Finish on a carbon steel 1911 frame build

[NEOKShooter]

Has anyone ever built their own 1911? Or other gun, I suppose. It looks like quality finishing could cost as much as a new Rock Island. It's been my dream for years to build my own but this is one of the things that holds me back.

A stainless slide on a stainless frame can be a beautiful gun but it's kind of limiting.

Sending parts off for a 200 to 600 dollar bluing job could just take all the fun out of building one.

What finishes have you used or had done and where did you send your guns to have it done?

[Rollis]

I, have never built a 1911 from the ground up, but if you are doing a prodject like that, the cost is not a big part of the process. It is the love of the process, and the love of the result. My reloading room is convenit, and has some nice stuff in it, but on a cost to value baise is not worth it.

[Jim Watson]

If you are worried about cost, one big expense is the shipping. Sending a gun off to be blued is going to cost a good deal in FedUP airmail.
You could do a two-tone with a blue slide on a stainless receiver so you would only have to send the slide off at much lower expense.

But bluing is a labor intensive process with polishing, precleaning, dipping, rinsing, and oiling to get through, and gunsmiths don't work cheap any more. Even Big Names like Wilson typically paint $2500 guns and charge hundreds extra for real blue.

You can do your own finishing at reasonable cost if you don't value your time much.
An airbrush, a Harbor Freight beadblaster, some GOOD degreasing products, and one of several coatings from Brownells will let you do as good a paint job as the factory.
You can blue at home with something like a turkey fryer and readily available chemicals but bear in mind that you will be dealing with a strong caustic solution boiling at maybe 280 deg. And you have to have done a nice surface prep beforehand for it to look right.
Parkerizing is a reasonable DIY but isn't pretty.

[NEOKShooter]

Rollis, you're exactly right about the process. That's the only reason for doing it. Building my own will cost about 1500 dollars +/- depending on finish. But I'll know how it works, inside and out.

I've been a 1911 fan and shooter since 1974 when I first shot one on my first Navy ship but I don't know the insides like I want to. That's the reason for building.

So, Jim, do you think that a 200 to 250 dollar bluing job is a good quality finish or would I have to step up for the 500 to 600 dollar version to get a really nice looking gun?

[swgunner]

Robar will do the frame in Roguard and NP3 the internals for $205. Turnaround is 4-6 weeks and well worth it.

[Jim Watson]

Guns I am having refurbished after the fire following The Incident are coming out quite nice for $350 to refinish wood and metal both on rifles and shotguns. Only one is below factory quality on the blue.

[NEOKShooter]

swgunner, Robar looks like a great choice. I must have been looking in all the wrong places.

They've got some great looking finishes at great prices.

Thanks.

[Powderman]

NEOKShooter, I have built quite a few 1911's. If you have not started your build yet, here are a few things that I have learned through (sometimes) painful experience...

1. Buy quality ONCE--except for a few parts. Sure, you can build a pistol cheaply--but if you use cheap parts, you'll get a poor result. I highly recommend (and use) Ed Brown parts for most of the internals.

2. The FIRST purchase to make (if you don't have it yet) is the Shop Manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen. It's very educational--I would say that it is the definitive source of information for the 1911 pistol.

3. Another must-have is a good sear and hammer jig. Get good ones--if you shoot your pistols a lot (I do), you'll be replacing sears, springs and hammers.

4. I mentioned buying a few cheap parts. When you get ready to install the hammer, sear and disconnector, get a CHEAP set along with a set of excellent quality. Fit them well, and install correctly. Check your trigger pull and quality--if you like it, them do the good set and install them.

Do you have any experience with machining? If so, you're ahead of the game.

[kcshooter]

I've built 1911's from scratch (along with a few rebuilds), and I wanted to do it all myself, including the finish.

First I tried Oxpho-Blue from Brownells. Not so good. I suppose it would have worked but it was obvious that it was a cold-blue instead of a real blueing.

So then I tried Parkerizing it. Worked well. Great coverage, great finish, and I did it in my back driveway. But it wasn't exactly what I wanted. It made the gun I spent hours and hours fitting and finishing look rough and clunky.

So then I coated the parked gun with DuraCoat. Turned out really nice, has the look of a send-it-off finish but I was able to do it all at home for maybe $150 total. There's a slight texture from the parkerizing under the coating, but it has a very clean finished look.


I've used Duracoat several times, always has come out very well. Prep is the key (of course). I've also tried GunKote with much less impressive results, even with nearly perfect prep.

Mine is from Foster (Caspian blems), Fusion, Wilson, and Brown parts.

[swgunner]

Neo, I can't express the satisfaction with Robar. I had them do a 1911 and 4 AR bolt carrier groups. The results have been fantastic. The carbon just slides right off, no scrubbing or chemical needed. And there is a guarantee. The slide on my 1911 is getting sent back because the finish is flaking off, other than that tiny issue, which is more a result of the gun than the finish. The finish is incredibly durable.

And a second for Duracoat, if you want to do it yourself. I have done an SKS and AK in Duracoat, surprisingly easy and good quality finish. Agree with KC about prep.

[NEOKShooter]

These are really great responses and suggestions all.

I would feel better about doing a Duracoat on a Foster or Caspian slide or a refinish on a Rock Island. Probably not for me on the Fusion I will likely order - at least until I've done it a few times on Fosters or Rock Islands.

Your suggestion for Robar, swgunner, really eliminates my hesitation for finishing. That's something I can live with.

I was planning on Wilson internals. I'll look into Ed Brown, as well.

One reason for building my own is to understand how to maintain and repair them myself. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. Nothing worse, in any field, to have some customer bring in the mess they made and ask the pro to clean it up. . But tools are key to this so, like I did in my AR build I recently completed, I buy every tool needed and buy the top quality I can get. Having the tools and the ability to use them are a big reason to do this.

Thanks, all.

[Powderman]

I use Oxpho-Blue myself. There is a easy way to use it, but you have to buy a good amount of it.

As has been mentioned before, prep is the key. What I'll do is this:

1. COMPLETE disassembly--for a slide, that includes the sights.
2. A scrubbing with a toothbrush to get off the gross crud.
3. A good spraying with a solvent cleaner, like carb cleaner, and go over the parts I can reach with the toothbrush.

Here's the way to make the stuff work.

4. I get a container big enough to hold the entire piece that I want blued. Then, I fill it 3/4 with Oxpho Blue--which you can use again.

5. After all of my prep is done, I then bring an old pot full of water to a rolling boil. I then use wire or a coat hanger to dunk the piece into the boiling water. I'll swish it around for about a minute. Afterward, I'll pull it out of the water, and hang it in the air for about 30 seconds, to let it air dry. The heat imparted to the metal will make the water evaporate quickly.

6. Then, straight to the Oxpho-Blue container. Dunk the part and make sure it's completely submerged. Let it sit in there for about three minutes.

7. Pull it out, get all the Oxpho Blue off, and let it air-dry.

8. Most important--get one of the soft wire wheels from Brownell's. I card the whole piece with it--it evens out the blue, and cleans off any excess.

9. Afterward, I drown the piece in water displacing oil--yes, good old WD 40. I'll wipe it down, then coat heavily with a medium weight oil. Finally, I let it sit for at least 48 hours to let the blue cure. A good wipe afterward with a soft towel, and you're in business!

Again, prep is the key. Do a good polish to the finish you want--240 grit gives a good matte finish; 400 grit a satin finish; using Polish-O-Ray on loose muslin wheels through white will give a nice shiny finish; using Polish-O-Ray Gray and White on felt wheels gives the eye-popping gleaming blue finish. Do a good prep job, and you'll be surprised at the results!