Blued vs bare steel vs rust

mellow_c · August 4, 2016, 09:02 PM

I recently bought a pretty decent Taurus PT92 AF (The Beretta 92 copy) for a heck of a deal.

The sides of the slide are a shinny blued steel, while the rest of the slide and frame are a sort of matt black finish. It came with block Hogue rubber grips

I bought some nice wood grips (stocks) to put on the gun and now I'm seriously considering polishing the flats of the slide to give the gun a nice tri tone look (black, shinny metal, and wood).

I'm hesitant to do it because the gun is not stainless steel, and by removing the bluing on the sides of the slide I'd be exposing just bare metal.

This is just a range gun for the most part, and I live in Colorado where it tends to be fairly dry.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how much rust protection bluing really offers over bare steel.

Also feel free to state your opinion as to whether I should go through with this or just leave it alone.

The bluing on it right now is not in bade shape, it's got a few minor scratches and some wear, but looks pretty good over all. I just think it would look a lot better as a tri tone gun as opposed to all black or even black with the wood grips.

I feel a bit crazy for even considering the idea of polishing off a perfectly adequate finish from a gun only to leave bear steel behind. Tell me I'm crazy, or tell me it's a great idea, I don't care. I just want to see what you all think of the idea.

Thanks

natman · August 5, 2016, 12:12 AM

Quote:

I feel a bit crazy for even considering the idea of polishing off a perfectly adequate finish from a gun only to leave bear steel behind.

You feel crazy for a reason. Blued steel is only middling protection against rust, but it's a bunch better than bare steel.

Your best bet is to leave it alone.

dakota.potts · August 5, 2016, 02:13 AM

Polished bare steel is more resistant than rough cut steel to rust, but it will rust if left alone with the slightest moisture. Maybe my experiences are worse here in the humid south but if it's bare carbon steel here, it will rust. Bluing is a form of controlled rust which oxidizes most of what's available on the surface of the metal. Bluing does protect from rust much better than bare steel, but it is still far from rust proof.

If you really want a triple tone look, I would suggest talking to a Cerakote applicator to see if they can do it for you. Otherwise I'd leave it alone.

mellow_c · August 5, 2016, 02:13 AM

Check out the last picture on this page for an example of what I'm talking about.

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/sm...shing-job.html

The 4th picture in this thread shows the whole slide polished, although it gives you a good idea of what it could look like if I just did the flats.

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/pt...urus-pt92.html

BoogieMan · August 5, 2016, 05:59 AM

Notice in your second link that the polished steel does not have that bright silver look, Its more of shiny gray. Carbon steel (depending on grade) has little to none nickel and chrome. SS has both. Its those components that allow the bright finish and also give SS its corrosion resistance. If you are set on that look I would suggest a clear coat over the steel.

Mobuck · August 5, 2016, 08:07 AM

You can make bare steel rust by just breathing on it. Unless you prefer a mottled, pitted finish, I'd leave the blue intact.

T. O'Heir · August 5, 2016, 12:26 PM

Bare metal will start to rust when a cloud drifts by. Just the regular ambient moisture in the air will cause rusting.
"...just breathing on it..." Melt it altogether some mornings. snicker.

guncrank · August 5, 2016, 12:47 PM

Polish steel and clear coat as suggested.

mellow_c · August 5, 2016, 10:43 PM

any suggestions on a clear coat to use and its application?

Color case hardening would look nice, but that's a very involved process and it's not as if I could color just the flats of the slide. That idea pretty much left my mind as quickly as it entered it.

Cerakote just wouldn't give me the look I'm after.

Like Boogieman says, the carbon steel wouldn't shine up the way stainless would. But I think I'm ok with that.

I could probably get away with polishing it with a 2000 grit sandpaper and then just keeping it oiled. And if Rust did come about, I could polish it away, or just give up on the idea and polish it till it's clean again and then cold blue it.

