what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

[Michael L.]

Guys,

restoring my half shafts and drive shafts and wondering what brand gun blue anyone has used that worked well to replicate the weld heat marks. I have some gun blue I just tried and it isn't coming out blue, looks more gray and not what I have seen in pics on this forum. Thanks,

Mike

[Gary R.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Hi Mike
I did some recently for a NCRS buddy and used a propane torch to blue them.

[Jeff P.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Hello Gary and Mike. Here's a pic after Gary's propaine torch.

[Michael L.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Guys,

That looks good. Problem is I've painted the ends of the shafts already with cast gray and I'm afraid that if I heat them I'll ruin the paint. I've seen pics of guys who have used the gun blue method on this forum and they looked good too, just not with the brand gun blue that I have. Any advice on this is appreciated.

Mike

[Alan S.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Hi Mike,
I went to my local 'gun' store and bought what they had. It's a small plastic bottle, just a couple of ounces.
I'm not at home so can't check on the brand. Sorry! ( added...Google to the rescue… Birchwood/Casey Gun Blue!)
It takes some experimenting to learn just how much to brush on, how to control how far to let it creep, and how long to leave it on.
It's easy to remove and start over until you get the results you're looking for.
Here's a picture. 71 drive shaft.
I really wondered if the 'bluing' is mimicking the original heat zone or actually making the original heat zone visible again?
I'd be interested in knowing how people duplicate the weld seam's appearance and the extrusion marks.
Regards,
Alan

[Patrick H.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

You can use Birchwood Casey and it works fine. I have others that I use - on guns - but since the BC is so available even at Wal-Mart, just use that.

For the seam I ran two pieces of tape down the half-shaft longitudinally, and colored the area between them. It worked great.

[Ron G.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Maybe I missed it, but did anyone mention the application? This only applies if it is not a big block, LT-1, or a fuelie as the shaft along with the weld and sometimes the cast part is shot peened with number 31 shot. Again, maybe I did not see it.

[Tony S.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Michael, what year is your car? Tony

[Gary J.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

In the pictures above how are you guys getting your half shafts and drive shafts to look like that? Are they being turned in a lath? A curious mind wants to know.

[John D.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

I owned midyears brand new. Not one of those new and off the truck had half shafts as pretty as restorers are making them today. Not one. In fact I complained to the mechanic that my half shafts were rusty. Car in particular was a Watkins Glenn Green 65 convertible with a 365 HP.
Was being dealer repaired. I saw it up on the lift and vividedly remember the shafts as having a coat of rust and overspray. The car had just arrived at the dealers two days before. None of my new midyears had shiny half shafts. I owned three or four new ones. Chassis's had all kinds of rust on them. Right off truck. True story. JD

[Kenneth B.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

I owned midyears brand new. Not one of those new and off the truck had half shafts as pretty as restorers are making them today. Not one. In fact I complained to the mechanic that my half shafts were rusty. Car in particular was a Watkins Glenn Green 65 convertible with a 365 HP.
Was being dealer repaired. I saw it up on the lift and vividedly remember the shafts as having a coat of rust and overspray. The car had just arrived at the dealers two days before. None of my new midyears had shiny half shafts. I owned three or four new ones. Chassis's had all kinds of rust on them. Right off truck. True story. JD

John Say it an't so. All us older guys know that the new cars we bought in the 60'S & 70'S looked just like the NCRS judged Corvettes now.LOL

[Bob J.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

I agree with JD 100%.
I worked under those cars in the late 60s, later selling them new from 1971 ... NONE looked like what is being described as original here.
Michael Hanson had a NOS half shaft in the mid 70s, and it certainly didn't look like those pictured.
I think somebody has the group believing they were a work of art.......they weren't.
GM had no problem selling new cars in those years with corrosion on suspension parts.
Bob Jorjorian

[John D.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

John Say it an't so. All us older guys know that the new cars we bought in the 60'S & 70'S looked just like the NCRS judged Corvettes now.LOL

You said a mouth full Ken. I can remember my Dad making fun of me. Also made fun of the Chevrolet Dealer that sold me the car as the owner of the dealership was one of my Dad's best friends. The owner of Grabiak Chevrolet took my Dad and I to see a truck load of Corvairs that he just got in. Pointed out to us that the paint jobs on them and the quality of workmanship was far superior to the new Corvettes.

But friends we could have cared less in those days. The thrill of having a new Corvette (instead of a Corvair) was all we needed. Meanwhile a new Corvette right off the truck wasn't even close to our restorations today. Not by a long shot. They were not pretty. Nothing lined up for squat. Leaked water when it rained. But they did scream and we bought them and fixed them up. Almost every new Corvette I had got repainted.
Sorry to ramble. Back to work. JD

[Page C.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Here's a picture of an NOS Corvair half shaft that I use to have.

[Patrick H.]

Re: what brand gun blue for half shaft welds?

Here's a picture of an NOS Corvair half shaft that I use to have.

Now that is what I'd expect. Zero deductions for that one!

The shiny one shown earlier is way overdone, but that's already been mentioned.