Removing bluing from damascus
 

Aquired a GH16 0 frame damascus at Hausmans, but the barrels had been blued. Will the Birchwood-Casey bluing remover take that off or should I just leave the bluing until I send the barrels in to be stripped and restored? Didn't know if removing the bluing would cause any problems if i didnt get it restored right away--kind of like to see how much pattern is still there.

Harold,
I don't think it would hurt anything as long as you did'nt immerse them. Pull of the fore arm and try a small spot behind the lug and see what happens. I bet that gun has some killer damascus under the blue. Makes you wonder what some people are thinking when they do stuff like that. Post your results- this may open a whole new field of employment for you.:)

the only issue I can think of is leaving the barrels with no finish to protect them.

Why not leave them blued until you send them in? It would look better. If you want to check the Damascus pattern, strip a little from under the forearm. Some burgundy Scotch brite and Hoppes will do that.

A good refinisher will charge you about $300+

They blued Damascus years ago to hide the fact that they were Damascus... which was not a sell point back then.

Most refinishing prices will include polishing. So you are not really saving money by stripping yourself.
Birchwood Casey bluing remover will work well for removing the bluing.
It leaves a grayish finish to the metal after application. Sometimes it takes a few applications to get it all off.

Brian is right and don't expect to see a damascus pattern under the blue. So I would leave the blue on until refinished.

Well, I picked up some gun blue remover at the gun show Sat. and tried it under the forearm as suggested. It did remove the bluing, showing a nice Damascus pattern when it was wet,,but then faded to silver when dried.
Bottom line, I will leave the bluing until the barrels can be properly refinished as suggested. I think it will look great.
Daryl, thought I had everything to start reloading those 3/4 oz loads using 20/28 that you suggested. Turns out I do not have the right bushings and neither did Cabelas or Gander Mtn., so will have to order them.
Thanks all.

Harold;
Call MEC directly or order an adjustable charge bar. They work great and you can dial in exactly what you want. No more bushings when you want to try a new load.