Does anyone have a recipe for a rust bluing formula? On the other hand, if a commercial preparation is better than one you mix up yourself let me know about that one too! Also, I've never done this before (hey, it works when I tell it to girls!) is there anything special that I need to take into account? Everything I've read (not much) seems to imply it is a simple process, just labor intensive. Thinking it would be a proper finish for when I get a 375 built up.

Tru Blue makes a commercial preparation. Not to be confused with Tru Brown by the same company.

Generally, rust bluing/browning won't take well to a highly polished surface. It's somewhat aggressive and results in a deep, matte blue/brown. Very durable, and certainly deeper than cold blue.

Works best in medium temps (70 F) and high humidity. You can create a "sweat box" to raise the humidity.

Surface prep requires degreasing. I use Formula 409 on the parts, tools, bottles/containers, and my gloves. Then move to acetone for the parts. Latex gloves work with acetone. The disposable rubber "surgical" gloves are available at the local building supply -- right next to the acetone in the paint/finish dept.

Boiling the parts changes the "rust" from Fe2 O3 to Fe3 O4. The former is red rust, the latter black and more durable.

I have some links and discussion on my web site. Go to PowderBurns' Forum and then link to the web site. It's in the Features section.

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PowderBurns Black Powder / Muzzle Loading Forum:

http://www.hotboards.com/plus/plus.mirage?who=powderburns

Hi Mark,

Try this link. It might be a starting point.

http://www.finishing.com/0800-0999/982.html

Scott

Scott,

Thanks for the link! It got me going in the right direction.

Also, for anyone else interested in bluing, I once made a tank out of roofing tin, just cut it up and braze the end seams. It works OK for a rifle or two, and only takes about 20 minutes to make up.

Check the usual old gunsmithing texts. The Angler book on blueing and browning is a classic. I have tried time and time again to get a decent rust blue, with out success. Maybe hang it over a bathtub with a bit of water in it. Use a space heater to warm the bathroom. Sweat boxes are great in thoery but any condensation and you are sunk. Card to aggressively and same. The slightest bit of oil....kaput! Steel wool has oil in it. So, you have to degrease it. Got a real carding brush handy?? You will need a stainless or mild steel tank for your water. You need a way to boil it. You really need two tanks, one for rinse one to degrease. Distilled water to fill the tanks. Tap won't do. This is not something most of us can do in the basement workshop. I have tried, and tried, and tried. You are money ahead to send it to someone who does it in a regular course of business.
I have had some success with "Express blues". See the texts for formulas. They contain mecuric chloride. The Mad Hatter went "mad" form mercury poisoning. It gets back to sent it out to a pro!! Have fun.

to answer the original question.... Brownell's has several prepared products. My best job was done using Birchwood Casey's brown. The heat, swab and sizzle stuff. Bead blast it first. Get a dark even finish brown finish, then boil the daylights out of it. It will be black and durable after. If you want to play this is your best bet. It is akin to the express finish. Try on odd bits of steel before doing a rifle. Boil the little trial pieces on the kitchen stove in a pyrex loaf pan. Maybe get a trash barrel from a gunsmith and cut it into sections for learning on.

Scot I used the birchwood casey stuff many years ago on a muzzleloader I built up. I was looking for a traditional rust blue because I want to replicate the truly old finish. I think this might help explain

I made this quite a while ago, the blade is hand forged out of a high carbon truck coil spring but I think there is some chromium in there because it retains the high polish quite well. Bolster is German Silver and the handle is whitetail deer antler (guess who shot the deer). Obviousy there are cheaper and easier ways to obtain a knife than forging out the blade and polishing it, shooting a deer for the handle, etc... But the point is to put as much of myself into a project as I feel comfortable doing, and with this one I want to do a genuine rust blue.

I'll probably have to do it over a time or two until I'm happy with it but the only time I've gotten something right on the first try was with marrying my wife (and that's only if you talk to me and not her...)

[This message has been edited by MarkWhite (edited 04-20-2001).]

Nice Knife!

I have always wanted to do some forge work, but never got around to it.

Don

The link above contains the formula that I have used (15 May 1997). But in the instructions that I have read on this particular site there is a definite neglect of the concept of protecting the bore of a rifle or shotgun during the rust process. Since this is a "rust" process it will rust all unprotected parts or areas. We apply several coats of marine tung oil to the inside of the bore and let it dry.
The idea of a "humidity" cabinet is easily solved by using an old, de-commissioned refrigerator with the door seals intact. A light bulb in conjunction with a small pan of water solves the problem.
The commercially available products may be more suitable to individual use rather than mixing up chemicals and making tanks with heating elements and wet boxes, etc.

Bill

Rust blueing ......Hate ot be a killjoy but,
I have tried and tried and never got a decent result. I made tanks, I made a sweat box, I tried at least 25 formulas. Work in a chemistry lab so I can get whatever I need. I got one job to work OK, it was a model 12 shotgun done with Baker's Express Blue. It is akin to the Birchwood casey swab and sizzle brown. Thing is the formula contains mecuric chloride. That is dangerious stuff. I think modern alloy steels may be more difficult than the older steels. Don't know, tired of making messes, wasting time, and risking my health. I just send it out to someone who is a pro and I get good results. Cheaper too!!

Your best rust bluers are those folks who do it day in and day out, its tricky stuff..Doug Turnbulls people are the best I know off...

I mostly do my own but its messy, hard work..Lots of people balk at the cost. A good job brings $300 to $400.....

Beware of the dippers, thats the smith that gets tired of trying to get it right and dips it in the hot tank.....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I think the original question on this thread was do you know any good rust blue formulas and do you know any good brands of commercial preparations.

1) I rust blue only occasionally but I have had some success with this formula: Nitric Acid....2.5 oz. Hydrochloric Acid....2 oz. Wire Nails....1 oz. Distilled Water....30 oz. This is the original Neidner blue formula as published in Roy Dunlap's book Gunsmithing. The acids are to be mixed outdoors in a crock or large glass container, then the nails added (stand back,the smoke and fumes are impressive), then add the water last. The formula should be stored in a dark glass bottle in a cool dark place. The instructions can be found in Dunlap's book, if you do any gunwork whatsoever you need this book anyway.

2) For commercially made rust blue preperations I have had moderate success with Pilkington's Classic American Rust Blue and Laurel Mountain Barrel Brown, both preperations and instructions are available at Brownells.

If you want to try the accelerated rust blue process, the old Herters Belgium Blue is still the best, available with instsructions at Brownells also