Regarding Flaking~

[CJS57]

Flaking as used by Winchester and Colt and S&W collectors refers to the blue simply peeling or flaking off like an old paint job. In those guns it happens on a Carbonia blue that is a heat process of bluing. Lugers normally were rust blued or dip blued and those types do not flake. The area below the hammer of the Winchester pictured is classic flaking. The receiver is totally flaked everywhere else! Incredibly the metal remains smooth as glass to the touch.
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[Eugen]

CJS57, thank you for demonstrating that "a picture is worth a thousand words". That's a great example to explain that term.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by CJS57

Flaking as used by Winchester and Colt and S&W collectors refers to the blue simply peeling or flaking off like an old paint job. In those guns it happens on a Carbonia blue that is a heat process of bluing. Lugers normally were rust blued or dip blued and those types do not flake. The area below the hammer of the Winchester pictured is classic flaking. The receiver is totally flaked everywhere else! Incredibly the metal remains smooth as glass to the touch.

That's very interesting... I have seen the same type of aging on carbon blued Colt pistols, and assumed that this type of bluing doesn't bond to the metal and "become part of it" like rust bluing and modern caustic bluing. I actually mentioned this on the Colt forum a while back, but the "experts" there said that it can't flake off. This is what sets this forum apart from other forums: Practical experience and knowledge, instead of people just "stating their opinions".