Gun refinishing basics

There are two basic types of firearms finishes.one area where they are inferior to bluing. Bluing my
Those that cause a change in the color of thebe stripped off and a new finish applied with relative
surface metal of a firearm and those that are appliedease. Plated finishes must be removed by special
to the surface but do not change the basic nature ofstripping processes, preferably by the original plater.
the surface material. The first group of finishesSince there are several plating processes available,
consists of what is referred to as "bluing oreach a little bit different, they often require a special
browning" while the latter category comprises thestripping process only available from someone using
majority of other finishes available. The purpose ofthat particular process. While there are some
this monograph is to briefly discuss the nature ofprocesses available that claim to strip almost any
bluing, the most common firearm finish, and then toplated finish, they must be used with the utmost
discuss the applied finishes.care. I have seen several pistols damaged by their
Bluing (or browning) is, most commonly, a modifieduse.
form of rusting created under strictly controlledThere is another form of applied finish. This is applied
conditions to produce a cosmetically pleasing finish onby hand by either dipping or spraying and offers the
steel. In industrial applications, it is referred to as blackdark color of bluing along with the greater rust
oxide. In the older methods, a solution was wiped onresistance of the plated finishes. Its wear
the clean part and then the part was allowed tocharacteristics are better than bluing but not as good
develop a fine rust. This rust was carded off and theas plating. Teflon finishes and our TAF-1 finish are
part wiped again with the solution. This processexamples of this type. We feel that the TAF-1 is
continued until the desired color was produced. Thesuperior in wear to Teflon and that is why we offer
process is still sometimes used today on higherit. Both the TAF-1 and Teflon finishes are available in
quality firearms and those, such as double barreleda low luster black which looks very well on a firearm.
shotguns, which would be damaged by the moreThey can also be stripped by normal abrasive blasting
aggressive modern methods. The process is knownwhich means they do not require the special
today as the cold rust method.preparation that a plated finish does when they must
The more modern method of bluing is to use a bathbe refinished. Another benefit of the TAF-1 finish is
of caustic chemicals heated to about 285 degrees F.that it may be applied to both aluminum and stainless
The parts to be blued are chemically cleaned andsteel as well as the more common carbon steel. This
then immersed in the bluing bath for about 1/2 hourallows these two metals the protection of an applied
until they reach the desired color. In both types offinish for use under adverse conditions. I once rusted
bluing, the surface of the metal is chemically changedseveral parts of a stainless steel pistol while carrying
and the finish is in the metal.it concealed over a period of a week in our hot
As a side note, there is another form of coloring, notArizona summer. Applying a TAF-1 finish not only
commonly encountered today, called heat bluing. Thismade the pistol less conspicuous, but it also
is the controlled heating of the part watching as itprevented any recurrence of the rusting problem.
changes colors. The part is quenched in oil when theAs can be seen from the foregoing synopsis, the
proper color is obtained. This was the process usedchoice of finish for a pistol is more complex than
to color certain parts of the Parabellum or Lugersome would have us believe. Bluing is an excellent
pistol.first finish for a pistol. It is relatively inexpensive,
The second major form of firearms finish is the classholds up relatively well except under harsh operational
known as applied finishes. These finishes are applieduse and does not change any of the parts
to the surface of the metal and do not change thetolerances. It is a very good choice to use while you
basic nature of the surface metal. By their nature,are setting up your pistol and getting all of the work
they are far more rust resistant than bluing. Theydone on it you want. If you decide you want
also tend to be more expensive which is why theysomething changed (different sights, trigger or
are not more common. These applied finishes rangemainspring housing for example) it is not a major
from common paint to plated finishes.problem. With a plated slide, for example, the plating
The British used a painted finish on a number of theirmust be stripped before most sights could be
service arms. The paint was easier to apply thanmounted and then the slide re-plated. After you have
bluing, provided greater rust resistance and was lessyour pistol set up exactly as you want it, it is time to
expensive. It also had the property, in the properconsider a better finish.
color, of being less likely to reflect light- a primeThe plated finishes will change dimensional tolerances.
consideration on both the battle field and hunting field.Parts that functioned perfectly before may cause
The painted finishes were relatively easily damaged,problems after the plating. This is particularly true
but could be easily touched up with a small bottle ofwith tightly fitted parts such as match barrel
paint. American ski troops often used white paintedbushings, beavertail grip safeties and tightened slides.
weapons. With the proper paint, this is still anTrigger pull characteristics (weight of pull and
acceptable finish for inexpensive firearms.crispness of pull) may be affected. This is the main
Plating is another form of applied finish. It comes inreason we do not offer plated finishes. Additionally,
two forms-electro plating and electroless plating.after a number of years of experience with these
Electro plating is applied by passing an electricalfinishes, we have found no one who can consistently
current through a part suspended in a plating solution.turn out a top quality finish. This requires some pistols
Hard chrome is applied this way and produces a veryto be returned to the plater to be finished again,
hard finish as its name implies. It produces adelaying the return of the pistol to the client.
white-silver finish and may be either shiny or matte.After much experimentation, we have adopted the
Nickel may be applied by the electrical method. In thisTAF-1 finish as our most rust resistant finish. It will
case, the part is plated with copper first and thenwear, but still provides greater wear resistance than
the nickel is plated to the copper. Both processesbluing. If you holster is cleaned periodically with a
produce a very rust resistant finish with good wearclean tooth brush and then blown out with
characteristics. Both will, however, eventually wearcompressed air, the finish will suffer less abrasion.
through and can let rust get under the surface.This holds true with all types of finish. The ability of
Electroless nickel plating can be applied to bothTAF-1 to be applied to all types of metal allows us to
carbon steel and aluminum. It is available in either aoffer a dark finish for stainless steel and aluminum. In
shiny or a matte finish. Like the hard chrome it isthe areas where wear occurs, it can be touched up
very rust resistant and long wearing. Also like hardwith cold blue (for carbon steel) or with flat black
chrome it can allow rust to get into the part and pitmodel paint (any surface) to reduce glare. Since
it. I have a Colt Commander slide that wasthese areas are worn away through abrasive action,
electroless nickeled which shows a great deal ofall finishes will eventually show this wear, but only
minor pitting where it rests against the body in aTAF-1 and bluing may be touched up in this manner.
Summer Special holster. After a number of years ofMost importantly, we do not find the build up of the
concealed wear, the area above the thumb safetyTAF-1 finish to cause the dimensional problems that
had turned black. When the finish was stripped,we have found with the plated finishes, making it
numerous small pits were discovered. All of youreasier to set the pistol up properly and then apply
plated finishes offer much greater rust resistance andthe finish without having to worry about how plating
much better wear characteristics than bluing, butwill affect the final fit of the parts. If there is a
even with the best of care, they will wear off andproblem, it is easily solved and the pistol refinished
let rust get started. Just as with bluing, they must bewithout having to ship it back to the plater.
periodically refinished for maximum protection. This is