caring for blued finish

[MGallagher1911]

Hello everyone, I recently got my first blued 1911. It was made in 1925. Pretty sure it has been reblued, but what are some good tips for keeping this finish looking great for a long time. And any tips for things to avoid?

[texagun]

A light coating of any good quality gun oil should protect it. If you don't intend to shoot it often, Renaissance Wax is an excellent way to protect it, long-term. It is used by museums to protect valuable antique firearms. And welcome to the forum.

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[ncviking]

I do a fair amount of bluing on pistols (about 4 per year) and found that anything light in weight such as WD40 is completely useless. If the gun is going to be shot and cleaned every other month or so, then a decent gun oil will be adequate. Some of our members may disagree but Smith's honing oil works great also. After the final carding and cleaning of a blued part, I coat with Smith's and allow the part to soak for 24 hours or so...it works for me.

[T-TAC]

I have been using Birchwood Casey's Barricade. a light mist and a wipe with a clean soft cloth and the gun will stay rust free.

[Spyros]

Lately I've grown a bit lazy, so I use a spray CLP more than anything else. Works fine for guns that are used, but it's worth checking up on those that haven't been fired for a long while, six months or more. But I live in a fairly dry climate, so YMMV.

[MGallagher1911]

Yeah, I will shoot this gun. But certainly not often

[slohunter]

Been using Johnson's Paste Wax on guns for over 50 years. Try it, you'll like it!

[Rick McC.]

I've been using Eezox as a cleaner, lubricant, and protectant on all my firearms for over 25 years now.

I live on the coast in SW Florida, and carry daily; often a blued pistol.

Rust or any type of corrosion has never been a problem.

http://www.eezox.com

[brickeyee]

Clean all parts thoroughly in any decent powder solvent type cleaner.
Wipe dry. Paper towels work well here.

Gently warm the parts at around 150F in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes (except the grips of course).

Soak them in Breakfree CLP till cool.

Wipe off excess.
Put it back together while wearing nitrile gloves.

Wipe the gloves clean before handling wooden grip panels.

I leave wood panels off for long term storage.

If the panels are going to be left off wipe the exterior down one more time with CLP.

If the grips will be stored on the gun avoid soaking them with oil but wipe down the exterior one more time leaving a light film.

I have not used heavy storage grease since Breakfree CLP came out years ago.

Avoid storage places with wide temperature swings.

The mass of the gun means it stays cool when the temperature rises allowing condensation top occur.

[Peters]

I do a fair amount of bluing on pistols (about 4 per year) and found that anything light in weight such as WD40 is completely useless. If the gun is going to be shot and cleaned every other month or so, then a decent gun oil will be adequate. Some of our members may disagree but Smith's honing oil works great also. After the final carding and cleaning of a blued part, I coat with Smith's and allow the part to soak for 24 hours or so...it works for me.

WD40 is NOT a light oil. The WD is for Water Displacement. It is fine for spraying in a water soaked distributor to get a car started. It's also fine for cleaning motorcycle chains. It is not a lubricant. It has no place in protecting a firearm.