rust blueing

[buckskin billy]

howdy yall,
  i have been rust blueing revolvers and other small metal parts for several years now. i have a good understanding on how to do it and a good set up. i have made me a humidity box as described in the book gunsmithing guns of the old west and it works very well. as well as i have a 55 gallon drum split in half like a trough supported on a "A" frame with a gas pipe under it hooked to a fish cooker to boil water.
  i have a henry rifle(1860) and i have been kicking the idea around of rust blueing the barrel. i have no way of removing the barrel.
what i have been thinking on is taking the gun down to just the barrel/magazine and receiver, treating the barrel/magazine with the rust blue solution and then after the time in the humidity box boiling it, and repaeting until the process is complete.
  has any one every tried something like this? my concern is the reciever. i don't think the boiling water will hurt the brass reciever, but i'm not real fimilair with brass. my main concern would be the finish on the brass. would it be damaged beyond the point of polishing?

probadly a off the wall question , but any insight on this would be appreciated 

[Wild Billy Potts]

Boiling water will not hurt brass or bronze.

[Virginia Gentleman]

I have had two leave the barrel in on revolvers and rifles with no problems when rust bluing.  The results can be stunning.