Would anyone happen to know or have the serial number of the last N Frame blued with the Carbonia Blue Process vs the later Hot Liquid Process? I know the order authorizing the change in processing was late 1980 but would like to know how long it took to make the changeover on N Frames. Thanks
N Frame Carbonia Blue Process
- Thread starter DomG
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The change for all models was probably completed by June 1981.
Bill
Bill
That is something I never paid much attention to. I have a 586 I bought new that shipped in June 1981 that has a duller blue than my 27s and 29s. I always wondered about that, so now I know. It was a victim of the change over to the newer process. 
Bill, have you inspected any N Frames which received the Hot Liquid Process? Does there seem to you to be a obvious difference upon first look? Do you think the prep polishing stayed the same or was changed/reduced before the later bluing process? Thanks, Dominic
Did the post war N Frames receive the Carbonia Process even though they had the flat finish? If so, was it only the amount of pre-bluing polishing that made the difference or just not as much processing oven time? I guess this same question could relate to the finish on the Model 28's as compared to the 27's.
Yes, the hot oven (carbona) bluing process was used for all handguns until liquid penetrating blue was implemented. I have several S&W 44 Magnums that were blued with the liquid process. They appear to be a little darker than those finished with the old process. Over time, beginning in the later 50s, the degree of polishing was somewhat reduced from what was used in the early 1950s for guns finished in bright blue. Standard blue versus bright blue was only dependent on the amount of polishing given a particular frame.
Bill
Bill
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