patina finish

[hentird]

Can anyone tell me how a patina finish is acheived? thankyou, ::Tom..

 

[Terry Zboril]

Tom,
On what?
Stock = ball pien hammer, Barrel = cover in salt or clorox. :winking:

Mostly just USE it! It will surely get it's own "patina" in time.

Regards,
Terry

 

[tg]

I coat the barrel and steel parts in Naval jelly and let set for 24 hrs then scrub with hot water-bakingsoda with steel wool...givesd a mottled grey look, try it on the underside of the barrel first.

 

[rich pierce]

wood or metal? Steel or brass?
Whatever you do to achieve a patina finish, try to do it so it's not uniform. There are areas that normally experience more corrosion or wear than others on metal, for axample. Some folks are uniformy pitting their locks and barrels with bleach and it looks very artificial, to see the same amount of pitting at the tail of the lock as around the pan, etc. Crevices, filed areas, spots hard to clean (like behind the hammer) should look different than the rest of the part.

For steel, if you want pitting, try bleach or browning solutions gone too far, then carded back to metal. The naval jelly does pit also. Like posted above, practice forst on a spare part or something that won't show. After youy get some pitting, as much as you want, you can blue the barrel or lock and take it back off, leaving some in the crevices and pits and inside corners, like around the rear sight, etc.

For brass, just use your patches after cleaning. If you want a deep patina on brass that will wear like iron, and the part is not soldered, heat it to red and dunk in water. The oxidation is tough. Do not use on soldered ramrod pipes.

 

[pcrum]

Tom,

Mostly just USE it! It will surely get it's own "patina" in time.

Regards,
Terry

+1 ::
We get asked that alot by other reenactors regarding not just our weapons but our gear (and ourselves!) We've always said that if we could sell patina in a bottle, we'd be rich!
Spend a couple of seasons on the woods (year round) and on the trail, and the patina will show up on its own!
Cheers!
:imo:

 

[Terry Zboril]

Pcrum, :agree:
I have always been confused on the aspect of "patina", or "aging".(among other things), especially on firearms.

Many "high dollar" custom makers will incorporate a "pitted", old looking barrel,(and lock), with an otherwise pristine stock and furniture. What is this supposed to represent? A newly restocked gun using old parts, maybe?

Then again, if the whole gun DOES look 50 years old, many reenactors will tote it around wearing their "Sunday best" clothing, with nary a smudge or fray anywhere, and unscuffed shoes or beaded mocs.

Just seems like a Daniel Boone show, with Fess Parker wearing a wristwatch to me, and I could never see the logic.

Hope this don't open a whole new can of worms, but then again......

Uneducated and need enlightening,
Terry

 

[pcrum]

Pcrum, :agree:
I have always been confused on the aspect of "patina", or "aging".(among other things), especially on firearms.

Many "high dollar" custom makers will incorporate a "pitted", old looking barrel,(and lock), with an otherwise pristine stock and furniture. What is this supposed to represent? A newly restocked gun using old parts, maybe?

Then again, if the whole gun DOES look 50 years old, many reenactors will tote it around wearing their "Sunday best" clothing, with nary a smudge or fray anywhere, and unscuffed shoes or beaded mocs.



Just seems like a Daniel Boone show, with Fess Parker wearing a wristwatch to me, and I could never see the logic.

Hope this don't open a whole new can of worms, but then again......

Uneducated and need enlightening,
Terry

I often see the opposite as well- the poor destitute farmer turned "rifleman" wearing linen rags and such, humping around the fair (but not the woods!!) with a beautiful fowler that would have cost several year's wages. When I first built my bess, it was nice and shiny- now it pretty much looks like a big stick. I had a guy put proof marks on it one year at the Fair at new boston- He lauched at the condition of the musket, but then said it looked great. I do keep the internals in good working order, but the appearance is that of a musket that's been in the woods day in and day out for several years. I try to keep in mind that the people I'm representing were real people, living in a very harsh world. To them I think function was way more imortant than appearance.
Cheers!
:thumbsup: