Torching vs. Bluing - Scotty Refinish

So I'm refinishing a pro platinum and need some advice. I had the nickel/platinum finish removed chemically and it was sandblasted. Now I have a clubhead that is bare/raw carbon steel and I need to decide on a finish technique. I've seen results of torching that are great and I've seen examples of bluing that are also great. I'm going for either a dark grey/black look or blue/purple indigo look. I like both. I'm a little concerned about the torching process making the feel of the club too hard because I love the feel of a soft putter. I've also read a few threads about using an oven, but the results seemed disappointing to some folks who tried it. So does anyone have any opinions/advice on one method vs. the other? Or any other ideas that may be better? Thanks!

Either will look great, just take your time and prep the head properly.

Remove All surface oils and dirt, wear rubber gloves and like I said take your time.

Torching will not effect the feel as you will not be heating to the point that it will harden the steel.

Torching IMO has never changed the feel of carbon steel. You could do both together.

Torching IMO has never changed the feel of carbon steel. You could do both together.

I haven't considered doing both. Would you blue it and then torch it? I haven't heard anyone mention doing that, but I imagine it could work.

Thanks for the reply. Any advice on the process is very appreciated.

Yes ,I would blue it first. I've done both ways and I've found better success with blueing first Then degrease really WELL after the blueing( because of oiling it after the blueing) then torch. The true disadvantage to this is with torching after blueing is you need to get it right the first time. When normal torching, if you don't like the results to can easily redo by sanding degreasing and torch again. But with the blue finish you will have to reblue again. I have read the other comment about blueing after and that in my experience not yield the best results, The blueing is best with both if you go to a lighter grey tone before torching .You could blue after but that works best if you go past the blue purple tones to the light blue to have which doesn't sound like what your looking for. I would suggest only torching if you have not done both of these processes .If you have done both of these processes, you would know what I'm describing. The advantage to all of this is it's very easy to redo either process and start again. Good luck and please post pictures if possible.

Yes ,I would blue it first. I've done both ways and I've found better success with blueing first Then degrease really WELL after the blueing( because of oiling it after the blueing) then torch. The true disadvantage to this is with torching after blueing is you need to get it right the first time. When normal torching, if you don't like the results to can easily redo by sanding degreasing and torch again. But with the blue finish you will have to reblue again. I have read the other comment about blueing after and that in my experience not yield the best results, The blueing is best with both if you go to a lighter grey tone before torching .You could blue after but that works best if you go past the blue purple tones to the light blue to have which doesn't sound like what your looking for. I would suggest only torching if you have not done both of these processes .If you have done both of these processes, you would know what I'm describing. The advantage to all of this is it's very easy to redo either process and start again. Good luck and please post pictures if possible.

Man, thank you for the time it took to reply. Well, now I'm thinking I should just torch it since this is the first time attempting it. That may be the safest approach for me. Can I ask how the best way to polish the metal prior to torching it may be? I know that is an important step to ensure that the blues and purples show up. Right now, the head is pretty dull (from blasting).

For the prep work oneugusta has a great thread on here. There are a lot great sources to refer to this is one that comes to mind on here. It's for stainless, but applies for carbon as well.

Torching a Putter DIY

Good luck and have fun!!

This is one I just torched yesterday and added paint fill. I didn't push through the bronze color to get the blues and purples. Maybe on the next one.