Inlet black substitute

[CuNosecap]

I used lipstick on my first few builds. Now I use inletting black. Messy stuff. Lipstick is not nearly as messy. If I could get reliable supply from wife, I might switch back. Until then, it’s black stuff all over.

 

[ZUG]

i use an oil lamp with the glass taken off to lay down a soot layer....works good and i have no problem with soot being to messy....doesn't really make a mess just a little black here and there on my hands....i don't really know if they had markers 200 years ago :crackup: ...........bob

This is what I use also. I bought one of the cheap $10 hurricane lamps from Amazon many years back. I removed the support arms and soldered a brass disk to plug up the holes where the arms were - works great and cheap to use. A pint of lamp oil will last a LONG time.

 

[Mulebrain]

I started using a very small kerosene round wick lamp. I find the candle works best for me, and that is what I have been using.

 

[James Kibler]

my 2 cents... Nothing wrong with commercial products, but just don't use so much! Many use about 10 times more than they should. Basically just about the thinnest film you can put on parts is best. Candles, lamps etc. work, but are slow and can burn hands and your shop.

You can, however collect soot and then mix with just a touch of oil. This works well. You can do the same with the bone black product we sell.

Oh, I also have an old can of prussian blue that is thick and nasty that works really good. Again, use VERY little.

 

[springfield art]

Speaking of Hardware Stores, the big corporate ones are not like they used to be. Around SE PA, you have to go to Lancaster County to find things like a real scrub brush or incandescent light bulbs! Just sayin'.

 

[Vintage Gunsmith]

Lipstick is the way to go--just get a shade that matches your eyes.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Kibler speaks truth. When ever I teach most students use more black than I could use in a year. I use Jarrows inletting black in the tiny little bottle. I get around 150 guns per bottle.

 

[MAC1967]

I've used an oil lamp and candles . . . cheap candles work best . . . Used a permatex blue something too, which works, but it's messy. . . can't recall the name. I am going to guess that the original builders used lamps & candles.

 

[reddogge]

I've always used lipstick for the past 44 years, the reddest made, with a soldering brush to apply. My eyes seem to pick up the red easier than black.

 

[waksupi]

I use plain motor oil and a brush. Works better on walnut than maple, but still shows on the lighter colored woods.

 

[deerstalkert]

being i usually have several pounds of charcoal ground to float around, i add 1 tablespoon to a 4 oz bottle of olive oil. i cut a hole in the lid and use a flux brush to apply. doesn't stain the inlet and is cheap. (as long as the Mrs. doesn't catch me absconding with the virgin olive oil)

 

[R Ellis]

Hello, I was wondering if any of you guys knew of anything that you could use inplace of inletting black? Something that I might find around the house or in a hardware store. I have a stock on the way and I don't have any. And if there is anything that could be used that would save me a little money I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Dew

crayons

 

[IanH]

For small parts I use Prussian Blue paste from a tube that lives on my precision granite surface plate, just show the tube to the part, it's enough.

For large parts like a barrel, I twist a piece of brown paper into a torch, dip the tip in the Varsol vat, and set it on fire. Soot the whole barrel inbtwo seconds and shake out the flame. Not advisable to do that indoors.

 

[Frontstuffer3491]

my 2 cents... Nothing wrong with commercial products, but just don't use so much! Many use about 10 times more than they should. Basically just about the thinnest film you can put on parts is best. Candles, lamps etc. work, but are slow and can burn hands and your shop.

You can, however collect soot and then mix with just a touch of oil. This works well. You can do the same with the bone black product we sell.

Oh, I also have an old can of prussian blue that is thick and nasty that works really good. Again, use VERY little.

O’Reilly Auto Parts stores carry Prussian Blue in a small tube of maybe a oz.