Does blueing reduce the speed of corrosion?

[E=MC^2]

First post. Hello, all.

I have always wondered wether or not a blued part would be more resistant to corrosion than an in-the-white part. I know that bluing is sort of a fast rusting proccess but does it do anything to protect the surface?

I have 1911's with slides that have been worn down to the bare metal through draw presentations. I like this well-worn look best but there's always someone at the range that will say, "You need to get that thing refinished or it'll start rusting on you."

Not knowing if this is true or not, I have no argument against it. I just figure if it hasn't happened yet(rust), it probably isn't going to. I clean & lubricate my guns after every match and shooting session.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Johnny Guest]

First of all - -

Welcome aboard The High Road, E=MC^2. Hope to see a lot of you in the various fora.

In answer to your question - - - I'm of two minds about the subject, and have been for over 40 years!

Like you, I don't mind the signs of honest wear on a firearm - - So long as it is not the result of neglect. I think there's a real difference in a pistol with the blue worn off in places and one which has been allowed to get rusty or the like.

I have an old Commander I carried for over 25 years. Its slide has been refinished twice. I didn't have it done for cosmetic purposes - - The gun smith just did it as part of the job when I had the front sight replaced - - He silver-soldered it and this discolored the front of the slide. The bluing is worn pretty thin, where it has not completely departed. The alloy frame has gone gray, either from the anodizing wearing down, or from wearing completely away and then oxidizing afterward. I'm a career peace officer and the old pistol is one of my "tools of the trade," and was carried almost daily. The wear is almost entirely from carry, in holsters or just shoved in my waistband. I probably haven't fired much over 2,000 rounds total through it. I think the wear shows a certain "character," and it will probably never be refinished unless I have it engraved, as I threaten to do from time to time. Problem is, I would buy another good firearm for what even modest engraving would cost . . . .

Back to your topic, though - - The pistol didn't rust, because it got wiped with an oily cloth pretty frequently while being carried. Nowadays, it just gets wiped down when I routinely go through my safe. I have another, newer, Commander for regular carry.

Firearms with a nice, even, finish are "prettier" than those with discernible wear, certainly. It is easier to keep that uniform color when the piece is stainless steel, or when finished with one of the specialized coatings. The coatings also resist rust much better than just bluing, which is actually fairly delicate. Even Parkerizing is not particularly tough - - The sandblasted and phosphated finish just tends to hold oil better than polished surfaces.

I believe it all boils down to, "You pays your money and you makes your choice."

Best regards, and don't be a stranger.
Johnny

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Bluing *IS* rust -- changed subtly by the chemicals used to create it.

Long ago gunmakers realized that they could modify the rusting process to keep it from accelerating. Bluing is controlled rusting.

As the moderator notes, if you keep the gun wiped down and lightly oiled, you won't have to worry about rust. But if you had the gun out in the field, and didn't have an opportunity to lightly oil it regularly, you might notice rust or corrosion on the parts that were no longer blued far more quickly than you'd expect.

 

[E=MC^2]

Thanks guys.

 

[Jim K]

As Walt says, bluing is rust, so blued steel is less likely to rust since it is already rusted. In addition, bluing will hold oil, just as Parkerizing will, so that also adds to rust resistance. So-called "rust bluing" offers more protection than "tank bluing" because it is deeper and holds oil better.

Even use will prevent rust by not giving it time to start. But, given the right (or wrong) conditions, any steel, even so-called stainless steel, will rust. The worst case is newly exposed carbon steel, just as it comes from the machine or after having been buffed. At that point, there is no protection at all on the metal, and visible rust can be seen within hours.

Jim