[TheForge] Gun blue finishing

[James Davis]

it helps to heat the metal up with a heat gun the allpy the cold blue 


Jim Davis
 
Be who you are and say what you feel...Because those that matter, don't mind, and those that mind, don't matter! 







 

> From: ries at riesniemi.com
> Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 09:35:49 -0800
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Gun blue finishing
> 
> yup, its hard.
> 
> there are a couple of companies that sell bluing and blacking compounds in larger bottles, cheaper.
> 
> Birchwood Casey is one-
> http://www.birchwoodcasey.com/
> 
> Jax is another-
> http://www.jaxchemicals.com/
> 
> but the pros sandblast or beadblast first, then use heated tanks to dip the piece in, then rinse, then lacquer.
> 
> I did some tables this summer with a woodworking buddy of mine, and what we did is sand everything as well as we could- some places, wire brushing was the best we could do- but the goal was to make the metal all look the same BEFORE applying finish. 
> Sandblasting works well for this too.
> 
> What you see, before you finish, is what you get, afterwards- grinding marks, mill scale differences, weld spatter- it all shows.
> 
> Then, we wipe down with the blacking solution, on a rag, rubbing it in as evenly as possible, wiping off excess. 
> As soon as its dry, check for bad spots, reapply as needed- as soon as its all dry, clearcoat.
> 
> the longer you leave that stuff uncoated, the quicker it goes white, or cloudy, or rusty, or who knows what.
> 
> Basically, its a controlled oxidation process- that means you are riding the back of the ol tiger, RUST.
> 
> We end up with somewhat mottled, imperfect surfaces, on purpose. If you want perfection, I think paint is a much better bet.
> 
> ries
> 
> 
> 
> On Jan 11, 2011, at 9:23 AM, FireWorks PDX wrote:
> 
> I've seen some great examples of iron finished with gun bluing and some descriptions of sealing it in linseed oil or lacquer, but, after going to buy some gun blue, I've come to discover that applying gun blue in an even coat without bathing the iron in a tank of it (as gunsmiths apparently do), not to mention that it's challenging to find a place that sells the amount necessary to seal a larger project (in this case a welded table frame). Thoughts?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mark Novak
> ______________________________________________________________
> TheForge mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
> 
> TheForge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoworks.com
> Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> Password: anvil
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> 
> Ries Niemi
> Industrial Artist
> http://www.riesniemi.com/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> TheForge mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
> 
> TheForge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoworks.com
> Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> Password: anvil
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html