Blue it, leave it alone, or......

[herrwalther]

Normally I say leave stuff alone. But on something like that, with nothing stopping rust except whatever oil you put on, I recommend something. Fortunately, the sky is the limit on what you can do with firearms these days. Cold bluing is the cheapest, can be done at home, and the least durable. Parkerizing can also be done at home for a little bit more money. Follow this video to the letter and it is easy. FWIW, the atomized steel isn't as necessary as they say. You can get the same seasoning suspending some de greased steel wool in a coffee filter doing the same method with the same results.



Then you have Cerakoat, nitrocarburizing, Chrome finishing and a few dozen other methods. Not many of them are DIY or cheap to put on so you would have to find a place to send it off to.

 

[Mauser lover]

I vote reblue. Have a look at slow rust bluing. Fairly easy to DIY, and actually good looking results (unlike cold blue) and as durable as bluing ever is.

 

[starling]

If it hasnt rusted by now its pretty resistant. If you are that worried about it there are anti rust bags or even just something as simple as anti rust paper in a vacume saver bag.

Light coat of eezox put on with a soft toothbrush internally and externally would keep oxidation away. Steel in the white doesnt rust all that easily unless its really dry and neglected. I have refurbed many rifles over the years that had to be filed and sanded to the white in order to remove rust and pitting..... working here and there for months when time was available. Some of which sat idle in the white for years when finished....no rust. Whats on them.... Mineral oil (I use it for polishing steel).

I would probably use eezox on that Radom though. I am fairly confident that you will regret it if you throw a finish on it and take it out of its original form. Nice examples of Radoms are not that easy to find.

I like Parkerizing on old refurbs but I wouldnt touch that pistol. A ratty old shooter grade non matching pistol is another story. God forbid you paint it. It will just look like a hack job. I might have to report you to the proper authorities should you go that route! Be like painting a Luger or vintage 1911.

If you are going to try something like rust blueing get yourself something beat up and common (maybe a tokarev) along with a bunch of sandpaper in various grits. Lean how to properly prep the steel and develop the skill set for rust blueing. Prepping the steel and keeping the edges (and markings) is kind of an art. First time I experimented with rust blueing was on cheap bar stock.

Not a fan of cerakote. It looks cheap and wears lousy. Only paint I ever found acceptable was a daily carry Makarov which I parked and teflon coated because I wanted it to run dry if need be. Its Fine but my next Mak I sent it out to be hard chromed (which is tops IMO for finish).

 

[P5 Guy]

About Our Finishes | Superior Titanium Products, Inc

Titanium Nitride Finish:

The most common use for a titanium nitride (TiN) coating is to provide edge retention and corrosion resistance on machine tooling, such as drill bits and milling cutters, often improving their lifetime by a factor of three or more.
This same TiN coating stands up to keys and coins in your pocket and is extremely durable. Note that if you have oily hands it can make fingerprints, however, after a few days of use this should even out and become uniform.
A gold plating would quickly wear off very quickly with keys and coins. With our TiN coating we can achieve both good looks and superior durability.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

About Our Finishes | Superior Titanium Products, Inc

Titanium Nitride Finish:

The most common use for a titanium nitride (TiN) coating is to provide edge retention and corrosion resistance on machine tooling, such as drill bits and milling cutters, often improving their lifetime by a factor of three or more.
This same TiN coating stands up to keys and coins in your pocket and is extremely durable. Note that if you have oily hands it can make fingerprints, however, after a few days of use this should even out and become uniform.
A gold plating would quickly wear off very quickly with keys and coins. With our TiN coating we can achieve both good looks and superior durability.

Hmmmm... intriguing.

 

[Pat Riot]

It appears this Titanium Nitride coating is also a ceramic type coating, like Cerakote.
https://www.titaniumgun.com/coatings

I hadn’t heard of it until today.

 

[DeepSouth]

I’d leave it alone, it just looks authentic, like it’s supposed to be that way.

That said it ain’t my gun, do whatever you want.

 

[PzGren]

I would keep the gun well oiled and not mess with it. That said, the Mauser C96 that I gave to my son for Christmas was express rust blued. Originally the Mausers were slow rust blued, Parabellum pistols were rust blued until 1936. Rust bluing is more labor intensive than caustic blue or parkerizing but is the most wear resistant traditional finish; it goes on in layers and these layers have to individually wear.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I would keep the gun well oiled and not mess with it. That said, the Mauser C96 that I gave to my son for Christmas was express rust blued. Originally the Mausers were slow rust blued, Parabellum pistols were rust blued until 1936. Rust bluing is more labor intensive than caustic blue or parkerizing but is the most wear resistant traditional finish; it goes on in layers and these layers have to individually wear.

A kingly gift indeed!
If I asked for a Broomhandle for Christmas, I would probably get an actual broom handle.....

