Question on Cold Rust Bluing?

[dulltool17]

Yep-what Squire says. Either Steam or slow rust works. Don't be too aggressive.

Boiling turns the red rust to a deep black-blue. I use this:

http://www.rustblue.com/

Bob Veasey hangs out on MauserCentral. I know quite a few 'Smiths that use his formulae.

 

[Old Squier]

[QUOTE="Mike8623, post: 486305, member: 28464"

But guys we are still lookimg for someone to throw some numbers out there or just guestimate.[/QUOTE]

Squire responds...

Mike,

Thus isn't a criticism, just an observation, but I think you are making things more complicated than they need to be.

I'm a retired gunsmith and I spent my working life in a big urban shop in an area with moderately high relative humidity. None of the fellas in our shop really fooled around with calculating "numbers" of any kind. We just prepped the parts, hung em up to rust -or sweat if you wish - and let er rip. Maybe there are some guys who get into calculating numbers, but I don't personally know any.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm not entirely sure what you want to know. If you can tell me, I'll do my best to help.

Squire

Sent Using Tapatalk - Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Tahlequah OK

 

[Mike8623]

Thanks for responding Squire, my Dad and people were from Bokchito, OK.

On my sweatbox I have two electrical systems. One connected to a ligjt bulb for heat and one to a vaporizer for humidity. Both are on dimmeer switches so I can turn them up or down, thus regularing the heat and humidity in the box. I also have a sensor in the box that indicates humidity and overall temperature. On rust blue day I would like to go out and turn on my box and set the dimmer switches to a specific location that will give me a known humidity level and temp that works consistantly to get the blue I would like after boiling and carding. I could experiment with different temp and humidity combos to get what I want but that would take a while. I just thought someone out there could venture some numbers ie what percent of humidity and heat temperature combined gives a good result of rusting. That way I could turn my box on at a given set of numbers let it heat up a bit and throw my parts in, wait a specific amount of time ( always keeping an eye on it) but to be pretty certain things will turn out pretty much the same each time, given the same parameters were used each time.

 

[Old Squier]

Thanks for responding Squire, my Dad and people were from Bokchito, OK.

On my sweatbox I have two electrical systems. One connected to a ligjt bulb for heat and one to a vaporizer for humidity. Both are on dimmeer switches so I can turn them up or down, thus regularing the heat and humidity in the box. I also have a sensor in the box that indicates humidity and overall temperature. On rust blue day I would like to go out and turn on my box and set the dimmer switches to a specific location that will give me a known humidity level and temp that works consistantly to get the blue I would like after boiling and carding. I could experiment with different temp and humidity combos to get what I want but that would take a while. I just thought someone out there could venture some numbers ie what percent of humidity and heat temperature combined gives a good result of rusting. That way I could turn my box on at a given set of numbers let it heat up a bit and throw my parts in, wait a specific amount of time ( always keeping an eye on it) but to be pretty certain things will turn out pretty much the same each time, given the same parameters were used each time.

Okay Mike, I've got it now!

I do wish I could specify an exact level of humidity, temp and time, but alas...

I'm not sure there is any exact combination that is optimal. I know it sounds goofy, but I've witnessed variations from one firearm to the next even when the same (purportedly) gun steels are used.

The best advice I can give you is this: Begin with a moderate level of humidity. Avoid extremes in temperature. Be sure that you aren't causing too much rust to form, because too much will cause pitting as I said earlier.

If this approach works, great! Use the same settings next time. If not, crank up the humidity a bit. I think you will have to work at this to ascertain the best setting. Just monitor the progress of the rust carefully.

I know this isn't what you were hoping for, but it's all I've got.

Just for the hell of it, why don't you start at 70% humidity. If you can control the temp, shoot for maybe 80°F. See how that turns out.

Do let us know what happens!

Squire

PS - Know Bokchito well. I live north of Tahlequah on the Illinois River in the Ozark hills.

Sent Using Tapatalk - Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Tahlequah OK

 

[Mike8623]

Squire, thanks a lot, the numbers you suggested was exactly what I was looking for. It will give me a place to start.

I appreciate it.

 

[Les B]

http://www.rustblue.com/

I would go over to this site and read the reports on Steam Rust Bluing. I have blued lots of guns by the old method of using a tank to boil the parts for a few minutes. It is much more trouble and is slower to complete a guns this way. You need distilled water and must have it rolling a boil for best results. I am not a fan of the hanging cabinet for the rust to take place with heat lamps.

I have used the steam process and you can finish a complete gun in about 3 hrs with with about 3 times in the steam chamber. You can use any water source from tap water to pond water. A small hot plate is all you need to make steam plus a couple of 4 in. pvc pipe to make up long enough to hold what ever you want to blue and a small basket for the small parts. I will to post a picture of my set which was less than $50 for the pieces to make your kit.

 

[epanzella]

I just coat my barrels and hang them in the basement. Then boil, card, repeat. I like rust bluing because times are not critical and you get a deep beautiful blue every time.

 

[epanzella]

Not sure what your trying to accomplish, are you wanting to evenly rust something as a finish on it ?.
I worked in a large metal building that they sprayed a chemical on it that rusted it all the same color,
was told it would never rust any deeper than that. Are you wanting to rust your weapons like that ?.

When rust bluing is completed it is a deep rich blue color, not the color of rust. In days gone by it was how expensive custom guns were finished.

 

[normks]

Iv done slow and fast is for me in 2 hours mark lees express rust blue will make a nice Finnish

Sent from my SPH-L710T using Tapatalk

 

[ammomfg]

I've done some cold rust bluing in the past, I've largely gotten away from it favoring either parkerizing, or hot dip blackening. At this point hot dip is my preferred method as it's the least sensitive to every other process.

In the past when I did cold blue, I would typically use 2:1 70% nitric to muriatic acid, I would fume this outside (in a closed container) all day sitting in the sun, boil, and repeat. I did this on a number of tools I've made around the shop over the years. Mostly for practice....

In my experience, I would generally say most people don't put enough time into getting a good deep blue color going. Certainly if you apply more heat, you can speed up the process, but I would say this is not as desireable as simply putting the time in to repeatedly fume and clean the parts.