One of the main ideas behind putting a finish on firearm steel is to protect it from corrosion, right? Ironically enough, one of the most common firearms finishes, bluing, results from a specific form of steel oxidation - that is, rust. Instead of the red-brown color associated with rust (Fe2O3), bluing forms the blue/black oxide Fe3O4. As the bluing process is only thin layer … [Read more...]