 

[starling]

I would keep the gun well oiled and not mess with it. That said, the Mauser C96 that I gave to my son for Christmas was express rust blued. Originally the Mausers were slow rust blued, Parabellum pistols were rust blued until 1936. Rust bluing is more labor intensive than caustic blue or parkerizing but is the most wear resistant traditional finish; it goes on in layers and these layers have to individually wear.

Rust Blueing will also make you a little crazy and OCD. One more time.... one more.... and again...again. It never ends. Same thing happens with Brownells Oxpho Blue (cold blue).

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Rust Blueing will also make you a little crazy and OCD. One more time.... one more.... and again...again. It never ends. Same thing happens with Brownells Oxpho Blue (cold blue).

I was kinda zeroing in on either oxphoblue or brownells parkerizing kit, lol.
The nice thing about "cold" blue is it can be easily removed if I change my mind later. I've done quite a few Birchwood-Casey bluing jobs and now warm up the metal parts in the oven to 180° which seems to result in deeper colors and more even adhesion.
I'll probably start with this and see how it gos first.

 

[starling]

I was kinda zeroing in on either oxphoblue or brownells parkerizing kit, lol.
The nice thing about "cold" blue is it can be easily removed if I change my mind later. I've done quite a few Birchwood-Casey bluing jobs and now warm up the metal parts in the oven to 180° which seems to result in deeper colors and more even adhesion.
I'll probably start with this and see how it gos first.

I still dont think you should touch it but if you must...

Birchwood casey is lousy cold blue. Dont use it. You can actually end up with a brown after rust finish after it sits a while. Oxpho is the best and doesnt do any of that. It will actually protect the steel as far as light handling goes. The cream is easier to work with than the liquid.

Being that your Radom is in the white if you do the Oxpho and hate it you can just soak the pistol in Evaporust to remove it without damaging anything. Its non toxic and very gentle... and works. You will most likely remove any natural Patina that has formed through the years though which is why I say leave it alone but I will try to minimize the alterations as much as possible so you have less regret later.

Also.. being that its a matching collectable I wouldnt polish it.... at all. A good eye can spot polishing pretty quickly.

Oxpho is great stuff though. You can get some really magical results if you are good at metal prep (on project guns) and it doesnt turn brown. High grit polish work and lots of coats will mimic hot blue very, very well. Not as durable of course but more durable than other cold blues. I actually use it on some of my carry guns and never have had rust issues. It does wear.... after A while I just strip the gun down and blue it again over top the old oxpho.... looks good as new. So while its not as durable as other finishes its a hell of a lot easier to maintain. Honesly though... No finishes are Durable IMO outside Hard Chrome.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I still dont think you should touch it but if you must...

Birchwood casey is lousy cold blue. Dont use it. You can actually end up with a brown after rust finish after it sits a while. Oxpho is the best and doesnt do any of that. It will actually protect the steel as far as light handling goes. The cream is easier to work with than the liquid.

Being that your Radom is in the white if you do the Oxpho and hate it you can just soak the pistol in Evaporust to remove it without damaging anything. Its non toxic and very gentle... and works. You will most likely remove any natural Patina that has formed through the years though which is why I say leave it alone but I will try to minimize the alterations as much as possible so you have less regret later.

Also.. being that its a matching collectable I wouldnt polish it.... at all. A good eye can spot polishing pretty quickly.

Oxpho is great stuff though. You can get some really magical results if you are good at metal prep (on project guns) and it doesnt turn brown. High grit polish work and lots of coats will mimic hot blue very, very well. Not as durable of course but more durable than other cold blues. I actually use it on some of my carry guns and never have had rust issues. It does wear.... after A while I just strip the gun down and blue it again over top the old oxpho.... looks good as new. So while its not as durable as other finishes its a hell of a lot easier to maintain. Honesly though... No finishes are Durable IMO outside Hard Chrome.

Ya, I think Ill give Oxpho a try.

 

[starling]

Ya, I think Ill give Oxpho a try.

Dangit!

Did I mention how long it takes and what a mess it makes?

You need ultra fine steel wool (make sure you degrease it) and a soft bristled toothbrush (for the cream application). Probably 6-9 coats depending of the surface of the steel. Once it feels like its not getting any darker do 3 more coats. If you get streaks or blotches you are not rubbing enough.

91% rubbing alchohol and vinyl gloves as well. Final rub is bare (no oxpho) with heavy duty cotton makeup pads. After that I leave it bone dry and let it sit a couple days before oiling.

Also... you may see color change or shifts on the steel that is stuborn to rub out. Happens when certain areas are heat treated (slide recess for the barrel lugs). Just do more coats.

In the end its a lot of work to get right but you run little risk of screwing it up because its reversable.

Paint is popular because its cheap to do on a mass scale. Nobody....... Nobody who appreciates firearms paints them. Its tacky, cheap, and lazy. All it does is hide that beautiful and raw steel. I dont even like it over zamak or Aluminum.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Dangit!