If I polished it really really well and then used cold blue, it might end up with a more obvious contrast since cold bluing always looks kind of gray to me.

I dont know. I could just leave it alone, but I'm having a hard time with that. Since it's such a nice and cheap pistol that's not anything special but has some wear, I really want to do something to make it unique while giving it a cleaner appearance.

I've got some really nice brand new Taurus medallion checkered wood grips on the way. I never in my life thought I'd be so proud to own a Taurus. Was that a pig I just saw flying outside my window?

Here is a pic of what I'm working with. . .

Bill DeShivs · August 5, 2016, 11:11 PM

Carbon steel will polish just as bright as stainless, though the color may be slightly different. I make knives with blades that are polished so bright that you can't tell if they are carbon or stainless.

That said- don't screw up the finish on your gun.

Dixie Gunsmithing · August 6, 2016, 10:23 AM

Hot bluing is a black oxide, (black rust), that forms a barrier between the steel and the environment, though it will still rust if not oiled or waxed. Cold blue is more of chemical plating of a black copper, and is of a dark gray color. However, it will allow rust too, if not oiled or waxed. Unprotected steel, though, will rust quicker than using the bluing methods.

A friend polished an old Iver Johnson revolver just over a year back, and gave it a coating of polyurethane. From what I was told, is is still okay. They didn't want to spend much on it, but wanted the rust and pitting removed. However, any clear coating can come off over wear.

If it were me, I'd leave it blued, and keep it oiled, or give it a good coating of Johnson wax, and oil it on top of that. The wax is just another barrier. You apply it like a car wax, letting it dry, then buff it off with a chammy or wool mop. Heck, Turtle Wax will work on it. You'll have to use a toothpick to get the dried wax out of the serrations on the rear of the slide. It takes some elbow work.

guncrank · August 6, 2016, 11:30 AM

Have it Cerakote clear

mellow_c · August 8, 2016, 12:31 AM

WOW.

I had no idea there was clear Cerakote! I checked in to it online and it looks like good stuff.

That would probably be my best bet. I wonder if I could have just the side of the slide coated rather then the whole slide.

I know a local shop that does Cerakote work so I'll have to take my pistol in to them and run the idea by them and see what they think and see how much it would cost. If it would be over $75 I don't think I'd bother with it. The whole point is to keep this thing working and looking good but without spending any more money then I have to.

So far I've touched up the bluing with a cold blue pen. I'll see what it looks like once I get the wood grips on.

If the clear Cerakote job end up costing more then I want to pay I'll probably just keep the gun the way it is, but otherwise I think I have the solution to my problem.

Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and input!

August 4, 2016, 09:02 PM	#1
mellow_c Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,862	Blued vs bare steel vs rust I recently bought a pretty decent Taurus PT92 AF (The Beretta 92 copy) for a heck of a deal. The sides of the slide are a shinny blued steel, while the rest of the slide and frame are a sort of matt black finish. It came with block Hogue rubber grips I bought some nice wood grips (stocks) to put on the gun and now I'm seriously considering polishing the flats of the slide to give the gun a nice tri tone look (black, shinny metal, and wood). I'm hesitant to do it because the gun is not stainless steel, and by removing the bluing on the sides of the slide I'd be exposing just bare metal. This is just a range gun for the most part, and I live in Colorado where it tends to be fairly dry. I'm wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how much rust protection bluing really offers over bare steel. Also feel free to state your opinion as to whether I should go through with this or just leave it alone. The bluing on it right now is not in bade shape, it's got a few minor scratches and some wear, but looks pretty good over all. I just think it would look a lot better as a tri tone gun as opposed to all black or even black with the wood grips. I feel a bit crazy for even considering the idea of polishing off a perfectly adequate finish from a gun only to leave bear steel behind. Tell me I'm crazy, or tell me it's a great idea, I don't care. I just want to see what you all think of the idea. Thanks

