Why are blue finishes more durable tha CC?

[MD*GSP]

Originally Posted by Craig Budgeon

Lacquer is clear and protects the CC to a point. Marlin used it on there L.C. Smiths and some rifles , Turnbull has used it, and Galazan has sold it. Oh you'll be able to see your engraving just fine if its used on an engraved gun, provided you don't choose a 5 yo to apply it. Perhaps Win. 21's, Tobin, and some Bakers used a hot blue on receivers and trigger guards but I doubt it was rust blue ------- to labor intensive.

To my eye the application of a protective film brings forth a lack of third dimensional depth and that inconsistent depth of field takes away from the artistic realism of the scenes found in the Parker style of engraving. Parker engraving screams nostalgia in a manner that "takes you there" so to speak, to me. Perhaps I'm just a shade critical or, perhaps perfection is my curse but, somehow the engraved lines filled with "something" seems to detract.

Please, share the material that you use and, your technique.

[J. A. EARLY]

My two cents on the clear lacquer, I've got a couple of guns with either good original colors or ones that have been redone. Wanting to use the guns and not wear them, I used clear "brushing" lacquer which is available at Lowes. Cheap, about $10 a quart which will do a thousand guns.

Here is what I found. If there is no lacquer there, it goes on perfectly and smoothes out streak-free with an artist brush. If there is a existing coat, it streaks because the new breaks down the old. The solution is to remove old coats which one of the refinished guns had. When I nitre blue trigger guards I can protect them with a coat of clear and it makes the blue deeper and offers protection so I don't have to do them over. It will wear through eventually. Remove it and clear them again.