Slow Rust Metal Bluing

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wolf19534

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Does any fellow CGN do this?. I'm looking to give it a try and would appreciate any insight or any of your experience in this process. I know that I would require a few things such as a bluing tank etc... but mainly looking for your input. thx Wolf
 
Fast Rust metal bluing gives much better results. Do a google search for Radocy ! No Humidifier needed.
 
rust blue

Hello,, I have been rust bluing for the past 20 years or so and would be happy to pass on any help I can give. Rather than take up a lot of space on here , e mail me at m9x57@hotmail.com and I can detail the process I am using or you can phone me some time . It takes time but the results are very much worth it.
 
For your first go at it, i'd reccomend "laurel mountain forge barrel brown and degreaser" which you can order from brownells. follow the instructions to the letter and you will get good results. make a thrifty boiling tank out of aluminum rain gutter with end caps siliconed and rivited on, and you will get great results. Here's the instructions;

http://laurelmountainforge.com/barrel_brown_inst.htm

I didnt take enough pics, but here's my last project, a cooey ranger i did for the heck of it. A really half azzed job i must admit as i didn't have the time i needed to do a really nice job and it was kind of rushed, but it was mainly to conceal the metalwork i had done to it.

Sorry, photobucket wont let me resize at the moment, but when it does ill come back and make the pics smaller.

Rusting
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Boiling
Again, i half ased this one and used a turkey burner rather than a series of colemans. I dont yet have electric elements, but the turkey fryer works just fine as long as i stir it around a bit.
Notice the golfing pencil barrel plug...
fccdbc98.jpg


The finished product
Carding was done with degreased 0000 steel wool, afterwards i soaked it in boiling hot USED motor oil for a couple days to impregnate the metal with carbon to "seal" the blue.

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This picture shows what happens if you get too heavy handed as i did with the trigger guard. It formed a very slight coppery look and would not fully blacken. thankfully it was the only part that this happened on and it was easy enough to re-do. but be warned, go VERY gentle when applying the rust activator.

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And yes i know, as has been pointed out before, I do really nice work refinishing stools also.
 
Resurrecting an old thread, but thanks for the pics, mikeystew. Working on a Cooey Model 60 right now that is going to get the same LMF treatment.
 
dero338 said:
where in canada can I order blueing and browning chemicals
brownells dont ship thoses products up here
Click to expand...

Brownell's will ship Laurel Mountain's browning/blueing formula:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=7780/Product/BARREL-BROWN-DEGREASER

In Canada, PJ's Gun and Metal Care carries the Radocy line of rust blueing chemicals: http://www.pjsproducts.com/radocy.htm

If you decide to brew your own browning formula, make sure you know the basic rules about mixing chemicals safely. You should also be aware that off-the-shelf muriatic acid (e.g., concrete etcher) is not reagent grade and contains impurities which may cause discolouration or pitting. For a first timer, definitely stick to the manufactured formulas.
 
Cool to see this thread back, I'm getting ready to try this as well...Here's what I've learned, (or think I have) and am going to try..

Going to use Birchwood Casey Rust Brown, and then boil it....should turn black.
I'm not going to boil it in water much, as I've noticed that some people just pour boiling water on the metal and then let it sit...if that works then no need to build a boiling tank
I'm going to try using a cheap Crock Pot as my humidity source in the bottom of the cabinet

Will report back when I get some type of result
 
I did some sidelocks with Birchwood Casey Plum Brown then boiled. While it did turn black, it was a matte patina. Depending on the number of passes and carding (fewer the better) the finish will be a nice semi-blue gloss.

For degreaser, Simple Green cleaner works great followed by acetone. Cleanliness is godliness for a blue project. Another idea for a humidifier is an oven-just put a pan of water in the bottom and turn the interior light on...of course in the summer when the wife won't suspect a thing.
 
There is a lot more going on with the chemical reaction than just causing the steel to rust. You don't want red iron oxide, but hematite and iron phosphates and other iron compounds , to both protect and give a nice dark finish.

Muriatic acid doesn't do that.

There was a guy on CGN many years ago that made it from scratch. He researched and found a beautiful mix, and made it up with lab quality chemicals, I still have some left, but don't have the formula. He is no longer a member that I aware.

Here is one link with quite a bit of information. The site, www.finishing.com is a great resource.

http://www.finishing.com/0800-0999/982.shtml
 
SandRoad said:
There is a lot more going on with the chemical reaction than just causing the steel to rust. You don't want red iron oxide, but hematite and iron phosphates and other iron compounds , to both protect and give a nice dark finish.

Muriatic acid doesn't do that.

There was a guy on CGN many years ago that made it from scratch. He researched and found a beautiful mix, and made it up with lab quality chemicals, I still have some left, but don't have the formula. He is no longer a member that I aware.

Here is one link with quite a bit of information. The site, www.finishing.com is a great resource.

http://www.finishing.com/0800-0999/982.shtml
Click to expand...

The guys username was Luckyguy and he made a nice product. The solution is called 'Browne of Swiss Federal Armoury'. I believe he got the formula from 'Firearm Blueing and Browning' by R.H. Angier.

I have blued a number of rifles using this solution and always got good results.

Here's a picture of a Weatherby Mk 5 that was one of my first.

WeatherbyBluing001.jpg


Anyway, here's the formula from Angier's book with mixing instructions from another source. I haven't made any, mainly because I don't know where to get the incredients.

Browne of Swiss Federal Armoury

Copper(Cupric) Sulphate - 33 grains
Solution Ferric Chloride 29% - 227 grains
Nitric Acid Density 1.42 - 132 grains
Ethyl Alcohol 90% - 46 grains
Distilled Water to make 1/4 pint

1. Make a 29% Ferric Chloride solution by disolving 290 grains of Ferric Chloride cake in 710 grains of distilled water. Use a polyethylene bottle.

2. Pour 227 grains of this solution into another 6 oz. poly bottle into which you have added 33 grains of cupric sulfate crystals.

3. Add 46 grains of 90% ethyl alcohol(180 proof Everclear)

4. Add enough 10% commercial Nitric Acid solution to make 4 fluid oz.

5. Swirl bottle in a hot water bath till copper sulphate dissolves. Solution will be a grass green color. Cap, label, date and store in a dark, cool place. Book says it will keep many years.
Click to expand...
 
Mauser98 said:
The guys username was Luckyguy and he made a nice product. The solution is called 'Browne of Swiss Federal Armoury'. I believe he got the formula from 'Firearm Blueing and Browning' by R.H. Angier.
Click to expand...

Aw heck, I just searched this topic, it is really too bad that this luckyguy is not longer around. I blued a 22 using his formula and it worked pretty well. I seem to recall that he also included instructions which I have also lost over the years.

I have a couple of guns I would like to do, but I guess I will have to use something else.

Has anyone around here used the radocy rust blueing with good results?
 
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