Did I mention how long it takes and what a mess it makes?

You need ultra fine steel wool (make sure you degrease it) and a soft bristled toothbrush (for the cream application). Probably 6-9 coats depending of the surface of the steel. Once it feels like its not getting any darker do 3 more coats. If you get streaks or blotches you are not rubbing enough.

91% rubbing alchohol and vinyl gloves as well. Final rub is bare (no oxpho) with heavy duty cotton makeup pads. After that I leave it bone dry and let it sit a couple days before oiling.

Also... you may see color change or shifts on the steel that is stuborn to rub out. Happens when certain areas are heat treated (slide recess for the barrel lugs). Just do more coats.

In the end its a lot of work to get right but you run little risk of screwing it up because its reversable.

Paint is popular because its cheap to do on a mass scale. Nobody....... Nobody who appreciates firearms paints them. Its tacky, cheap, and lazy. All it does is hide that beautiful and raw steel. I dont even like it over zamak or Aluminum.

Doesn't sound that bad, Im a patient person- Tung oil is my friend.

I was only kidding about highlighting the lettering with white paint (or white-out).

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The price of surplus guns have gone up in value over the last couple of years. Some have gone up a lot, others, not so much.
Leaving it as is, is what I suggest.
Here’s a pistol I picked up a few years ago for around $250. It was worth around $600 to $800 when I bought it. In today’s market it will fetch $1500 to $2000. If I have it reblued, it might fetch $1000.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I didn't read the whole 2 pages but if you're worried about the gun rusting because of the lack of a finish I suggest you use Renaissance Wax Polish. The wax will protect the gun very well and will not rub of on anything that touches it like oil will. You use it on the gun and the stocks too if they are wood. Remove them and protect the back of the wood too.

 

[Mosin77]

If it were my pistol I’d consider selling it and trading up for a nicer original example. In current condition it’s worth the better part of a grand, at least. Really ratty ones go for at least $750 these days. And this one isn’t that bad.

But if I explicitly wanted it as a shooter, I’d send it off or take it to a local smith for professional hot bluing of some kind. Probably not Turnbull because it’s far too expensive for a “shooter grade” gun. But there are plenty of gunsmiths who can make an old gun look great. I’ve seen a number of stunning old Colts and Winchesters that were darn good rebluing jobs. No reason a Radom couldn’t look as good.

It would be nigh on abusive to cerakote that gun. Cerakote is fine for your custom AR, but not for a pistol that saw action in WWII.

 

[Obturation]

I'm on the leave it alone side .
That things been through some stuff and its earned it's color.
If you were going to carry it, it would need a finish. Since that's not the case, shoot it and keep it oily. A pistol like that isn't going to gain or lose value either way but a modern finish just won't look right.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

If it were my pistol I’d consider selling it and trading up for a nicer original example

But if I explicitly wanted it as a shooter, I’d send it off or take it to a local smith for professional hot bluing of some kind. Probably not Turnbull because it’s far too expensive for a “shooter grade” gun. But there are plenty of gunsmiths who can make an old gun look great.

It would be nigh on abusive to cerakote that gun. Cerakote is fine for your custom AR, but not for a pistol that saw action in WWII.

Considering what "collector" grade Radoms go for, no way!

I got a good deal, imo, on this one specifically because of the lack of original finish. They are neat and I always found them interesting, but not $2G interesting......lol.

 

[AMraider]

My rule of thumb on debating a re-blue or re-finish is to wait at least a month before deciding. I have found that by then it grows on me and I leave it be. Besides it costs nothing and may gain more value that way.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

The price of surplus guns have gone up in value over the last couple of years. Some have gone up a lot, others, not so much.
Leaving it as is, is what I suggest.
Here’s a pistol I picked up a few years ago for around $250. It was worth around $600 to $800 when I bought it. In today’s market it will fetch $1500 to $2000. If I have it reblued, it might fetch $1000.
View attachment 1058191 View attachment 1058192

Two large for a pitted Tokarev? I'll admit I haven't been following them, but that seems a bit high, Gunny.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

My rule of thumb on debating a re-blue or re-finish is to wait at least a month before deciding. I have found that by then it grows on me and I leave it be. Besides it costs nothing and may gain more value that way.

An excellent idea!

Ill at least want to shoot it first so Im sure Im not polishing a problem child. I dont keep unreliable guns no matter how pretty they are.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I didn't read the whole 2 pages but if you're worried about the gun rusting because of the lack of a finish I suggest you use Renaissance Wax Polish. The wax will protect the gun very well and will not rub of on anything that touches it like oil will. You use it on the gun and the stocks too if they are wood. Remove them and protect the back of the wood too.

Not so much worried about rust- dry bluing doesn't really offer any protection without oil or wax anyway- so much as just making it "pop" a little more cosmetically.

 

[PzGren]

Nightlord,
if you want to try rustblue instead of Oxpho, I will walk you through it.