colt bluing formulas

[jaydubtoo]

I know its a stretch, but does anyone know anything about the technique or fomula used in the 70's on python revovers? I remember it being distinctly deeper and having a definate "blue" to it that was different than say a Trooper revolver. Maybe it was just the polish job, but it seemed like somthing more. I'd like to recreate somthing similar, I've done a minimal amount of hot bluing in the past,so I'm familiar with the process and it's hazards. Any help would be appreciated.

[Kid Sopris]

Jay, Welcome, This topic has been discussed before with great interest. Try the Search Function and see what pops up.

[CWO4USCGRET]

Although not Colt formulas, I have a book at home, from the 30s with many different recipes for bluing, browning, and other finishes for guns. Any interest and I will copy the table of contents...

[jaydubtoo]

Thank you for the replies, I have a few formulas and I'm pretty sure that there is some experimenting to be done to find that royal blue luster that I'm remembering. I recently got back into the hobby after quite a few years away and the only great difference I'm seeing is the lack of a quality finish on any thing but the most expensive of guns. Even whats referred to as "parkerized" is decidedly lacking. I've owned a good number of pakerized 1911's in the past and it took a good deal of effort to hurt that finish ( anyone else remember when 1911's could be had for$125 all day long? They were so easy to turn into a great shooting and looking pistol that most of them seem to have been converted, thats why you now get to charge $700 for a well beaten G.I. version. But I digress.....) Anyhooo....Again thanks for the welcome and the help, I will be searching the previous posts. The one thing I know for sure is that after thirty years of a couple construction trades, I'm now free to spend whatever time it takes to do my best work (which is good since it now takes me twice as long to do "passable" work ! ) I look forward to meeting more of you as time goes on, thanks again, joel

[dfariswheel]

The Python Royal Blue was just a super polished surface before the bluing operation.

About the time the Mark III series was introduced in 1969 Colt did make a change to the hot salts bluing they used, but like much with Colt, they never said what it was.
I'm sure Colt bought their bluing chemicals from a suppler, who probably made it to Colt's specifications.
The Mark III and later bluing was more a black-blue, the Python was still more a blue-black, but not the older post-war blue.

[4thHorseman]

I cannot remember the entire story on colt's bluing, I guess most of the forgetfulness is due to my age... But I remember something about the unique Colt Blue because of the real old city natural gas lines supplying the gas had some sort of old oils in them causing an unique color.
Again, I forget most of the details, but the Colt blue color was finally attributed to the oils in the lines.

[darrylta]

It's called Carbonia Blue
Darryl

[dfariswheel]

Carbona blue was the process Colt used prior to WWII.

After the war Colt started using a standard hot salts bluing chemical process like all other manufacturers.
The big difference between Colt and other makers was Colt's finer polishing of the metal before it was actually blued.
Colt did make a change to the chemicals with the Mark III series which had a blacker finish.
The Python Royal Blue became not quite so blue as before, but not the deep black-blue of the Mark III and later guns.

[Darne]

This is an absolute SWAG, but I suspect the blue tint came from Ferro Cyanoferrate [Fe₄[Fe(CN)₆]₃]or Prussian Blue in the caustic salts. The question is how much to add? I'll be experimenting with the formula to see if I can get the blue in the magnetite black.

Dan

[Boge]

Carbonia Blue ? - 1911Forum