Gun Bluing on Planes?

[Jim Koepke]

Stanley,

Welcome to the Creek and I am glad you put your toe in the water.

Since the bluing could be used on the side of old planes it seems it would be OK here. We often discuss rust removal and making or repairing old parts for our tools, so it wouldn't be that you were crossing a line that has been blurred many times.

In fact, if you look in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs there are a couple of posts that go into bluing.

I know I would be interested. It is only my opinion, but it seems planes look better with a patina on the sides than fresh scratches from being lapped.

jim

[Phil Maddox]

Have you thought about using a dehumidifier in your shop? Sounds like you have waaaay too much moisture if your tools are rusting that much. They can take a while to "suck" the moisture out of the air but you should see a difference.

Are you using a humidifier for the rest of the house by chance? Most people get carried away with these.

Sorry to avoid the question about "bluing" - I know nothing about it.

Good luck

Phil

[Stanley Covington]

Stanley,

I know I would be interested. It is only my opinion, but it seems planes look better with a patina on the sides than fresh scratches from being lapped.

jim

OK.

First, you need something to start the rust. Brownells has a chemical by Pilkington called Classic American Rust Blue. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=9...ICAN_RUST_BLUE

Its a it pricey, but it works. Another option is to partially neutralize diluted nitric acid with iron filings or un-oiled steel wool. This works better in my experience, but some states make it difficult to get nitric acid since it can be used to make explosives. In addition, the process of making this liquid must be done carefully or you can get badly burned.

In any case, the steel to be blued must be bare, rust free, and oil free. Protect any bare metal you don't want to rust with clear lacquer or other paint you can remove later with solvents.

The bluing chemical is spread onto the metal with swabs (wear rubber gloves and eye protection) evenly, and allowed to sit. How long depends on temperature and humidity. If it is very dry where you are, a humid place needs to be found or made. John Bivens made a box with a heating element and water source to make a warm, damp environment. The goal is to cause the metal to rust shallowly and evenly. The rust as it develops needs to be even and velvety, not in clumps, as clumps indicate that deep rusting is occuring. Not what we want. It takes a little bit of experimenting to get this right, but once you figure it out, the subsequent rustings will be no problem.

4 to 8 to 12 hours later (depending on temp and humidity), you then "card" this rust with a soft steel brush. Brownells also sells these. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2..._CARDING_BRUSH Carding means to run the brush over the rust removing the lose stuff, and leaving the more solid iron oxide. Be very careful not to get oil or oily fingerprints on the rusted surfaces or the final product will have splotches. Fortunately, if you have to you can start over again by wet sanding down to bare metal and beginning again.

You don't want to remove all the rust, but you do want to remove the loose rust. Repeat this process of chemical treatment, rusting and carding until you have a very smooth, evenly rusted surface. Some people like this rusted surface all by itself. With an application of oil, it is absolutely authentic for antique firearms replicas like muskets and longrifles. The next steps are what makes it a durable finish.

Get a container large enough to hold the metal being rust blued, fill it with distilled water (tap water may or may not work well, depending on your area), and bring it to a hard boil. Put the item into the water and let it boil for a time. Another option is steam, if you have a good source. The heat and moisture change the iron oxides (wikipedia describes the change) into a much harder, black form of iron oxide. Card and repeat.

If it will fit into a pressure cooker, even better as the temps will get higher than boiling.

Stop the rust using oil. Voila.

Don't forget the oil, or it will continue to rust and ruin your efforts. I use Corrosion Block. It stops the rusting process immediately and removes the pore water. No, I don't profit from sales of Corrosion Block. It was recommended to me 15 years ago by a helicopter mechanic as a way to stop seawater from immediately ruining vacuum pumps used to initiate siphon pumps in the San Francisco Bay. It worked where nothing else did.

Not as shiny as bluing, but harder and more durable.

I did this to one of my carbon-steel patch knives (for loading muzzleloading rifles) many years ago. My wife took a liking to it, and now uses it in the kitchen everyday as a paring knife. She is hard on knives, and cleans it with a Scotchpad and hot soapy water (it has a curly maple handle so I have convinced her to not put it in the dishwasher). If she doesn't dry it well, the bare-metal cutting edge sometimes rust, but not the rust-blued sides of the blade.

People who know bluing will be confused by the color/patina, and amazed at the durability.

Stan

[Adam Woznicki]

Thanks a lot Stanley, I didn't know about that process. Sound good.

I don't know if I'll use it with tools, but it's got me thinking about my Crosman 102.


Welcome to the forum.

[William M Johnson]

One more note on rust bluing. I have blued/ browned the barrels on many nice side by side shotguns (including my pair of 12 and 20 gauge Purdeys). If you boil between bluing applications the finish gets so hard that you cannot remove it with steel wool.

It is a great finish, requires little equipment and is impossible to screw up. The only problem is that it might take 5 - 10 applications/boilings. Also the more highly polished the steel/iron the more difficult it is to get it rusting.

Bill

[Jim Koepke]

Stanley and William,

Thanks for the information.

Now I have to find a pot to boil a plane in. I am sure my wife wouldn't like me using the good cookware.

jim

[Stanley Covington]

William is absolutely correct about how hard this finish will become of so desired. I did this once by mistake. I bought an old Disston No.12 ripsaw at a pawnshop when I was a college student. The handle was shot, and the blade was rusted.. black. I don't know how it got black, but it was in a plastic bucket with a bunch of other rusted tools when I bought it. I tried to clean the rust off with a wire wheel, and removed all the loose stuff, but after that, the wire wheel would only polish it. That was about 30 years ago. I am still using that saw, and the shiny black finish is still perfect. Hard stuff.

He is also right about the number of applications. It is time consuming.

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Stanley and William,

Now I have to find a pot to boil a plane in. I am sure my wife wouldn't like me using the good cookware.

jim

Jim:

An old trick is to buy a piece of tin rain gutter the right length for your plane, and solder on end caps. Cheap and easy. Be sure you test it for watertightness before you put it on the stove. The first time I used a raingutter pan, I didn't pay close attention and it leaked all over the stove. The Mistress of the Blue Horizons was wroth.

Stan