Rust Bluing

[WV_Gunner]

I know I'm digging this up but I thought that would be better than making a new thread.

I'm wanting to try my hand with brown and black rusting. I just want to clarify on this.

For brown

-clean off old finish
-get the metal rust
-card
-repeat until desired finish
-oil it

For black

-clean off old finish
-get metal to rust
-card
- boil
-repeat rust, card, and boil until desired finish
-oil

Is this right?

 

[ford8nr]

For black

-clean off old finish
-get metal to rust
-card
- boil
-repeat rust, card, and boil until desired finish
-oil

Is this right?

No,
Remove old finish and polish
DEGREASE
rust
BOIL
card
Repeat
Oil

 

[modwerdna]

update

So seeing how you dug this post up I will add so notes to all what works and doesn't.

I tried using Salt and Hydrogen peroxide solution, and it was a total failure. I also used Laurel Mountain Forge's Browning solution, and failed the first try as I ended up with a copper coating that refused to rust. Apparently you Cannot rub their rusting solution on AT ALL! there is a copper ingredient that separates out and buffs on? - after a second try with Laurel Mountain Forge's Browning solution and warming my Barrel and just "dabbing" or dripping the Laurel Mountain Forge's Browning on solution every 6 hours I got a much more even coat of rust 3 days later. And I boiled it in distilled water after and ended up with a very nice Black matte coating. Followed up with a oil buff with an old piece of denim blue jeans and well-ah.- a durable matte black coating

Couple of ideas that helped me:

1 - I greased my entire bore.
2- saved a piece of fired brass and dove it in the breech for a tight fitting plug
3- captured a fired slug in water and drove it in as a muzzle plug

I would definitely look into other rusting solutions or techniques

 

[DeanDallas]

I have used Brownells Belgium rust blue with good results.

I got into rust bluing back in the mid 50s with a brown glass bottle of acid from Stoger (spelling?), that I have lost the name of. After about 5 rust treatments It gave the most beautiful deep blue finish you can imagine.

My problem in the Hill Country was enough humidity for the rust process to work right, here it took at least 24 hours to get a complete rust.

I used to buy the British 45 caliber revolvers that was selling for 15.00 dollars in the 50s & reblue them.
I would put on hand shaped walnut grips, from an old Victor Victrola cabinet.

Inlay cut out pieces of silver from my wife's silver ware on the grips. And go trade them for things we needed.

It was a matter of survival for us.

 

[WV_Gunner]

I'm wanting to do it as old fashioned as possible, so I don't want to use any chemicals. I'm considering using a fire to boil with actually. I want to do brown on my RG .22 and black on my Iver Johnson Trailblazer. If it turns out I'm going to do brown on a Mossberg 500 Slugster.
I'm thinking about using vinegar with salt to rust the metal. For some reason I like old fashioned ways and doing things by hand.

 

[ray r]

pre metal ,rust ,boil ,card

 

[ray r]

re assemble firearm if you can boil water you can rust blue (takes time ) suggest viewing some of the U-tube vid's . Mr. Potterfield and Brownell's have some excellent tutorials

 

[Jim Watson]

WV, bear in mind that your RG and Mossberg are not all steel.