OM Rugers With The Plum Colored Frames - Please Explain

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lovemydals

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I have seen OM Rugers with the plum colored frame, but never really understood just what was happening to cause this to happen. Could someone please explain this?

Did this occur on any of the Ruger DA models (Security Six, Speed Six & Service Six)? The reason for asking is I saw a Speed Six (prefix 156) with the plum colored frame yesterday. However, the cylinder & trigger assemblies were the nice Ruger blue. I removed the wood grip panels to see if the plum color was underneath the grips & it was. I'm considering adding this Speed Six to my collection, but want to be sure it's original. Look forward to hearing from the experts on the forum. Thanks!
 
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It is pretty well explained in Larry "the x-con" Wilsons book "Ruger, the Man and His Guns.............."
bottom line it's , in the case of the Ruger, a "casting issue", the "mix ( or they call it the batch) is made of of a bunch of different metals to attain the "proper" engineered alloy of 4140 Chrome-moly steel that is common for use in making firearms...Ruger has been doing this on their own for many years, and have it down "pretty" good for the MOST part.BUT once in a while the batch may be not thoroughly mixed or when pouring the mix into the mold, the use of silicon was/is used to aid in the "mixing /flow of the material into all the creases and crevices...anything out of "spec" ( too much , too little...) will affect the outcome of the metallurgy and its properties...now come time to "blue" the parts and if there are " hot or cold spots, streaks,etc, the blue will come out a different color in these areas... just as heat treat ,(hardness) can affect the bluing, so does the actual metal itself....now, Ruger collectors tend to find this "color" hues variations "nice, cute ,pretty, different" what ever, BUT it is still a "boo boo", a flaw, wrong.... these same colors can also be gotten by improper temperatures of the salt bath ( bluing solution) and also by not leaving the parts in "long enough" and when this occurs with ANY other gun company ( for the MOST part) they reject it or reblue it.... this is also quite common when 'outside' sources reblue any firearm and they are NOT "good at what they do", this is often a sign of a "reblue", so it is a "catch 22"....no WBR never threw anything out nor "wasted it",thats why years ago , in the beginning they even offered to "redo" any firearm "free" for the owner, a letter was put in the shipping carton ( box) along with the firearm ( maybe Flatgate will post that "neat" picture of the original 'letter from Ruger.......)
Problem is MOST firearms ' "experts" ala Winchester, Colt, S&W and others, do NOT like to see this "plum" and will pass up on buying any of the guns that have this as I said, it is "wrong" ....not desireable to any of those makes and models....ONLY the Ruger collectors get off on this...and yes, it is "nice,cute, different" as all humans are....yes, I even take a liking to it myself....BUT having been in the refinishing business since the late 60's, we KNOW it's "wrong" and would NEVER put out a job that has this....by the way, if it is in fact , in the metal makeup, and you do a proper "reblue" job, it will usually again "turn plum" or "streak".........
yes, you can at times address this by upping the temperature range but this is NOT good for your 'salt bath" we used to save doing the nickel steel guns and such towards the end of the "bath life" as they will ruin ( kill the bath) so the old 'nickel steel ' Winchesters went in "last" and yes, they would come out and stay "blue" for the most part, as will any of the Ruger metal parts...........................
This is a simple ,easy explaination, nothing "technical", as I am NOT a metallurgist,nor do I even LIKE to use/play/work with ANY "salt bath" makes MY skin crawl, and get itchy all over.......I do the prep and final fit , all the "hard" stuff, and leave the "cooking" to the 'chef'......... :roll:


and to answer your question, YES, even today , once in a while you will see parts at times that have this "color" makes no matter the model either.
 

lovemydals

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rugerguy,

Thanks for the explanation! And, for adding that in all likelihood this Speed Six is factory original.

The "plum" color is just another color to me with no real collector appeal. I want this Speed Six, as I do not have this variation in my collection of Ruger Speed Six's (pre scallop) & finding OM Ruger DA's in CA is difficult at best. I acquire them as I find them.
 