August 5, 2016, 02:13 AM	#3
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Polished bare steel is more resistant than rough cut steel to rust, but it will rust if left alone with the slightest moisture. Maybe my experiences are worse here in the humid south but if it's bare carbon steel here, it will rust. Bluing is a form of controlled rust which oxidizes most of what's available on the surface of the metal. Bluing does protect from rust much better than bare steel, but it is still far from rust proof. If you really want a triple tone look, I would suggest talking to a Cerakote applicator to see if they can do it for you. Otherwise I'd leave it alone. __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

August 5, 2016, 05:59 AM	#5
BoogieMan Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2012 Location: South Jersey Posts: 2,217	Notice in your second link that the polished steel does not have that bright silver look, Its more of shiny gray. Carbon steel (depending on grade) has little to none nickel and chrome. SS has both. Its those components that allow the bright finish and also give SS its corrosion resistance. If you are set on that look I would suggest a clear coat over the steel. __________________ Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it. Milton Freidman "If you find yourself in a fair fight,,, Your tactics suck"- Unknown

August 5, 2016, 12:26 PM	#7
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	Bare metal will start to rust when a cloud drifts by. Just the regular ambient moisture in the air will cause rusting. "...just breathing on it..." Melt it altogether some mornings. snicker. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

August 5, 2016, 12:47 PM	#8
guncrank Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2006 Location: Fern Creek ,KY and Metro Louisville at large Posts: 430	Polish steel and clear coat as suggested. __________________ Republic Arms and Armaments 07 1-502-231-1118 Machine Shop and Finishing Services to the trade and public

August 5, 2016, 08:07 AM	#6
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	You can make bare steel rust by just breathing on it. Unless you prefer a mottled, pitted finish, I'd leave the blue intact.

August 5, 2016, 11:11 PM	#10
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	Carbon steel will polish just as bright as stainless, though the color may be slightly different. I make knives with blades that are polished so bright that you can't tell if they are carbon or stainless. That said- don't screw up the finish on your gun. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

August 6, 2016, 10:23 AM	#11
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Hot bluing is a black oxide, (black rust), that forms a barrier between the steel and the environment, though it will still rust if not oiled or waxed. Cold blue is more of chemical plating of a black copper, and is of a dark gray color. However, it will allow rust too, if not oiled or waxed. Unprotected steel, though, will rust quicker than using the bluing methods. A friend polished an old Iver Johnson revolver just over a year back, and gave it a coating of polyurethane. From what I was told, is is still okay. They didn't want to spend much on it, but wanted the rust and pitting removed. However, any clear coating can come off over wear. If it were me, I'd leave it blued, and keep it oiled, or give it a good coating of Johnson wax, and oil it on top of that. The wax is just another barrier. You apply it like a car wax, letting it dry, then buff it off with a chammy or wool mop. Heck, Turtle Wax will work on it. You'll have to use a toothpick to get the dried wax out of the serrations on the rear of the slide. It takes some elbow work.

August 6, 2016, 11:30 AM	#12
guncrank Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2006 Location: Fern Creek ,KY and Metro Louisville at large Posts: 430	Have it Cerakote clear __________________ Republic Arms and Armaments 07 1-502-231-1118 Machine Shop and Finishing Services to the trade and public

August 8, 2016, 12:31 AM	#13
mellow_c Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,862	WOW. I had no idea there was clear Cerakote! I checked in to it online and it looks like good stuff. That would probably be my best bet. I wonder if I could have just the side of the slide coated rather then the whole slide. I know a local shop that does Cerakote work so I'll have to take my pistol in to them and run the idea by them and see what they think and see how much it would cost. If it would be over $75 I don't think I'd bother with it. The whole point is to keep this thing working and looking good but without spending any more money then I have to. So far I've touched up the bluing with a cold blue pen. I'll see what it looks like once I get the wood grips on. If the clear Cerakote job end up costing more then I want to pay I'll probably just keep the gun the way it is, but otherwise I think I have the solution to my problem. Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and input!