Bluing AND browning on the same gun?

Once you start, it's hard to go back! I lucked onto an excellent tank from work a bit ago. Used some old epoxy bathtub paint I had sitting around for the interior.
Rust bluing, whether slow(cold) or express(hot, Belgian) is really a DIY'ers best friend. Excellent results are easily attainable.
 
Cold (slow rust) browning and bluing can produce an excellent and durable finish. Oil contamination - including skin contact - is the kiss of death. Thoroughly scrub parts in washing soda before starting the process and only handle with clean cotton or rubber gloves. The sweat box can be as simple as a cardboard box, a pan of water and a light bulb. I use an old steam iron (no steam) for a controllable heat source and a small electric kettle with a variable heat setting for the humidity. About 90 degrees F and 90% humidity are ideal. Warm the parts before putting them in the box so water vapor will not condense on them - produces spotty results. Plenty of how-to info online. BTW, there is no difference between browning and bluing solutions. Only the process varies in that parts to be blued are boiled or steamed between rust cycles. That converts the brown ferric oxide to black ferrous oxide.
 
Bksrt8 said:
I'd like to hot rust blue, im considering having my neighbor fab up a hot tank setup for me as he has a shear and sheet metal brake...im thinking a dual 6"x10"x48" tank with one 6x10 tank for fresh water to rinse. Maybe a tad ambitious but it'll also depend on what he wants to charge me to make it. If the cost prohibits hot bluing then cold it is. I'm looking into an old school locker or cheap gun locker to make a water box with heater as well
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I have been rust bluing for many years and have always used just one tank.. No need to rinse after boiling the parts. Card and repeat until you have a good even color then oil. Don't try to over think this !!!!!
 
I probably am over thinking it but I like to be prepared. I've spent alot of money "under-thinking" things so to speak lol
 
I was thinking 2 tanks because you'd need a tank for bluing salts and a fresh boiling water tank...different tanks for different projects obviously but I try to consider future projects in my plans. Although I didn't consider that I might want to keep the bluing salts away from the freshwater to avoid contamination. 2 seperate tanks would still be fine, im not short of space yet
 
I've been watching more YouTube and I like the finish of the cold browning using the Laurel Mountain product. What I'm wondering is if I etched the barrels prior to cold browning, would I be able to see the Damascus pattern through the browning? Could I achieve that look through hot rust bluing?
 
Hmm, I think you are referring to hot caustic bluing. You don't need a carding wheel for that. Just lots of PPE and a high tolerance for pain. Getting burned, either chemical or oth, is inevitable with hot caustic bluing.
I can't disrecommend it enough.
Hot rust bluing is an absolute pleasure in comparison.
 
Sorry, didn't see your second post. Etching is usually done after the bluing cycle. Not sure about how hot rust works with Damascus, haven't tried that yet.
Most videos and tutorials are concerning slow rust bluing.
I have two sets of garbage damascus barrels. Maybe somebody should give it a try.
 
Go to the Mark Lee website and get their very detailed instructions. Based on my results in testing, there appears to be no difference between their browning and bluing products. Either product works equally well in both browning and bluing. Only the process differs.
 
Lots to consider here, thanks for the advise I very much appreciate it!
I'll definately check out all of the sources that have been listed...this project is on back burner at the moment as I've buried myself in other projects but I will get back to it....I did register and load a bunch of the pictures to imagebb but still can't figure out why I can't post images...If I get it figured out I'll start a new thread to show my progress.
 
Bksrt8 said:
Lots to consider here, thanks for the advise I very much appreciate it!
I'll definately check out all of the sources that have been listed...this project is on back burner at the moment as I've buried myself in other projects but I will get back to it....I did register and load a bunch of the pictures to imagebb but still can't figure out why I can't post images...If I get it figured out I'll start a new thread to show my progress.
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We look forward to seeing your project and following progress.
 
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