yes, another thread about coating, I'm sorry

M

mkiker2089

New member
I'm sorry to ask because it has been asked before but I'm a little confused. I also like others opinions. I'll try to be brief.

- I have a Ruger Blackhawk and it's, I think, rust blued. Whatever comes factory. It looks ok, just not as cool as a black Nitride Sccy.

- the hammer is pitted, was when I bought it. I have no idea why.

- there's a normal dotted line on the cylinder

I asked two gunsmiths about finishing. One is local and said Cerakote should be fine. The other is national and well renowned. They said that the best finish for a revolver is white, hard chrome I think. Anything else will wear easier. A third does something called "hard hat" but only does pistols mostly 1911's.

To be fair I'm not really planing on refinishing it anytime soon but I do like to research and at least pretend that I'm learning about it.

In short -
1- is there a way to prevent the line on the cylinder or has anyone hidden it behind an etching of some sort?.
2- should I get a dremel or similar device and just scuff up the hammer to make it look satin and hide the pits
3- when I refinish it sometime maybe in 2016 is the baked on Cerakote going to hold up decently for a safe queen that goes to the range every month or so and maybe gets 20-30 rounds between light cleaning.

Thank you in advance for humoring me

edit--

My guns NEVER go in a holster or get carried so holster wear is not an issue.
 
1. The line is normal. Leave it alone.
2. No. Dremels are tools that should be used by professionals only. You will do more harm than good.
3. Cerakote is a paint. It costs as much to apply as a real finish like hard chrome or Ionbond, so why use an inferior painted finish?

4. Why refinish your gun at all?
 
Another vote to leave it alone. I like guns with character. I'd rather have a shooter than a safe queen that I'm worried about the finish on.

Shop for a holster / gun belt and enjoy the gun.
 
You could have it engraved in a way which makes the line fit in. Otherwise, the line is fairly normal to have. Some revolvers, if handled perfectly and timed perfectly, will not show this line - some will have it even when timed perfectly, as by design the bolt comes up before the hole and modifying it would make the gun unsafe.

The way I see it, if it shoots well, the minor blemishes, marks and dings add character to the gun.

As for Cerakote, I personally find it ugly but some hunters around these parts are quite enthusiastic about it on hunting rifles. Still think it would look out of place on a revolver, and if your gun is prone to developing a cylinder line, it'll do that with Cerakote finish, too.
 
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I have parkerized several of my carry pistols. You can get kits here http://www.caswellplating.com/ Parkerizing is a hard matte coating. It is used as a base coat to then be paint coated. By itself it has micropores that allow a good lubricating coating. I use it by itself.
 
My guess.....
The Cerakote will end up chipping around the cylinder, and the cylinder drag line will come back as a polished line before the chipping starts.

I know of no finish that will hide a drag line forever.
You can camouflage it with engraving or some other fancy finish that includes a line there; but it's impossible to keep from happening unless you never handle (let alone fire) the revolver.

- I have a Ruger Blackhawk and it's, I think, rust blued. Whatever comes factory. It looks ok, just not as cool as a black Nitride Sccy.
Click to expand...
Ironically, it is highly likely that Ruger's factory finish was nitride ("hot tank"/"hot salt"/"caustic" bluing).
The end appearance differs primarily due to metal preparation prior to bluing, and the temperature at which the process takes place. Depending upon temperature, metal content, and hardness of the part, nitride bluing can result in red, plum, blue, black, and even grayish hues (and nearly any combination of them).

With time, most Rugers and some other brands of firearms (some S&Ws, HKs, and more) end up slowly turning 'plum' on their own, due to the silicon content of the steel.

If you ever come across an older Ruger (late '70s through late '80s) that has reddish streaks, swirls, or 'waves' in the blue (or plum) finish, it is a part that made it through inspection with an improper cleaning and still had some microscopic silica stuck to the part. Ruger assemblers usually rejected these parts and sent them back for refinishing (along with notifying the bluing guys that their salt was contaminated), but a few made it out to the public. Collectors LOVE them, mostly because they're 'mistakes' but also because they usually look pretty cool.
In the late '80s, Ruger changed their process in some way that pretty much eliminated the residual silica.
 
You mean it could turn plum like the picture I tried putting below. It's a google image search so it may break but the plum color is black with a hint of purple. I really like that. Can I make it turn plum sooner?

And I think I'm going to ask someone who knows more to look at the hammer and try to satin it up, or maybe polish it. Whatever the expert advises would be best and easiest. Other than that I am going to wait a while before deciding to do anything.

