Gun browning to gun blueing

When did gunsmiths transition from browning their guns to using blueing? I am assuming this was a gradual change. What country or gunmaker started using blueing salts?

I wondered the same thing, and found this online. Pretty good reading.
http://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/2010/08/metal-treatments-browning-and-bluing.html

That was indeed a good read! Thanks! Geo. T.

Gemmer said:

When did gunsmiths transition from browning their guns to using blueing? I am assuming this was a gradual change. What country or gunmaker started using blueing salts?

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Bluing has been in use for a very long time.
A great many rifle and guns in America in the 18th c may have been finsihed in the white. NW Guns had blued barrels unless a Chief's grade then they were often browned. Bluing, likely heat or nitrate was fast and cheap.

Nor was bluing salts the common way to blue parts until relatively modern times.
Some like Winchester, used a nitrate blue that was then oiled and baked to darken it. S&W used to use charcoal bluing.
Why blue rather than brown? Browning or rust bluing (the most durable blue) takes to long for use in the Industrial Revolution's mass production.

Dan

As Dan said blueing is very old. Knights had blued armor.Guns of corse were browned in the old days.And inthe white was common. Old guns that were blued that have suvived till today have browned with age,as have in the whites.We have grown so used to brown ml that blue looks funny and in the white looks unfinished.
You want to be hc then you will at least think blue or white on almost any gun style you could own.My self,I like brown and thats how I finnish my guns.I will be quick to point out that the other styles are at least as correct and in many cases more common.

My response is redundant.....
However, yes, blueing has been around for many centuries. Some of the oldies have a blued finish that is truly amazing. Browning is easier and, in our generations, more common and accepted.

Thanks to all for your info\help.

I am just working from memory but I believe bluing (rust bluing) is about as old as browning. On some Hawken rifles I believe the barrel was browned and the other hardware blued. Why? Since a rust blue requires boiling in distilled water- it might have been that on a long barrel it was easier to brown but the smaller parts could be blued. That's just a guess.
As stated, Browned and Blued and left in the White. There was also a sort of gray that I think was a case hardening inwhich not much color was produced.