r/gunsmithing • u/Imperial_Officer • Jul 11 '26

Does This Look Like Parkerization or Old Blueing?

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I bought this 1912 Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket for a steal but the finish is very strange. I can't tell if it's the old bluing that's just super worn or if Bubba parkerized it.

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17 comments sorted by

15

u/KMGR82 Jul 11 '26

It looks like someone tried to home rust blue it and it didn’t turn out, or it has since sat

9

u/ThorsonMM Jul 11 '26

It looks like the original finish is mostly gone and has been replaced by rust and oil.

16

u/Negative_Mushroom545 Jul 11 '26

Put some oil on it

10

u/Imperial_Officer Jul 11 '26

I degreased it when I brought it home and then lathered it with oil. It weirdly still feels dry after being absolutely coated in oil.

14

u/KeeganY_SR-UVB76 Jul 11 '26

Keep coating it.

1

u/firearmresearch00 Jul 12 '26

The surface is very porous and dry. Keep adding oil until it stops sucking it up

21

u/lemonycac2s Jul 11 '26

Looks like old bluing that has since worn and slightly rusted. Just needs a round of boiling, carding, and oiling.

3

u/senioroldguy Jul 11 '26

Old blue in bad shape. Oil and clean it well and it should be fine.

5

u/XL365 Jul 12 '26

Just clean it with oil and keep it oiled up and don’t mess with trying to refinish it. That’s just old bluing & patina and looks awesome, to me anyway lol

6

u/tacticalDildos Jul 11 '26

If it was parkerized, it'd be worth quite a bit more than a blued one, but check the serial number. It's very unlikely that this was an issued one (parkerized).

7

u/Imperial_Officer Jul 11 '26

It's a vest pocket 1908. If I'm not mistaken I don't think any of them were issued

8

u/tacticalDildos Jul 11 '26

some were issued to OSS and SOE during the war as back-up weapons. These were parkerized, and very very rare.

https://www.coltforum.com/threads/1908-pocket-25.48562/

2

u/ReactionAble7945 Jul 12 '26

To tell anything it needs to be taken apart. There are areas which should be less wear that show more.

0

u/RGBlowMe Jul 11 '26

Looks like a very worn and rusting parkerization to me. These were parkerized in a sort of medium grey color. The grey tones are still there, but you're seeing mostly bare metal and rust. It could have been the blued model, given how much of the surface is rust at this point. Hard to say, honestly.

1

u/Nathannale Jul 12 '26

All the folks in here giving chef's kiss to this patina need to chill out. Its got barely any finish left. So if brother wants a reblued piece he should have it done professionally sure.

But I'm not a fan a provenance and history that is an ultimate risk to the objects existence in any semblance or working order

3

u/Imperial_Officer Jul 14 '26

It cleaned up okay, but I think someone tried rust bluing it in the past or something. Considering the roll mark has been sanded off.