Build Log #26
Yet More Screwing Around
I want some extra butt plate and toe plate screws. The screws provided are steel 6x1 slotted oval head wood screws. They are not to be found in local hardware and big box home supply stores. They have that particular screw only in brass, stainless and chrome. Brass obviously is out for this rifle. Neither stainless nor chrome will be affected by any bluing or browning process I know of.
I got another of my "ideas" while I was sanding down my steel bar and got a hot bluing effect: why not try
heat on the stainless and chrome screws?
So, I set up a little test rig, with stainless on the left and chrome on the right:
... applied heat:
... and after I noted the shanks discoloring, removed heat, cleaned off the soot (maybe not quite well enough with just a Q-tip and denatured alcohol; after all those things were still
hot) and gave a light steel wooling:
Yup, definitely a patina-like look achieved. I'm guessing the uneveness could be dealt with by turning the screws while they're being heated.
I also removed them from the test rig and gave them a
very brisk and hard steel-wooling to see if that patina was durable, and yes it is, pretty much to the same degree as any other method.