1911 pre-Black Army Finish

[ZBill]

I am researching a Colt 1911 SN 308,XXX which is pre-Black Army in most accounts. I have studied the Clauson book and can't really determine what finish is correct. The frame is worn with a thin finish with light browns and mustard color showing through, but blue under the grips and the possibly non-original to the frame 1911 slide which is a flat blue color which matches the under the grip slide bluing. But the wear pattern difference between the slide and frame argue non-original to each other. What would the original finish and surface preparation look like for a pistol of this SN?

Any information is appreciated. Thank you, Bill

 

[Jim K]

The very first 1911's were a very black shiny color, the same as other Colt pistols and revolvers of that era. The army asked that the finish be made less shiny and that was done, long before your gun was made, by reducing the degree of polishing. So the correct finish would be a black, not glossy, but not as rough looking as the "black army", which was that color only because it given almost no final polish (to speed production).

Note that photos can rarely be relied on for this, as the light required for photography plays tricks. For example, the M1911 (No. 39) on the cover of Clawson's book looks blue, when the actual color would have been closer to black.

Jim

 

[Old Fuff]

Jim is right. During the period between 1911 and the early 1920's the process used to do the bluing didn't change, but the polishing did on military pistols. during 1912 they reduced the level of polishing by one step, which resulted in a more satin blue/blue finish. In 1918 to speed up production they reduced the level of polishing another step, and the finish became duller and blacker. When they resumed buying pistols in the middle 1920's a different method of bluing was used up to about 1940 when Parkerizing was introduced. I have a 1913 period pistol that looks like it was cold blued, although it wasn't.

 

[ZBill]

Thanks Jim and Old Fuff

The metal finish is smoother than a late-1918 Black Army I am comparing it to. So maybe this was produced just before Colt reduced the polishing requirements for speed of production. I would call the finisher closer to black that blue, especially the hammer. By the way the hammer on this one fits the past mid-1918 production type per the Clawson 2003 book.

I appreciate your input. Bill

 

[Old Fuff]

In his book, Colt .45 Service Pistols, Models of 1911 and 1911A1, Clawson goes into great detail about the various blued finishes that were used on USGI pistols. Go to page 84 (Exterior Finish) to read the details. You will quickly see that the method of bluing was a heat, rather then chemical process that is used today. Colt's claims that their current reproductions of 1911 World War One pistols were (or are) identically finished like the original guns is completely untrue.

Commercial 1911 pistols made between 1912 and the early 1920's did retain the high-gloss "charcoal blue" finish; but the Army found it to be objectionable because of light reflection issues.

 

[Jim K]

AFAIK, Colt used Carbonia blue on those guns. There has been a lot written on that process, with some claiming it was an S&W "secret" process. Some have written that an oil was "brushed" on, others that the guns were "buried in" some secret mixture. All I know for sure is that S&W also used it and I watched the process at S&W.

The guns were not "brushed" with anything or "buried" in anything. They were brought from the polishers on steel racks, which were inserted directly into the drum of a gas furnace. The "secret" mixture was at the bottom and the hot vapor did the bluing. But the furnace was also hot enough that the bluing was done as part of the heat treatment, so it really could never be duplicated. When a gun returned for repair was to be reblued, they used a normal tank blue; I understand they later did all their guns with a tank blue, doing the heat treatment separately.

Carbonia blue was a process developed by the American Gas Furnace Co., and was/is widely used on machine tools and other parts. It was never "proprietary" to S&W or Colt, but each company seems to have added some ingredients to the standard mixture.

Jim

 

[ZBill]

some close-up pictures

these photos illustrate the finish. Please note how the frame has a different amount of wear from that of the slide. Can the slide be original to this frame? Also is this the expected level of polishing on the slide correct for a pistol of 308,XXX vintage? Thank you for all the input. Bill

 

[GeorgeR]

1911 Finish

To me, the finish looks correct and original and the slide matches the frame. In my experience, the slide usually shows a little more wear than the frame. The lettering is crisp and shows no signs of refinishing.

 

[Old Fuff]

There are minor dings and pits, but the polish is correct for the period, starting in mid-1918 or around serial number 300,000.

Note that the finish was not always properly done because of wartime pressures, and as a result was thin, and sometimes would flake off over time. This however didn't effect the texture of the metal surfaces polish.

 

[ZBill]

Thanks GeorgeR and Old Fuff

I am glad to heard that the polishing is original. I apprecaite your thoughts. Bill