Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Older cheaper guns have paint-like finish on receivers not bluing!

I have a Westerdfield 12 ga. shootgun and Sears Roebuck model T-3 22 auto. The receiver is painted not blued like barrel. won't to refinish both have sentimental value. is this paint on receiver, if so what kind of paint and how do I puchase some. Welcome home to all Viet Nam vets ........thanks Paul

Paul McClanahan
hobbyist - Virginia
August 15, 2009

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Well you haven't given me much to work with here. The name Western Field was used by Winchester, Remington, Savage, Stevens, JC Higgins and Nobel just to name a few. Your best bet for the shotgun is to put a magnet to the receiver and determine if its steel or aluminum. In both cases you will have to take it to a gunsmith. If its steel have him hot caustic blue it. If its aluminum get him to have it powder coated or anodized.
Sears Roebuck made a 3T 22 and it had an aluminum receiver. You need a special custom made wrench to remove the barrel so again you will have to contact a gunsmith and get him to strip it and send it out for powder coat or anodizing. To answer your question the finish the factories normally use on aluminum is a bake on enamel. This type of finish wears very poorly but it is very cheap. Some of the newer high dollar aluminum receiver guns are powder coated or anodized. The new finishes last 10 times as long as the old bake on finish. Some people try to paint their receivers with the Wall Mart style spray paints but they always turn out poorly and only last's a few days. I'm sorry but there is no easy or quick fix here.

Rod Henrickson
gunsmith - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
August 20, 2009