Blue Formula 1940 Colt

What methods and materials would have been used in the original bluing process of pre-WWII Colt pistols? I've got a good grasp on how Parkerizing works, but am a bit baffled by what went into bluing a Colt pistol such as a 1911A1 1934 - 1942.

Hi Tom, I have a nice booklet published by Colt in 1936, called 'A Century of Achievement'. One of the very interesting articles in the book is about a chap who is following the production of his new Colt Officers Model thru the production process. At the time Colt used a bluing process rather different from what is done today. Everything was first given a bath in hot gasoline, heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Then dried with hot air. Surfaces to be blued are then wiped down with a solution of alcohol and whiting,(a fine polishing compound). After this point no human hands will touch the surfaces to be blued. The parts to blued are then placed in bluing furnaces which are heated to 500 to 650 degrees. A mixture of charred bone, petroleum oil is also placed in the furnaces. After about 5 hours you have a nice blued surface.

HTH

Jim

PS I have a Colt Officers Model Target 38 SP, Heavy barrel made in 1937 and the bluing is incomparable!!

# # What methods and materials would have been used in the original bluing # process of pre-WWII Colt pistols? I've got a good grasp on how Parkerizing # works, but am a bit baffled by what went into bluing a Colt pistol such as # a 1911A1 1934 - 1942.

Tom, Colt used rust blue and nitre bluing on pre-war guns. The exact formula may not be as important as the metal preparation prior to bluing. Remember, labor was pretty cheap back in those days, so at 30 cents an hour you could pay someone to polish metal all day. You might give a call to Brownell's and ask one of their technicians if they sell any replicated bluing solutions from that era. If you don't have these folks phone number e-mail me back but they do have a web site, www.brownells.com.

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boil in bluing, rinse, dry and card (steel wool), repeat the cycle for a week.