what causes the blue to turn black
To keep a firearm blue colored what substance in the environment causes the most blackening of the blue color on the metal. Some firearms over 100 years old look much bluer than others which appear to brown and blacken. How to best preserve this blue color. is it moisture or dryness that causes this color change?
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Hello there are many ways to color a piece of metal polish/finish has a lot to do with final results Some FIRE BLUED early colts looked almost like Blue Chrome but this finish was not as durable as Hot Salts Bluing . double barrel shotgun barrels most times are RUST Blued and this gives a Matt blue black finish and low temp is used to prevent melting the soder holding the barrels and ribs together. Winchester early guns were also high polish as well as early Colts but this was very time consuming ONE REASON collectors like old guns it is all in the metal PREP. 0 -
Moisture or dryness can cause a blue finish to change. The thing we want to prevent is formation of ferric oxide (rust), a compound made of iron in the gun's steel & oxygen in the air or water.
As long as we control temperature & moisture in the air, a light coat of oil will keep most guns from oxidizing. For archival storage, the Springfield Armory National Museum uses a high grade of wax to protect metal finishes.
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Constant exposure to light can also affect finishes, particularly case hardening. 0 -
As has been stated, the preparation before bluing has a lot to do with how the finished product turns out. Crappy polishing always gives a more dark, shallow looking blue.
Notice on those older guns how the finish appears so deep it looks as if you could reach down in it. That's a skilled (and time consuming) polish job.0 -
Length of time in the bluing tank is also a factor.
Shorter times can result in a purple-plum color, rather than that nice dark blue-black.0
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