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Firearms >> U.S. Military Krags >> Too reblue or not to reblue
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Message started by CigarArsonist on Aug 2nd, 2016 at 11:01pm

Title: Re: Too reblue or not to reblue
Post by butlersrangers on Aug 3rd, 2016 at 3:10pm
"Re-Blue" seems a total misnomer to me, where U.S. Krag receivers are concerned. They were never "Blued" to begin with. They were casehardened, which has a kind of 'mottled color' appearance. In time and from wear, the case-colors can take on a silvery color. This can be mistaken for No Finish.

Most refinished Krags also display a loss of 'line' and sharpness of lettering and numbers.

I like honest patina and use. Krags show a complicated array of colors because the various parts received different and specific Armory finishes.

The 'uniform, shiny, homogeneous, black-blue, finish' is a relatively recent development and never looks good on a Krag.

Don't make a 'Noobie' error - Do No Harm! Be patient and study original Krags to get a feel for how a pristine example appears and how wear and exposure age the finish. With 'Study', your taste in gun appearance may change.

(Photos, FWIW, of a used Krag that has worn finish and patina, but, could be mistaken by a novice as 'needing re-finish'):

krag-patina1_002.JPG ( 114 KB | 1 Download )
krag-patina3_002.JPG ( 106 KB | 1 Download )
krag-patina1898_001.JPG ( 138 KB | 0 Downloads )

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