I had bought some Snowy Mountain rust blue a couple yrs ago at the Vegas show. It was claimed to replicate the Winchester rust blue. I openned it tonight to rust blue a damascus sample to try my hand again at the black & white damascus finishing and it was a cloudy rust color. I said what the heck and did the first application a few minutes ago.
Is this stuff supposed to be rusty colored? Anyone ever finish barrels with this?
my pilkintons gets a rust color. I'll bet you'll be fine.
Steve
Steve,
I had never openned the bottle. I'm suspicious that there is some steel disolved in nitric acid per some Angier recipe? Anyway, I just went and looked at the second rusting of my damascus coupon and it seems to be working very much like Pilkington's as far as strength.
On the damascus process, I recall Oscar mentioning that he sometimes rusted several times to one ferric chloride solution etch. So, I'm going to give it 3 rust to start on my coupon and see how that goes.
I think your on the right path....I'm going to start on the process soon myself, there seems to be a call for good damascus refinisher.
Steve
Steve,
I'm just working on a 2" long piece of damascus from a Lefever, right now. I tried this a couple yrs ago and stopped after rusting and etching several times and getting nowhere. I now realize, after reading some more posts, that the Fc solution was too strong. I was using straight Radio Shack Fc solution. I'm going to try a 1 part Fc (circuitboard etch solution starting at about 30%) to 2 parts water to begin with. I think Oscar was using a 29% Fc solution cut with about 1 part water.
After the second rusting overnight (6hrs), I boiled and carded with a fine wirewheel and there was a nice deep gray-blue. I swabbed the coupon up again for a 9-10 hr rust while I'm at work today. I'll see about doing a Fc etch tonight.
Chuck.........look forward to see how well they turn out!
Battle,
I'm just doing a small coupon (2" long) from a damascus barrel right now. I'll get the process down pat before I do the barrels.
we are 3 passes in using pilkingtons....the pattern is styarting to show itself.
Steve
Steve,
What concentration of Fc are you using?
Steve,
If you would join me in comparing results/notes on a new thread specifically on the damascus refinishing, I'd appreciate it. I'll start it off.