doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rust bluing Damascus bbls problem

I am restoring an old Elsie hammer gun with Damascus bbls, and I am having dificulty getting an even textured black and white pattern. The rust bluing phase is working quite well. It's when I etch the bbls to bring out the Damascus pattern that is giving me headaches. The etching solution works fine, but when I card the surface it ends up with streaks rather than a nice even textured color. Could it be that my metal preparation is not thorough enough and needs to be blemish free?

Any thoughts or recmmendations are welcome.

Marc

No it mean you have streaks because you didnt distribute the rusting solution evenly. You should prolly cut back your soution too.

You probably put too much solution on by dipping your applicator each time you put some on and the solution ran unevenly on the barrel surface. I have done this, unfortunately I didn't figure it out until after I etched the barrels. Dip once per barrel and that's it.

You didn't mention how many rustings you have done. I don't know where you are at, but here on the east coast (Pa.) I think it is not humid enough yet to get a good blue. Even in a rusting box, I like to have about 85% humidity.
Sometimes it takes 8 or better rustngs with 6 etchings to get the right contrast. Plus immediately after etching I card under running water with a piece of denim or burlap.

Best English Stub Twist circa 1907


WW Greener c. 1892

Thanks gents. It looks like I may guilty on several fronts. David, your pictures speak volumes! That is precisely the effect I am trying to achieve. I think I shall begin with clean metal and start the process over.

I may have applied the rusting solution too heavy and gotten a lot of overlap. I am using a cotton swab and it seems to work well.

I am using Laurel Mountain rusting solution and Radio Shack's PC board etchant. The effects are right on. It's just the technique that needs refining, I think.

Marc

Wide brush works fine for me. Every new rusting round I change the direction of applaing rusting solution by brush, from muzzle to the breech and vice versa. Also every new time I try to relocate the lines, where little overlaping occures. Just it needs to remember do not apply solution second time on the same spot, moreover never rub the same spot by brush or swab, whatever. Swap has to be allmost clean after applaing, but if too much overlaping occured swab will be dirty.

Please define "carding" for me. Thanks.

Bob,
Carding is the process in which you lightly and gently remove the excess layer of rust that has built up on the surface of the area being blued/blacked. This is usually done by hand or mechanically with degreased fine steel wool, or extremely fine steel wire brush or what they call a carding wheel...a buffing wheel with extremely fine steel wire. Its not buffing, its lighter than that. The "steel" part sounds harsh, but think "Kiwi shoe brush" fine wire.

Dustin