took a very fine 10-point buck), and a summary of what parts and components went into building this fine new old popper.
- Russ Chastain
More of This Article
- Page 1: Getting Started on the Metal Finishing
- Page 2: Adjusting Bake Time and Temperature for Finishing Gun Parts
- Page 3: Finishing the Barreled Action
- Page 4: The Final Finish
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 1: Before I Began Gunsmithing
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 2: Beginning The Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 3: More Gunsmithing Work
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 4: Modifying the Bolt Handle
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 5: Jeweling Bolt, Modifying Shroud
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 6: Shaping Trigger Guard, Finishing Chamber
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 7: Bedding Action, Fitting and Finishing Stock
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 8: Finishing the Metal Parts
- Spanish 93 Mauser Article 9: Conclusion, Finished Rifle, Tools and Materials
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