Military weapons have had a variety of external finishes applied to them over the years. Early on, rust bluing, browning and case hardening were the only finishes available.

It was soon realized that even with these finishes on them, guns still deteriorated and fell victim to external forces like weather, rough usage and the rigors of combat.

By the twentieth century, more durable, weather resistant processes like Parkerizing (Phosphate) and Hot Bluing (Black Oxide) were invented to deal with this.

Vulcan Gun Refinishing offers these types of finishes and can duplicate your gun's original look.

I've been thoroughly factory trained in the usage and procedures of the various types of chemicals needed to produce these finishes. I buy the best products that I can and do a full chemical strength and purity test every time I fire up the tanks.

Let's look at what I offer:

PARKERIZING (Phosphate)

MANGANESE PHOSPHATE

Dark grey in colour, although shade may vary depending on metal composition and hardness.

Offers outstanding corrosion resistance.

15 minute process time with a coarse grain structure.

I use Parco Lubrite which is what Colt and others used in WWII. This way I can give you the closest thing to a WWII finish.

ZINC PHOSPHATE

Light grey in colour although shade may vary depending on metal composition and hardness.

Offers great corrosion resistance.

5 minute process time with finer grain structure.

Also used by many WWII manufacturers.

BLUING (Black Oxide)

I use a local industrial shop to do the actual bluing. They run a black oxide line 24-7 to do parts for the Big 3 automakers. They perform a chemical test 3 times daily.

I do all of the metal repair, preparation and polishing before I send it to them.

Quick turnaround and excellent work.

Their black oxide is very black, perfect for the early Black Colt 1911s.