Ruger Two Tone Blueing,50th Anny BH,.357

S

Sea Buck

New member
My Ruger 50th Anny BH .357 is slowly two toneing. The blueing on the hammer is already purple and the frame is getting a tint. What's up with this?
Ruger QC kind of messed up here. The Chemical Engineering Dept needs to take a look at their bluing process. Hopefully it's has happened by now!
 
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I'm partial to the coloring, myself....... :p

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Bluing that turns purplish is due to the method of bluing and the mix being slightly off. So as it ages it takes on a different hue. This used to drive me NUTS until i got on TFL because I thought that I was storing my guns incorrectly and ruining them
 
As per the Rugers, Silicon in the steel is what turns the bluing purple. Hi-silicon content alloy steels helps molten steel fill molds in investment castings , but makes bluing tough. Bill Ruger adressed this in the book , Ruger and his Guns.
 
I try hard not to drag threads off topic... but...

... I have a Dan Wesson, that has the same look, & I've heard the "plum" color is not unusual on them... I was not aware that they used a cast frame... something else going on with the Dan Wessons ???

I don't have a good pic of mine, but here is one, the light is not right, but you can see some of the plum color under the cylinder

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I have only seen one blued hammer BH, and it was on a reblued custom job...
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Ruger blues their hammers before polishing the sides bright. So virtually every blued Blackhawk or Single Six has bluing on the every surface of the hammer except the sides.
 
I was not aware that they used a cast frame... something else going on with the Dan Wessons ???
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Yes, Dan Wesson revolver frames are cast. And it's common for them to have purple tint as well.

Jim
 
The plum color is not exclusive to castings.
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I'd agree. I've seen quite a number of gunblued knives that have already turned or are in the process of turning plum. I believe (though certainly could be wrong) it's exclusive to high-gloss bluing.
 
Ruger blues their hammers before polishing the sides bright. So virtually every blued Blackhawk or Single Six has bluing on the every surface of the hammer except the sides.
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Well, I'll be damned...

It never occurred to me, but looking at my crop, you are correct...

And not a Plum one in the bunch...

:(
 
The plum color was very common on early Rugers and has been stated, it nowdays is considered sort of desirable oon the old guns. Ruger offered to refinish any of the old guns years ago, but most people just left them that way. The Hawkeyes would often show like a lightning mark in the frame finish as well. I guess it was a learning age for Ruger..but he really got the casting business down and taught the industry some lessons. I've seen the nickle gate single sixes with only the gates plum and the rest normal appearing blue.
 
It's not just the old guns. Plenty of more recent guns have plum parts. I've got a model 77MKII from about 7yrs ago that has a plum receiver.
 
Of the 4 DW revolvers I have all are from the '70's but the larger frame has the purplish tint to the frame. Yes they are cast frames and are still some of the strongest handguns made. It just shows some character.
 
I have a Colt from the 40's that has parts that have gone a little purple.

I'm more than certain that those parts aren't cast. :P
 
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