doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Rust blue with steam

I need to rust blue a pair of barrels, and a rig to boil is not in the cards. However, I've found a rust blue solution that is reported to work with steam. I've built a steam chamber system out of PVC, a pot, and hot plate which were all laying around the garage.

The next step is buying a solution. Has anyone tried a product that specifically states that steaming is sufficient, or know of one that you think would work specifically stated or not?

Thanks.

Bob Veasey at http://www.rustblue.com/ provides a number of rust blue solutions. He also has instructions for building and using a steamer such as you have built.

Thank you. I used Bob's plans to build my steamer, but thought I'd ask about the process from neutral parties here before buying Bob's solutions.

You might want to read the discussion on the following forum:
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/9471048012?r=6991049012#6991049012

Thank you. Excellent. I'm sold. I especially like the idea of the pressure cooker for the added security of the locking lid.

Both boiling water and steam will convert red iron oxide to black oxide; it�s not solution specific. All the solution does is cause the rust.

Many of the larger armories and manufacturers used steam chambers, this proved to be very practical especially when rust bluing large quantities of barrels. The steam being provided by the plant�s boilers.

If that's the case, why are there different solutions, and why would anyone care which they used? I've been trying to determine which solution to use, and if it will work the same, steam or boiling. If it doesn't make any difference with the outcome of the work, that would be great to know.

Most are a mixture of Nitric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid and Ferric Chloride a couple like Laurel Mountain Forge contain Copper Sulfate and at least one that I know of contains Mercuric Chloride. I don�t like playing with Mercuric Chloride.

Personally I like the stuff produced by Mark Lee

Bottom line is that they all cause rusting, and the rust that the produce can all be converted to black oxide by steaming.

the laurel mt forge is easy and more forgiving to work with...it has some kind of degreaser built right into the formula so its more forgiving when handeling the barrels between rustings.....

Definitely forgiving. I was once building my young son a .32 caliber round ball m/l rifle and was using the Laurel Mt. Forge product to brown the barrel. On a whim I boiled a tea kettle full of water and poured the boiling water over the barrel, while it was standing vertically in a deep pan. It instantly converted the rust to a pretty, deep blue. My son didn't mind ...... he liked it like that, so I left it. What the heck, it was a half stock percussion anyway.

SRH