Touch-up bluing question?

[Yankee Bill]

I have a Shield Plus that has some fairly aggressive stippling on the mag release button, which is problematic when CC'ing IWB, and I'm considering filing or sanding it a bit to make it less-aggressive as there are hardly any aftermarket mag release choices available yet.

I have never done any bluing or touch-up bluing before, and was wondering if I did file and touch-up the bluing on mag release button, would that make it more prone to rusting, as opposed to the factory bluing?

TIA.
YB

 

[gwpercle]

Small metal parts like buttons and screw heads , can be easily Fire Blued ... hold the small polished bright netal part in the flame of a gas burner or small propane torch flam untill the heat darkens the unfinished metal...
a nice blue -black brown color can be achieved ... when you get the color / darkness you like , quench the hot metal in a cup of motor oil ... the color will set and fire bluing is surprisingly long lasting . If you don't like the color ... re-polish and try again ... hard to mess up fire bluing !
I have used it for years after "fixing" a buggered up gun screw slot / head ... the color is long lasting ... try it ... it cost nearly nothing ... easily removed if you don't like the results .
TIP .... Let the hot part soak in the quenching oil over night for maximum rust protection .
Gary

 

[Yankee Bill]

Small metal parts like buttons and screw heads , can be easily Fire Blued ... hold the small polished bright netal part in the flame of a gas burner or small propane torch flam untill the heat darkens the unfinished metal...
a nice blue -black brown color can be achieved ... when you get the color / darkness you like , quench the hot metal in a cup of motor oil ... the color will set and fire bluing is surprisingly long lasting . If you don't like the color ... re-polish and try again ... hard to mess up fire bluing !
I have used it for years after "fixing" a buggered up gun screw slot / head ... the color is long lasting ... try it ... it cost nearly nothing ... easily removed if you don't like the results .
TIP .... Let the hot part soak in the quenching oil over night for maximum rust protection .
Gary

Garry,

Thank you for the in-depth and very helpful reply. Wow, this sounds like a perfect solution for my needs. I think I may give it a try before long, if I still can't find an aftermarket replacement part.

Thanks again for the helpful info!

YB

 

[cmj8591]

Smith uses a black nitride coating on the shield. It is essentially a high tech spray paint. If you go on the Brownell's web site, they have a spray on called Guncoat. You de grease, spray it on and then bake it for a while. On that part, you won't be able to tell it was altered. For little things like that, it works great. Fire bluing looks fantastic when it's done right. Anyone who's seen it on an old Colt will attest to that but I'm not sure how that MIM part will react to being heated and quenched.

 

[mreed911]

Hopefully this is clear - don't "fire blue" the part while it's still in the gun. If it's the mag release button as stated, watch a couple videos on how to remove it and do this OUTSIDE the gun.

Same with any compounds. For something like this, I've found two or three applications (in 5-10 minutes total) of Birchwood Casey Gun Bluing Paste to be more than adequate, then the part dried, warmed to it being almost too hot to touch, and oiled. Then just let it cool, wipe it off, reassemble it and you're good to go. Some extra Barricade or oil for the first few weeks isn't a bad idea.

That, or get a different holster.

This part, right? https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/422220000

 

[Yankee Bill]

Hopefully this is clear - don't "fire blue" the part while it's still in the gun. If it's the mag release button as stated, watch a couple videos on how to remove it and do this OUTSIDE the gun.

Same with any compounds. For something like this, I've found two or three applications (in 5-10 minutes total) of Birchwood Casey Gun Bluing Paste to be more than adequate, then the part dried, warmed to it being almost too hot to touch, and oiled. Then just let it cool, wipe it off, reassemble it and you're good to go. Some extra Barricade or oil for the first few weeks isn't a bad idea.

That, or get a different holster.

This part, right? https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/422220000

Hi mreed911,

Yes, I'm aware not to fire blue the part while it's still in the gun. Lol!

That bluing paste method sounds great as well.

Yes, that link for the part is the correct part, but just a different size, as the Shield Plus has the double stack magazine, as opposed to the single stack on those models listed in the link.

Appreciate the info.

Thank you.

 

[Yankee Bill]

Smith uses a black nitride coating on the shield. It is essentially a high tech spray paint. If you go on the Brownell's web site, they have a spray on called Guncoat. You de grease, spray it on and then bake it for a while. On that part, you won't be able to tell it was altered. For little things like that, it works great. Fire bluing looks fantastic when it's done right. Anyone who's seen it on an old Colt will attest to that but I'm not sure how that MIM part will react to being heated and quenched.

cmj8591,

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of the guncoat product.
Appreciate it.

YB

 

[Mark IV]

Smith uses a black nitride coating on the shield. It is essentially a high tech spray paint.......

The whole salt-bath-nitride/tennifer-type treatment is not in any way, "essentially a high tech spray paint", or any other added physical coating.
This process actually alters the surface of the metal, a few microns deep, at the molecular level, which hardens the metal at the surface ( also adding corrosion resistance). But it isn't even a distant relative of paint, or anything similar.