Blue Masking
 

What material is used for masking out areas that are not required or not wanted to be rusted when going through the rust blue process.
Looking at my 1916 DWM it is clear that the internal areas of the frame etc are still in the white, whereas the outside surfaces are (obviously) blued.
Some kind of material must have been used to prevent rusting of these internal areas. Some kind of laquer maybe?
I would be interested to find out from some of the rust bluing gurus out there.

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

The internal magazine well and receiver were polished to the white AFTER the Luger was blued on most pre 1936 Lugers. During the bluing process, you just dont want to get solution on the inside of those areas. Also the rust blued Lugers have a white muzzle. On later salt blued Lugers, you blue everything even the barrel inside.

Thor and this is also how you tell if a older gun has been reblued isn't it?

Ed

Depends Ed, if it is one of my restored Lugers, it will look just like it did from the factory. Like you sugguest, a DWM or Erfurt that is blued inside the rails is a dead giveaway for a salt blue or a really bad rerust blue. Look for the muzzle too, it should be white or tarnished silver color unless it is a post 1937 salt blued gun which is generally blue looking unless it has been carried or shot a lot. Then it is a little harder to tell.

:)