artificially aging steel

[sixoclockhold]

Can you tell me a method for aging a gun barrel and iron furniture. I have been told clorox and gun blue will work. How does one actuall do it.
thanks Jeff

 

[swquiro]

A couple days soak in cheap vinagre is a method. Others will have maybe better methods.

 

[DickS]

Can take a bit of experimentation. Chlorine bleach, vinegar, sal ammoniac (soldering flux) will all cause corrosion. Bluing, browning, etc. for colour. Sometimes you can get a part to blend right in.

 

[old gunsmith]

One of the ways we age steel to produce good patina is to use a damp box made out of plywood long enough for the whole barrel to be hung inside. It's a good idea to varnish the inside of the box to waterproof it. Rig a 40 watt light bulb as a low heat source near the bottom of the box. (hang the box vertically) Place a folded bath towel on the bottom that is soaking wet with hot water and here's the key- put a shotglass of muriatic acid on the bottom as well. Plug th e bore, degrease the barrel and warm it with a torch. Hang it, close the box and leave it for a couple of hours. Check the progress and renue the towel and the muriatic each time. This method builds a thick fox red fine grained rust in a relatively short time. The key is to keep checking and don't let the rust get ahead of you. When done kill the rust by soaking in cold water and baking soda. Of course you need to be careful around the acid and to wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Sounds complicated but it really isn't. The cedit for this process belongs to John Bivens in an article he wrote for Rifle Magazine back in the 1970's. Experiment first before you do it for real! Regards, Old Gunsmith

 

[Dane]

The gray aged, pitted patina that a lot of the contemporary builders use is as follows:

Use a normal cold brown solution, do not card between coats until the steel has gone WAY beyond normal browning.

Sand off all the surface browning, leaving the pits caused by the process.

Apply a cold blue to totally darken the metal. Then use steel wool and oil to rub back to the color you want, leaving darkened areas where not easy to rub off.(around sights, crevises, around pans, etc.

This brings out the pitting and leaves dark areas where not easy to rub off, much like a normal aging would do. Leaves a nice dark gray patina to the easily accessible areas.
A lot of work, but a very nice finish.
Hope this helps.

 

[Packdog]

This is Birchwood Casey's Super Blue. The same can be achieved with thier cold blue product. The hawk head was submerged in clorox for 20 minutes. I do the same to gun parts but I use a small spray bottle to mist the parts. I takes a little longer but it is still very aggressive so be careful not to overdo it or ruin your bore. Also the fumes are not good for you so do it outside or with plenty of good ventilation.

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[Nifeman]

Very nice...I like the patina you got on the hawk...Bud

 

[Zonie]

Yup. Looks like bleach in action all right.

Chlorine beach is wicked stuff when it comes to carbon steel so if you decide to use it, keep it out of the barrel bore and any screw holes.

It is also very hard to get it to stop attacking the metal after it's done its job. Simply cleaning it with water won't do it.

zonie

 

[MikeC]

Yup. Looks like bleach in action all right.

Chlorine beach is wicked stuff when it comes to carbon steel so if you decide to use it, keep it out of the barrel bore and any screw holes.

It is also very hard to get it to stop attacking the metal after it's done its job. Simply cleaning it with water won't do it.

zonie

So what does stop the chlorine's reaction?

 

[LRB]

Very nice Packdog. I really like your work. It always looks right. :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Actually, Bleach will be diluted if you pour enough water on it, even in a barrel. Bleach should never be used out of the bottle in a gun! It should be diluted with water first, before pouring it into the barrel.

Use baking soda, mixed thoroughly in water to neutralize bleach. Then flush both out using lots of water. I would not use Bleach in a barrel for any reason, and this is the best advice on avoiding the problem.

 

Bleach is not used IN the barrel but on it in order to patina - the chemical action by the way is steel + chlorine bleach = ferric chloride + water (liquid bleach is mostly water) = hydrochloric acid. The blue acts as an accelerant.
ANY acid can be used: lemon juice, vinegar, onion juice, phosphoric (aka naval jelly), I like the bleach/blue method because when done properly it takes minutes to do rather than hours.
I find that TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) sold at any hardware store works best for neutralizing the bleach/blue.
Depending on time and method you can get different looks:

The blade below wasn't soaked in the bleach. I soaked a rag with bleach, wrapped it around the blued blade, and then stuck it in a plastic bag for 20 minutes. Where the blade wasn't touched by the rag it left "smooth" spots. This method works good on barrels where you want to etch it more in the wear spots such as around the flash hole or nipple, the carrying point, and the nuzzle.

One caveat - this method is VERY aggressive use with caution. Do no more than a five minute soak at a time to begin with - the process can be repeated until you get the look you want..

 

[Packdog]

Chuck,
You have truely mastered the art of aging metal.

:bow: :bow: :bow:


Ken