Why "white edges" don't rust up?

[elano]

I was just curious why the "white edges" aka holster wear on guns don't immediately start surface rusting. We see it in many photos where folks have well worn guns without a spec of rust on the bare spots. I also have revolvers with the barrel tips warn white from holster wear and have not noticed any rust on these areas in particular however have seen some light rust on blued areas of the same gun where you would think it wouldn't rust.

 

[MaterDei]

Bluing does not prevent rust. The "white edges" are less prone to rusting because the constant wear on those areas keep the oxidation at bay.

 

[Speedo66]

If it's wearing away the bluing, it's keeping it polished.

 

[OilyPablo]

Given the right variables the areas will rust. Probably enough surface lube or rubbing on a holster that has lube impregnated from use.

 

[MechAg94]

You have to have the right conditions to rust. Just because a coating is worn off, doesn't mean those conditions are automatically in play. However, if you leave the gun in a damp holster or something similar, rust could easily occur.

If you wipe down the outside of the gun with an oily rag each time you clean, that helps a lot. I like to wipe the gun wet with oil inside and out then assemble and wipe off the excess. The oil will coat the metal even if it doesn't feel oily.

I have heard people talk about guns rusting around fingerprints, but I have never seen that happen with mine. My safe is inside in the A/C though. The only real rust issue I had was a rifle I once kept near my bed. The apartment I was in must have had a leak during a storm. The carpet got wet for a few days and I didn't notice. The steel butt plate rusted up.

 

[bannockburn]

I have an Essex 1911 frame that I removed all of the bluing from because it was starting to rust in certain areas. Polished it up and left it in the white. After that no more rust and it still looks great.

 

[BearBrimstone]

I have heard people talk about guns rusting around fingerprints, but I have never seen that happen with mine. My safe is inside in the A/C though.

I had this happen to an old Remington 700. The gun was prone to light surface rust and one of the times the rust looked like an almost perfect duplicate of my thumb print.

 

[Legionnaire]

^^ Some people have more salts in the oils in their skin. I've never left a fingerprint that rusted up, but I have a friend who seems to rust all the gun metal he touches unless he carefully cleans the surface afterward.

 

[bannockburn]

elano

My polished, left in the white Essex frame with a TacSol .22 conversion.

 

[Branko_D]

If there's no moisture or acid, it won't really rust. Moisture, being the pain it is, tends to collect in hard to reach places, and it'll rust through blued steel or even stainless if left there long enough. The places where bluing is likely to be worn, moisture is likely to be wiped off, too. Besides, just because there is no bluing (which is mildly protective), doesn't mean there's no finish on it. With age, steel, when well maintained, will form a stable layer of oxides and other chemicals which we would call patina and which, just like bluing, are somewhat protective.

By the way, I'm not a big semi-auto fan but your 0.22 conversion just looks great! Love the contrast between white steel and the deep wood colour of the grips.

 

[bannockburn]

Branko D

Thanks! I liked the look of the polished metal and since it never has shown any sign of rusting I decided to leave the frame just as it is. Those great looking skip checkered rosewood grips are by Kim Ahrends.

 

[Drail]

I used to run guns with no finish while doing custom work while doing the final fitting and tweaking and never had any problem with rust using just plain old CLP. Just keep it coated and wipe it down every time anyone touches it. But there was this one guy I used to shoot with - his sweat could rust stainless steel on a hot summer day if he touched your gun for only a minute. All of his guns were stainless - and all of them were pitted where he sweated on them. It was unbelievable.

 

[elano]

That 1911 looks great.

My grandpas model 12 has most of the bluing worn off. Most of the 1897s and 12s I see in guns stores are also warn this way. No rust. He bought it new in the 50s in an era where there was no AC in the humid south. It's strange, I left my ruger mark 3 in my truck in a cloth case for 3 cold days. It had rust forming all over it.

 

[TimSr]

I have heard people talk about guns rusting around fingerprints, but I have never seen that happen with mine.

Fingerprints typically don't rust of you have an oil coating on the gun, or from recently washed hands but handle a dry one with sweaty hands, and it will start to tarnish pretty quickly whether it has bluing or not.

The "white edges" are less prone to rusting because the constant wear on those areas keep the oxidation at bay.

Same reason your brake disks don't rust while you're driving.

 

[FROGO207]

^^ Or most of the change or your knife in your pocket still shines for the most part. You are a perpetual tumbler to that stuff.

 

[JFtheGR8]

Micro lapping provides for a more slick and polished surface that resists rust better than unpolished surfaces. Rough it up a little and it'll be a lot more prone to rusting.

 

[double bogey]

I know dove blood and sweat will cause rust if not attended to.

 

[elano]

Dove tears too.