Thanks, I dig it so far, even though my fingers won't stop smelling of metal.:lol
Sidkit's instructions call for wet sanding with 800 grit sandpaper, the finest I could find was 600 grit. I was just too anxious to get to work on the gun and didn't feel like ordering freaking sandpaper online, so I went with the 600. That, and the brass buffing wheel for my Dremel tool.
I kinda modified the instructions a bit for the Perma Blue stuff. It says to swab it on, let it sit for no more than 30-60 seconds, then douse in water to kill the chemical reaction. Bluing is a multi-staged process. The more you do it, the darker it will get. So, I took some of those little tupperware containers you see in the background, and immersed the pieces into the solution for a few minutes, during which I kinda basted them like a turkey, flipping them over, swabbing on the solution etc. Then I would yank them out, and drop them in another tupperware dealie full of water. Then I would dry it off with a rag, wipe any residual crusty stuff off with a toothpick, then repeat. This seems to have worked pretty well overall.
Some caveats about the bluing process....
The angles on the Mal gun around that weird T shaped thingie on the receiver are a real PITA. It is almost impossible to get in those little corners with the sandpaper or the buffing wheel. I'd recommend you use a Q-Tip or something else blunt and small to work the sandpaper into those corners or else the bluing will not take there as well.
If you choose to do the immersion bluing as I have, or if you plan to pour your solution into a container for easier access etc. Bluing is a rusting process, so shortly after you apply the solution, you will notice a little foamy dots all over the surface of the metal, this is rust, or something similar that is being pulled out of the pores of the metal and as you wipe it off with the swab, or immerse it into the bluing, it will wash into your solution. Eventually, your tub of solution will be a caramel brown color. Not to worry though, to clean it, just strain it through a coffee filter into another clean container, and it will come out crystal clear on the other side, leaving all that silt behind in the filter. Cleaner bluing solution does seem to work better.