Removing blued metal

[Chuck Bishop]

I've run across many Parkers, and other guns, that have had their metal parts blued when they were CCH originally. If the bluing is removed by using vinegar or other chemicals, what is the resultant look of the metal? Will it look exactly like it did just prior to bluing or does the bluing leave a residual color to the metal?

[David Holes]

The bluing I have removed left the barrels clean and shiny with no trace of damascus , the frame ended looking a dull greyish, which I like, and the sideplates seemed to look like they had been unmessed with, or faded original. Dave

[Larry Frey]

The bluing I have removed left the barrels clean and shiny with no trace of damascus , the frame ended looking a dull greyish, which I like, and the sideplates seemed to look like they had been unmessed with, or faded original. Dave

Dave,
Do you have a pic of a frame that had the bluing removed? The VH 20 gage in my Avatar has a blued frame and I was reluctant to remove the bluing for fear the frame had been polished prior to being blued.

[Chuck Bishop]

I'm not interested in what the barrel bluing would look like, just the CCH metal.

[Brian Dudley]

You can remove bluing by using vinegar on the surface of the metal. It will leave a dull gray silver look.

If a reciever was blued, it would have been polished before bluing, thus removing any trace of the original Case colors. So removing the bluing will not help there. Those original case colors are gone for good. The case hardening remains though.

If you want to get color back, the only way is to re-color case harded the parts. If you just want to remove the bluing, then you can do so and then polish to a silver finish. I think a silvered Parker frame looks better than a blued one any day of the week.

[Chuck Bishop]

Thanks Brian, that's what I wanted to know.

[Bruce Day]

Chuck, from what I have seen, Brian is 100% right. The bluing isn't hard to remove, its what isn't left underneath that would make me shy away from a blued Parker. These guns were blued by people who didn't know or didn't care about Parkers, so the engraving gets buffed out and the corners get rounded. So you get the blue off, then you have to pick up the engraving and you never get the detailed edges right, then you get new case colors over, and you have a $2000 bill if you want the cc's done by somebody good.

I suppose there would be situations where it could work out economically, but for most guns bluing relegates them to the field gun use and keep using class. If a fellow was just looking for a beat through the brush gun, then a blued frame Parker might be something to consider.

[David Holes]

If you go to my albums D10ga. there are pictures of said gun. It is a 1 frame 12 ga. hammer.It was totally blued and Brad did barrels and I did the rest. Bruce is right about these being field quality. Barrels were rounded at breach and had to be reengraved there. But the other side is it turned out very nice and is fun to shoot. I have also fitted a set of stub twist barrels with 28 ga. tubes to this gun , now it is twice the fun. Dave

[jimcaron]

It is a shame case coloring doesn't last as long as it does. I think it is one of the most gorgeous finishes you could ever put on a gun. And I agree with leaving the receivers white. Bluing over a receiver just covers up all that great detail. it's like finger painting over a Rembrandt.
Sure You can do it, but why would you want to?

[Pete Lester]

I have found often times when the frame of a Parker has been blued both receiver and barrels were improperly hot blued. I am told that process will result in trouble as the bluing salts attack the rib solder and rib separation is highly likely. I also believe subjecting a CCH receiver to a hot blue salt bath anneals the metal and removes whatever hardening was made by the CCH process. Perhaps Brad Bachelder or others here with greater knowledge of the process can explain all the negatives that process can bring.

[Brian Dudley]

I do not think that the Hot Blue gets quite hot enough to fully anneal the frame. But it may do some damage in that regard.

[jimcaron]

I do not think that the Hot Blue gets quite hot enough to fully anneal the frame. But it may do some damage in that regard.

Steels anneal at temps between 700-1000 F so the 300 degree bath of the hot bluing process won't hurt the steel's integrity.

However the sodium hydroxide used in the process can really do damage on bondings of that soft silver solder they used. Oh, and that silver solder melted and flowed at about 450 F which isn't enough to melt it, but enough to assist the sodium hydroxide in damaging the bond. Also playing a role in this is the expansion caused by the heating of the metals. the solder and the steel expand at different rates thus further stressing the bonds.

All in all, hot bluing a soldered gun of any kind is not really a good idea, especially an older one.

[Justin Julian]

I've always read that it takes 1,450 F to truly "anneal" steel. The reference to the 700-1,000 degree range is more likely relevant to the temper of the steel.

[jimcaron]

I've always read that it takes 1,450 F to truly "anneal" steel. The reference to the 700-1,000 degree range is more likely relevant to the temper of the steel.

you;re right, sorry, I was thinking "C" and typed "F" by mistake.

nice catch

[edgarspencer]

As others have said, the temperature used in hot bluing is well below the lower critical temperature, and won't alter the grain structure or surface harness. Temperatures used in either a tempering cycle, or annealing cycle are really about the same. The difference is in the rate of cooling from those temps. I don't know enough about the chemical or mechanical reaction to the hot bluing process, and only know I don't like it.