DSC_1013.jpg
 
I don't know of any way to accelerate the color change to 'plum'. And some firearms never seem to have the color change, even if it's a model (or part of a model) that's well known for going 'plum'.
The only real factors, as far as I understand, that determine whether or not something will turn 'plum', are the composition of the steel and the conditions at the time of bluing. High silicon content steel and/or parts that are too cold for the salt bath get the blame more often than other variables.


I bought a Ruger P95DC new in 1998 or 1999. The slide was very dark, almost black, at the time. About 5 years later, the color had transitioned to more of a standard blue/black and seemed lighter.
Now, 15 years after its 'birth', it is most decidedly plum. There's still a little 'blue/black' left in there, but it's well into 'plum' territory.

I'd get a picture, but it is currently inaccessible.

I also have a late-'70s/early-'80s Ruger M77 that is well into 'plum'. But it stayed fairly dark and 'blue' until about 2000-2005. Then, it seemed like it suddenly changed color to 'plum' in just a couple of years. The only change at that time was that it was getting used and seeing daylight about 20 times more than it had in its early life. Though, I don't believe that exposure to sunlight was really a factor.

In contrast, I have a 1993-production Ruger Super Blackhawk that was thoroughly used by its previous owner, and went on nearly every shooting trip with me for about 10 years. It stayed blue/black and only showed the faintest hint of 'plum' on the grip frame (the Super Blackhawks get steel grip frames, rather than the standard aluminum frame of Ruger's smaller single actions). That Super Blackhawk went back to Ruger in 2011, though, and was fully rebuilt and refinished to a deep black, but some photos show a hint of 'plum' on the grip frame again. So I have no idea what possible color change the future may hold...

20+ years old, and brand new again. (For free!)
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Another vote for leaving it alone, but if I felt I had to do it I'd get a premium black Bearcoat finish on a revolver, and I'd just replace the hammer if it couldn't be cleaned up.

Be sure it's a revolver you want to keep forever. Once one starts down this road customizing revolvers to your taste one seems to always come up with another thing to do to them. The work order tends to grow before you get around to sending it off.

Before you know it you have way more into it than you'll ever get out of it. Often they become worth less than a comparable un-touched model. You refinish a gun and people automatically assume it was abused. The things you like others may not. Always assume any money you spend on it is a sunk cost. I'm leary of customized guns for sale if I don't know who did the work.

The exception might be work done by big name nationally recognized houses like Bowen / Clark / Cylinder & Slide if it's marked as such or you have documentation. You might be able to recover a portion of that cost on a re-sale. But even at that nobody's going to pay you full value for it when they can send it off and get exactly what they want for the same price.

http://www.bearcoat.com/
 
As mentioned, turn lines are par for the course with a new model Blackhawk...

If the hammer bothers you that much, change it...

They are relatively cheap, easy to switch, and available all over the net...

Many people switch to the Super Blackhawk hammer as they like the lower profile...Stainless ones are about $30...
 
It's yours. If you want to have it refinished in pink have at it. I've always been of the opinion that when it's your property then it's yours to do what you want. I've had a couple of my Model 28 Highway Patrolman revolvers refinished and I've never regretted doing so despite those why say I hurt their resale value. I'm not planning on getting rid of them. On the other hand I have some much older revolvers that I'm leaving alone. Up to you. Have fun is my motto.
 
I have a super single six that at one time got some pitting/rust on both cylinders from sitting inside a case for too long(my fault).
I sent them back to Ruger and they cleaned & re-blued them au gratis.
But that was in the early 90s.
 
The cylinder turn line on a Ruger (or S&W) shows you the gun is operating as designed. The same line on a Colt shows you it is not.

You COULD get your Ruger custom rebuilt so it doesn't make the turn line. This involves a rebuild/replacement of several internal parts, and is something that should only be done by a competent smith, who really understands the timing of the gun, and how to change it.

NOT going to be cheap. And, not something worth doing, for most of us.

Of course the shop that does high end hard chrome finishes is going to recommend it. Duh! ;)

I'm not a complete traditionalist, I put oversize rubber grips on several of my Blackhawks, makes the handling and shooting better, for me. But I don't care for any of the spray on, or bake on finishes.

Remember, if you ever might be looking to get your money back out of the gun, the finish (or other features) that you like might cause me to pass it by, trying not to vomit...

Everyone has a different idea of what is best, and what is, or is not worth their money.

If you want the ultimate in durable finishes, sell or trade the gun for one in stainless steel.
 
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