Cold blued my LCP slide

[Sarge]

I’ve had my LCP for about two years now. In that time, the bluing on the slide, face of the takedown pin, slide lock, and mag release has faded drastically. It almost looked like a two-tone model.

This is a common problem for some folks, others not so much or not at all. Many folks get their slides Cerakoted or Duracoated because of this problem, or send them back to the factory for re-bluing.

Mine may have worn so fast because I carry it every single day in one of three different types of holsters…sweat all over it, and live on a barrier island on the east coast of Florida with high humidity and salt in the air. The Atlantic Ocean is just a few blocks from my front door.

Anyway, I decided to give cold bluing a try. I know it’s nowhere near as durable as a factory hot bluing, but what did I have to lose? I had a tube of Birchwood Casey Perma Blue Paste in the garage, some Gun Scrubber to use as a degreaser, and some 0000 steel wool. It took me all of about 40 minutes to do and I applied the cold blue twice. If I have to do it again in a year, who cares? What do you think?

 

[Sarge]

The quality of that 2nd photo is not that great. Let me see if I can take one of better quality. I'm limited on attachment size.

As Arnold says, "I'll be back!"

 

[Sontag_Shooter]

Looks good, Sarge.

Check into a photobucket account; it's great for posting pictures on forums, and it's convenient because you can access your pictures anytime you have internet access.

 

[rayzer007]

What do you think?

I think you can open "Sarge's Cold Bluing Firearms Boutique"!

Ray

 

[Sarge]

Let's try this one.

I tried to insert from my Photobucket account, but I'm having trouble. So I have to do it this way for now. This method limits the size of the photo. Anyway, here's a better, less pixelated shot.

 

[RICHGCOOP]

Nice job. And you did it all by your self.

RICHGCOOP



DROID3 - Tap talk

 

[framedcraig1]

looks great!!

 

[mukwah]

Great job Sarge! Nice job! Got me thinking about doing my P94 slide.

 

[Gealousy]

To be honest I kinda liked the worn look. So long as it wasn't rusting on you...

But it looks like a new pistol now.

I carry mine daily, 10+ hours in one of Doug's IWBs and mine doesn't even have shiny corners yet... Must be the salt in your air?

 

[Sarge]

To be honest I kinda liked the worn look. So long as it wasn't rusting on you...

But it looks like a new pistol now.

I carry mine daily, 10+ hours in one of Doug's IWBs and mine doesn't even have shiny corners yet... Must be the salt in your air?

Might have been the salt in the air, sweat, who knows? Maybe it was rubbing all that Johnson's Paste Wax on it for the last two years to keep the rust off. Anyway, I didn't have anything to lose, and if I had screwed it up, I could always remove the blue instantly with a gun blue remover and start over or send it off to be Cerakoted.

Cold bluing is handy for small parts, i.e., screw heads, sights, slide stops, mag releases, etc. I sort of figured the LCP slide as a small part in itself. I would never attempt to cold blue an entire firearm or rifle barrel. The cold blue won't last forever, and the results can get streaky or smoky looking on large parts. I'll keep an eye on her and touch up as necessary. I'm going to stop waxing her because I think it will wear the cold blue off fast. I'm just going to keep a light coat of CLP on the metal. I don't want to knock the LCP, as it's the best CC pistol I've ever had, but the factory bluing is thin and it's my only pet peeve about the gun.

 

[davevabch]

LCP looks great Sarge. I guess I should get busy with mine. I use OXPHO-BLUE. A old friend told me about it. I used it on a very old pellet rifle and made it look like new. The secret was to warm the barrel up with a hair dryer or other heat source and apply the Paste like substance. It did wonders for that old gun.
Thanks for posting, I need to blue my Lc9 as well.

 

[Sarge]

OXPHO-BLUE is great stuff! I would have used that if that is what was on-hand in the garage. I did not remove my extractor, spring, or firing pin when I did it. Paste products are the way to go in that case. I didn't want to use a liquid blue, as I didn't want the stuff running into areas inside the slide.

After re-bluing, I flushed the entire slide in cold water and dried. Then blasted the living daylights out of the slide with WD-40, shook it out, then over-lubed with CLP and wiped her down.

 

[mukwah]

Is OxphaBlu paste better than the liquid?

 

[Sarge]

This is just my opinion, but I believe the liquids & pastes both do a great job. I my case, I liked using a paste product because, if I was careful, there was less of a chance of it running into areas of the slide I didn't want it to...remember, I said I didn't remove the extractor, its spring, the firing pin or any peripherals in that area.

 

[Slowhand]

A friend of mine did a Colt 1911 that he'd bought for a song. It looks great.

December I will have had my Ruger LCP for 4 years. She's hardly a collectors item and has seen a lot of road time. I'm not going to touch her up since anyone else that gets a peek at her will be viewing her from the wrong end. I doubt they will be commenting about the patina look and marks from the interior button on the holster.

 

[Gealousy]

This is just my opinion, but I believe the liquids & pastes both do a great job. I my case, I liked using a paste product because, if I was careful, there was less of a chance of it running into areas of the slide I didn't want it to...remember, I said I didn't remove the extractor, its spring, the firing pin or any peripherals in that area.

I promise I have nothing but great things to say about Frog Lube. I use the paste and, surprise, I don't follow directions. It has been a great product. I only use the paste. I clean and apply as directed the first application but after that I use the paste as a wipe on wipe off application, then apply a thin film (via art paint brushes) to the mechanics (I.e. barrel outer, slide, rails, etc.)

I have an XDsc that is a bit of a frog lube experiment for me, I have 250+-r throught her and the mechanics show almost no wear.

My LCP runs like a Bugatti, even after carrying IWB for 3 weeks and shooting without cleaning.

I only mention it because it is not a abrasive and may work perfect for this cold bluing!

 

[TRIGGER_1]

Sarge.....Really looks nice.....Good job......

 

[davevabch]

Is OxphaBlu paste better than the liquid?

Go with the Paste!