Rebluing a parkerized firearm?

[Toblerra]

Hello all,

Wondering if any of you have had this done before. I'm considering shipping off a parkerized revolver to have it hot blued by Fogles Gunsmithing. I contacted them and they said that they can do it. I do not doubt their capabilities.

However, upon reading some forums it was stated that bluing a parkerized gun can ruin it because it requires a lot of sanding and or blasting to remove the parkerized finish which can effect the tolerances of the gun.

This is not a necessity for me just something I'd like to have done so long as it doesn't mess up the mechanical function of the firearm in any way. I have bead blasted my stainless colt commander and it didn't have any effect on it but that was an automatic not a revolver and it was stainless.

The revolver I'm "thinking" about having refinished is a recently purchased Manurhin MR 73. The original parkerized finish is worn off in many places, which looks cool but I'd like to refinish it to prolong its life and protect the exposed metal. Another factor is that the MR 73 is made of ordinance grade tool steel that is extremely hard compared to most other steels used to make firearms these days, so not sure how that plays into the process either. Of course I could have it reparkerized instead but frankly that would look boring compared to a reblue.

So if you have any experience/knowledge with this please let me know. Maybe there's another method of removing the parkerized finished that does not require heavy sanding?

Thanks as always for your input.

 

[Absalom]

I'm not an expert, so if I'm mistaken, one will surely come along and correct me, but my understanding has been that the issue is not the difficult removal of the parkerizing (it actually wears off rather easily), but the fact that factory-parkerized guns were fitted with much less polishing and surface prep.

As a result, to go from a rougher-surface parkerized finish to a polished commercial blue or nickel is more difficult and labor-intensive.

However, I've come across this discussion primarily relating to military-finished guns which were minimally surface-prepped and received a parkerized or other dull utility finish as a cost-saving measure, like WW II-era Victory or Commando revolvers. For example, S&W would not offer a factory refinish of a Victory to one of the polished finishes post-war for that reason.

I have no first-hand knowledge, so this is just a guess, but I would not think this applies to a peacetime quality gun like an MR 73.

 

[murphydog]

I think there is no right (or wrong) answer, it is personal preference.

You could argue keeping the worn but original finish is best for collector value; re-Parkerizing the gun would be relatively easy and inexpensive; and if you really want a blued gun, why not? As Absalom noted, however, if the surface is not highly polished whatever bluing job is put on it will not be impressively shiny. Good luck in your decision.

 

[chief38]

Toblerra,

I doubt anyone would be able to answer your question better than the Company who said they could successfully do the work. I would also think that if this were a problematic scenario they would tell you so and refuse the job.

I have never professed to be a "finishes" expert and I am unaware if the Parkerizing must be removed solely by abrasion or if it can be removed chemically. If it can be chemically removed I don't see why it would have to be excessively sanded and therefore should be able to be successfully Blued afterwards.

If you have faith and good reports on this Company I would accept their answers to this question. Don't forget to take before and after pic's please

 

[Triggernosis]

And yes, they do use that term quite often on current day U.S. Navy vessels. It's simply the guy (or woman) who is in command of the vessel, regardless of rank.

 

[Watchdog]

Wondering if any of you have had this done before. I'm considering shipping off a parkerized revolver to have it hot blued by Fogles Gunsmithing.

I'm just curious. What kind of parkerized revolver are you talking about? And why do you want to have it blued?

 

[Toblerra]

I'm just curious. What kind of parkerized revolver are you talking about? And why do you want to have it blued?

It is a Manurhin MR 73, if you check my other threads you will see some threads I started about it recently and some pics attached.

As far as the reason why, I stated in the original post that I want to protect the exposed metal to prolong its life/prevent rust. Concerning why I would want to blue it instead of reparkerize, it's because I prefer the look of a nice blued gun

 

[WR Moore]

Parkerizing is a surface acretion on top of the steel. The appearance may, or may not, reflect the finish of the metal underneath. If yours is parked, it may reflect that it's original purchaser was some European governmental agency. In which case, you may be blowing whatever collector value it might (or might not) have by refinishing it. IIRC, that, or something similar, was the issue pistol of the GIGN counter terrorist unit. Might also be just another French police pistol.

Having parkerized a couple of pistols over the years, you might want to get a firm estimate prior to giving your approval for the work. As some others have suggested, the metal finish might be (much) less than a high polish and require a great deal of work. A good bead blast might be an affordable solution.

 

[Toblerra]

I have decided to go ahead and have it blued. I'll be sure to take before and after pics in a new thread.

 

[lebomm]

I'll be watching this project with great interest. I have a .44 3rd HE that someone parkerized, and I think I'd prefer blued as well, even if it has to be satin.

Larry