Dang it all! I've done gone and wrecked the bluing

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I would go for rust bluing. Extremely durable if done correctly. Looks great and is cheap with minimal supplies needed for a handgun. Extremely time consuming though.
 
If you have patience,time,and a little mechanical know how,you can do a fine rust blue job at home. You will need to completely disassemble the parts you intend to blue,which is really the hardest part. Brownell’s can sell you everything you need to get it done,but some items like steel wool and degreasing solutions could be purchased locally to cut costs. My buddy did a nice job on a Mauser he put together,and documented each step,and his mistakes,on AR15.com,under Gunsmithing,Mauser Build.
 
Hopefully the light and my phone shows how grey the slide has become after the ultrasonic bath. Before the bath the slide was as dark as the frame. The bluing wasn't totally removed but kind of bleached it out, so that it looks like a whole lot of holster wear.

I do appreciate all the input here. And I've been reading via search engine the different options you fellows have given. Thank you. I am leaning towards parkerizing as I already have equipment in my shop I can do that with, plus it seems durable. But I am also going to look at some of the cold bluing pastes and liquids that were mentioned. This is the ultimate problem with being in a hurry, the mistakes come easy and the solutions take even more time. But, if this is my biggest problem, then I suppose I have a pretty good life.
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You will not get good results with anything other than real bluing, which is expensive and dangerous.
Use your tank and heater and Parkerize
Temps are hot at 172°F, but will not injure you with a splash. The chemicals are much safer than bluing chemicals as well. The 16oz bottle will last many rifles. You would need a thermometer, motor oil, gloves, degreaser, running water.
This finish will look good, hold up better than bluing, and is not a paint. This is the universal post-war finish for most small

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1841122455


Thank you. Leaning towards your recommendation.
 
parkerize is a good choice, and if you decide you don't like it, you know exactly how to remove it.
I have used a few degreasers, Purple Power worked the best, better than straight acetone.
Degreasing is extremely important for results.
You have two choices for it, Zinc Phosphate will give you a grey color, possibly with a green tint. Manganese Phosphate should give you a black finish. I think grey looks better. Prep work is not really necessary beyond full disassembly, and good degreasing. Parkerize will hide much more than bluing, so sand and polish are unnecessary. After the process is complete, run all parts in cold water, and dump them in oil for a few minutes. I use leftover motor oil, or you can use the post treatment, but its still just oil. Consider posting pic when complete.

Dont forget safety goggles, glasses aren't good enough.
 
I see the bluing wear now. Parkerize. Easier setup than even most cold bluing techniques. I have Parkerized slides on about half dozen 1911s and it is very easy to do. I use a teflon coated spaghetti pot I got at a thrift store for about $10 and the solution can be reused a few times. Follow this video and you should have no problems.

 
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