Nickled luger? - Page 2

lugerholsterrepair · 08-17-2001, 01:00 PM

Hakan...You are right .. When I had my 1908 stripped of it's chrome plate it was bare metal underneath and correctly, you would have to buff or bead blast this to achieve a surface proper for blueing. There are many types of blueing and for instance Mr Colt did a form in a furnace fed with bones that created intense smoke and no oxygen thus pulling carbon out of the metal. The result is a beautiful blue not matched to this day in commercial production. Ted does a rust blue and maybe he can explain how that works, Pulls carbon out or what? Jerry

BILL · 08-17-2001, 07:17 PM

The older Colt charcoal fire-blue (using bone, charcoal, leather, and other organic combustibles) doesn't acutally pull carbon out of the steel but creates a high carbon atmosphere. The gun parts were heated to a cherry red glow and often the bone and charcoal were packed around them and wrapped in rawhide. This was then put in an airtight container to create what is known as a reduction atmosphere. The hot steel, upon igniting the materials, absorbed the carbon that was given off (since it is starved for oxygen it takes in the carbon rich atmosphere). This produced brilliant purples and reds and blues on the frames. The whole process was a guarded secret but now is fairly well known. No two specimens turned out the same, which adds to the beauty of the process. Rust bluing, on the other hand, is a chemical process applied to the surface of the steel which has an acid base and creates a black oxide finish on the 'rusted' surfaces. Rust bluing is extremely labor intensive.

Thor · 08-17-2001, 08:28 PM

You can do a pretty nice rust blue without much metal removal, I have done one example three times (I was not happy with the first two result)and the proof marks were still intact the after the third result. See General Information/FAQ/ and the rust blue section. ~Thor~

Johnny Peppers · 08-20-2001, 10:41 PM

Bill,

Colt's process of oven blueing did not draw carbon from the metal, but rather the animal bone and pure petroleum oil produced the carbon that colored the metal in the heat of the oven. When Colt went to the gas fired ovens, the pistol parts were on revolving racks which turned one direction for half the process time, and then reversed for the same amount of time in order that the pistol parts would blue evenly in the vapor.

BILL · 08-20-2001, 11:55 PM

Hi Johnny, if you re-read my post I am sure you will agree that we are barking up the same tree. The color case hardening is a process that allows the steel to draw carbon from a reduction atmoshpere (actually the opposite of rust bluing, which employs an oxidation process to form a coating on the steel).

08-17-2001, 01:00 PM	#21
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,761 Thanks: 4,863 Thanked 3,101 Times in 1,427 Posts	Re: You are right! Hakan...You are right .. When I had my 1908 stripped of it's chrome plate it was bare metal underneath and correctly, you would have to buff or bead blast this to achieve a surface proper for blueing. There are many types of blueing and for instance Mr Colt did a form in a furnace fed with bones that created intense smoke and no oxygen thus pulling carbon out of the metal. The result is a beautiful blue not matched to this day in commercial production. Ted does a rust blue and maybe he can explain how that works, Pulls carbon out or what? Jerry

08-17-2001, 07:17 PM	#22
BILL User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Western Washington Posts: 826 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Colt process The older Colt charcoal fire-blue (using bone, charcoal, leather, and other organic combustibles) doesn't acutally pull carbon out of the steel but creates a high carbon atmosphere. The gun parts were heated to a cherry red glow and often the bone and charcoal were packed around them and wrapped in rawhide. This was then put in an airtight container to create what is known as a reduction atmosphere. The hot steel, upon igniting the materials, absorbed the carbon that was given off (since it is starved for oxygen it takes in the carbon rich atmosphere). This produced brilliant purples and reds and blues on the frames. The whole process was a guarded secret but now is fairly well known. No two specimens turned out the same, which adds to the beauty of the process. Rust bluing, on the other hand, is a chemical process applied to the surface of the steel which has an acid base and creates a black oxide finish on the 'rusted' surfaces. Rust bluing is extremely labor intensive.

08-17-2001, 08:28 PM	#23
Thor User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Posts: 4,583 Thanks: 958 Thanked 970 Times in 276 Posts	Re: You are right! You can do a pretty nice rust blue without much metal removal, I have done one example three times (I was not happy with the first two result)and the proof marks were still intact the after the third result. See General Information/FAQ/ and the rust blue section. ~Thor~

08-20-2001, 10:41 PM	#24
Johnny Peppers User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Calion, Arkansas Posts: 1,042 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re:Colt Method Bill, Colt's process of oven blueing did not draw carbon from the metal, but rather the animal bone and pure petroleum oil produced the carbon that colored the metal in the heat of the oven. When Colt went to the gas fired ovens, the pistol parts were on revolving racks which turned one direction for half the process time, and then reversed for the same amount of time in order that the pistol parts would blue evenly in the vapor.

08-20-2001, 11:55 PM	#25
BILL User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Western Washington Posts: 826 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re:Colt Method Hi Johnny, if you re-read my post I am sure you will agree that we are barking up the same tree. The color case hardening is a process that allows the steel to draw carbon from a reduction atmoshpere (actually the opposite of rust bluing, which employs an oxidation process to form a coating on the steel).