drying wet firearms in the oven

[olyeller]

Hi, I occasionally clean stripped slides and frames (mostly 1911's) in my sink with a mixture of simple green and warm water. I also rinse off cold-blue solution with cold water. To ensure thorough drying, I towel off the part and then throw it in a toaster oven for a few minutes at a very low temp.
-less than 200 degrees F.

Will this kind of treatment do anything to the metal, like soften it of embrittle it?
Not a metallurgist.
thanks!

 

[Zak Smith]

You won't hurt anything at those temperatures.

 

[Starter52]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[Brian Williams]

One thing that will help is after you rinse with cold water, get the water as hot as you can stand it this will help get the H2O off even faster. I do what you are talking about with my 1851 Navy after shooting black powder.

 

[olyeller]

Thanks for the help; I figured as much, but its good to get a 2nd opinion.
This is the best way to quickly reblue and make more visible the checkering Im doing to my front strap.

 

[RexDart]

Fewer protestations from the wife by using her hairdryer rather than oven. And +1 to the hot water comment: using the hot stuff means the hair dryer only is for the nooks & crannies where water pools.

 

[highlander 5]

you could use compressed air to blow out the excess moisture as well if you have access to a compressor that is

 

[gezzer]

I field strip pistols run them through the ultra-sound in 50-50 simple green/water at 150 degrees temp, and then rinse in sink with 125 degree hot water, them blow dry with compressed air. I then spray tri-flow on the metal and blow off with compressed air. Reassemble and you are DONE. They cannot get cleaner.