Which finish is period correct ?

[sundance44`s]

I`ve never had the pleasure of seeing or holding an original Remmie ...Any one have one and can tell which finish would be period .. Blue or Brown ?
Was thinking of trying a brown finish on one of mine ...Just browned a front stuffer and really like the look .

[St. George]

Blue - on all factory-finished standard revolvers...

'Brown' has another name - 'rust' - though a dealer in antique firearms will call it 'patina'...

The 'bluing' wasn't all that hardy a finish over time - and as it would fade - the underlying surface would take on a brownish hue - having been reduced to the beginnings of the process that created the darker 'blue'.

If you want to make the piece have a good 'holster-worn' look - a mixture of blue (in protected places) and overall brown (on exposed-to-the-elements places) would give you a piece that looked 'right' in any holster of the time.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Howdy,

Remington only blued and nickeled their revolvers.  I do not think they even offered case hardening as an option, even though replica 1875s have case hardened receivers!

Over time, the original Remmies I have seen did get a brownish-grey patina, but that is after 100 or so years!  If you were back in 1870s, however, they would still be blued.

[Fox Creek Kid]

The originals in prsitine condition are different in their respective hues of blue on the cylinder as opposed to the frame & barrel. Different metal composition I'm sure. The frames are more of a plum colored blue and cylinders rust blue.

[sundance44`s]

Thanks for the info Pards .. guess i`ll leave`m blued . sure would have thought they would have been browned in that period ...  I`ve always heard that blueing and browning are just flash rusting anyway .. suppose to put a hold on uneven rusting on unfinished metal . I can`t remember what causes the blue color in the blueing ...there was a reason though . just couldn`t remember when it was invented .

[Frenchie]

Rust bluing was invented about 400 years ago. It's more of a black than a blue because it forms ferric oxide.

Hot or caustic bluing began in the 1930s as a way to get production guns out the door faster. The color comes from a combination of the temperature and the salts.

Browning started in early 17th century England. It's similar to rust bluing but even more so because it forms actual rust on the surface.

Heat bluing (as opposed to hot bluing) is done by heating the steel in a forge or oven and then quenching it. It's difficult but makes a color that's lighter and more beautiful than caustic bluing, but it's also more fragile.

Here's some more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel)

[sundance44`s]

Good info ..thanks again ...inquireing minds do like to know .

[Sgt. Eli]

I had a cleaning accident of unknown origin on one of my '58s that took off a little bluing on the barrel. I then proceeded to remove all the lettering from the gun and then antiqued the finish. IT LOOKS GREAT.