Robert 58

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As said in the previous post the Plumb Color is from faulty bluing. To me IT IS RUST forming on the parts. I have a Ruger Blackhawk that I sold to a friend. He had it for five years laying in his office drawer for protection. I bought it back three years ago and rust was forming on the hammer and the cylinder was turning PLUMB. Since I have had it and shot it and cleaned it and oiled and waxed it the PLUMB color on the cylinder has gone away. It is now blue like the rest of the Revolver. I just realized that as I was reading your post.
 

weaselmeatgravy

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This one has a "cherry" cylinder, another color that comes out from time to time.

RDA36-white-box-cherry-cyl.jpg
 

flatgate

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Ruger recognized that they were having trouble way back in '54....
129226819.jpg


Yes, some of us collectors' will go plum crazy over those colors...
114490279.jpg


flatgate
 

chet15

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Robert 58":94hxigc7 said:
As said in the previous post the Plumb Color is from faulty bluing. To me IT IS RUST forming on the parts. I have a Ruger Blackhawk that I sold to a friend. He had it for five years laying in his office drawer for protection. I bought it back three years ago and rust was forming on the hammer and the cylinder was turning PLUMB. Since I have had it and shot it and cleaned it and oiled and waxed it the PLUMB color on the cylinder has gone away. It is now blue like the rest of the Revolver. I just realized that as I was reading your post.

If your cylinder was PLUMB color, it might have been rust. The purple color that is being talked about here, and which is liked by collectors, is a sign of investment casting, and Blackhawk cylinders have never been investment cast. Blackhawk cylinders have always been machined from round bar stock.
Ruger did experiment with some Single-Six cylinders in the 1954 to 1955 time period, and these will exhibit a plumb/purple color. They are known in the 4xxx to 9xxx range.
Chet15
 
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When the cylinder or even the barrel appears "plum" ( reddish) that can be a sign of improper bluing temperature, yes, even at the factory, also the heat treat ( hardness) may not be in spec and again "affect the temperature " of the actual parts... yes, have seen a cylinder here and there, BUT never a barrel ( at least one from the original factory blue job, just an after market "bad" blue job........) the "bad" job will jump out at you..................
as for it being "rust"?? , more likely it was retouched up with "cold blue" and not reoiled ( neutralized) that can and will turn 'reddish' you wipe it down with an oily clothe and it disappears..................
must remember at any given tiem who knows what other chemicals, solvents, cleaners, waxes, have been pout on ANY guns finish , by one of the "owners"...............amazing, the "crap" folks will put on their guns.....
 

lovemydals

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Quoting rugerguy regarding the plum color on Ruger firearms,

"and when this occurs with ANY other gun company (for the MOST part) they reject it or reblue it...."

Yesterday, I stopped by the gun shop to purchase the SS-32 with the plum colored frame & the owner brought out a Colt Python revolver with a plum colored barrel. So, it appears that even the other gun companies have this problem & specimens do escape the factory.

I hope to post a photo of the SS-32 tomorrow or the next day. Stay tuned.
 

lovemydals

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Here are some photos of my SS-32 Speed Six with the plum colored frame. Not the best photos I have taken, but they give you an idea of what I have. Thanks for looking!

Imag5810.jpg


Imag5823.jpg


Imag5848.jpg


Imag5862.jpg
 

flatgate

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chet15":5cclbhlm said:
If your cylinder was PLUMB color, it might have been rust. The purple color that is being talked about here, and which is liked by collectors, is a sign of investment casting, and Blackhawk cylinders have never been investment cast. Blackhawk cylinders have always been machined from round bar stock.
Ruger did experiment with some Single-Six cylinders in the 1954 to 1955 time period, and these will exhibit a plumb/purple color. They are known in the 4xxx to 9xxx range.
Chet15

RSS s/n 3751
307521040.jpg


Lousy pic, but, one can indeed see the color of the cylinder.

flatgate
 

Fairshake

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Along w/Ruger investment castings, when W'by MkV first came out, their receiver 'turned' plumb over time. My Security Six was deep blue/black when I first bought it in 1973. Over time, its frame turned color.
 
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