Plum Color Gun Parts?

[cshold]

What exactly is this? (A form of bluing??)
My Browning 92 has a purpley color loading gate.
I'm not so sure I like it.

[Sixgun]

Its called "fire bluing". Very common with pre-war guns but it does wear easily. When you have an old gun with this type of fire bued loading gate, it shows the gun was lightly used. Colt and Smith & Wesson also did this with the back of their hammers and some screws on their handguns. It adds a "touch of class".

Below is a 1980 produced 336 Marlin that I did it to.--------------Sixgun

[cshold]

Your's looks real good.

Mine is a real purple color.
I will get a good picture of it when I get back from church.

[Sixgun]

Your's looks real good.

Mine is a real purple color.
I will get a good picture of it when I get back from church.

Its an easy fix---
1.) take the loading gate off
2.) remove all of the finish--400 grit will work fine.
3.) clean and degrease real well
4.) get a propane torch and then heat the gate up
real s-l-o-w and watch it change colors. It will
first get a straw color--then purple--then dark
blue---then light blue---then white
5.) When it gets the color you want----remember-
s-l-o-w..........about 6" from the flame-------
quench it in water or Hoppes #9 (my favorite)
6.) If you screw it up, start with #2 and do it again
7.) Brownells sells the proper chemicals to do this
with for a really super job, but I find my way
works OK

This also works for small screws and/or other small parts.---------------Sixgun

[Charles]

You run accross plum or purple colored parts on guns from time to time. The early Rugers often had plum loading gates.There was a time I could have given you a scientific answer as to why, but that piece of knoweldge seems to have slipped into the memory never never land, but it has to with different types of steel, the tempreture and the blueing process. I once had a Winchester 1917( Enfield) rifle blued and the entire receiver came out plum. The guy tried three time, but could not produce a blue color. I was not a happy camper!

[cshold]

Well here are a couple of pictures, one with flash and one without.
Seems the camera is not picking up the purple color that I am seeing
with the naked eye.
After some thought I think I will just leave as is. It is kind of unique.

[Gun Smith]

Plum colored gun parts are fairly common when the the parts are cast. Inexpensive single barrel shotguns had cast receivers, and when I worked in the rebluing business, they always came out of the tank plumb colored. The customers were warned this might happen to their guns, but most didn't care anyway. Ruger gates are probably cast as well. I think the investment casting used by modern gun makers may be more of a problem to blue than the old fashioned steel in vintage arms.

[O.S.O.K.]

As said, its the steel alloy - salt or hot bluing will turn them purple sometimes. I have Ruger rifles and a Dan Wesson Revolver with such parts - I like em! Look just fine to me = I'd just leave it as-is - shows that its original.

When I first saw the post I thought of this:

[marlinman93]

Parts that turn purple are usually a part that is harder than std. steel. The higher the brinnell hardness, the more likely it will turn plum when hot blued. These extremely hard parts can be easily rust blued and wont turn plum. Casehardened parts like old receivers will always turn plum is not annealed before hot bluing, or not rust blued. Loading gates are harder than receivers or barrels, as are most spring steel parts.
I once built a 1911 from parts and a Essex frame. When I had the gun hot blued by a friend the frame and slide both came out plum. Ughhh!!!! I hated it, and eventually sold it, but the buyer thought it was a "really neat finish!" Go figure?

[alamogunr]

I have a S&W Model 28 that a well known custom smith converted to .44 Spec. and had reblued. The barrel came out with just a slight plum tinge to it. I kind of like it. It is more noticeable now than when I first got it back. I won't ever have to worry about someone not liking it. It goes to one of my sons someday. I won't be worrying about anything then.
John
W.TN

[Jaguarundi]

Parts that turn purple are usually a part that is harder than std. steel. The higher the brinnell hardness, the more likely it will turn plum when hot blued. These extremely hard parts can be easily rust blued and wont turn plum. Casehardened parts like old receivers will always turn plum is not annealed before hot bluing, or not rust blued. Loading gates are harder than receivers or barrels, as are most spring steel parts.
I once built a 1911 from parts and a Essex frame. When I had the gun hot blued by a friend the frame and slide both came out plum. Ughhh!!!! I hated it, and eventually sold it, but the buyer thought it was a "really neat finish!" Go figure?

Marlinman93 is right about the heat treating.The S&W Revolvers were noted for that property.Just run the smith's purple parts in the hot blueing tank at a higher temp then normal..voila!(softer parts will go from blued to purple if run at too high a temp,so dip and watch for change). As others have also said Cast can give you a headache.Cold blueing will usually do the trick.

[brionic]

Another gun notorious for "plum" color is the HK P7. Early German police examples and those that have been remarked and reblued are notorious for their purple slides. They are either revered or reviled by the various camps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/gc70/HK_P7_4.jpg

[salvo]

Mmmm Purple.

[cas]