doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rust Bluing Question

I polish to at least 400 grit...and then keep my rustings very short and apply pilkingtons thinnly and evenly so the rust is very fine. It makes for a lovely finish.
Steve

"battle - so somehow you get the rust bluing to increase the smoothness of the finish? I don't know how to do that"

Brent........I didn't say that. I said that 320 isn't scratchy.

Best!

I too, have gone down to 400 and liked the results. But I haven't tried finer grits. I'll have to give a sample a try.

battle, it is in my eyes.
Brent

I just spoke with a very helpful and informed rep from Brownells. He said the solution they market under their own name is very similar to Pilkingtons (and about 1/3 the price). He also suggested using a quick acting agent, like Mark Lee (which I usually use for small parts) for the first pass over that problem area because it etches the metal slightly, then going back and finishing up with the Pilkingtons. Thanks to all for the suggestions!

Gil,
In reading some of Oscar's work on damascus coloring, he indicates that the Radio Shack circuit board etch (ferric chloride?) is a mild etching solution on steels. It also 'wets' out very evenly in my experience and is somewhat 'viscous'.

"battle, it is in my eyes.
Brent"

Brent.........then scratch them!

Gil, I have used the Mark Lee product, the Pilkington's product, and the Brownells' Dicropan product. Which Brownells' product are you referring to that they say is very similar to Pilkington's and at about 1/3 the price. Thanks.

HI Gil:
I'd be a bit cautious about the Brownell's product they claim is simialr to Pilkington's. If they are talking about their Classic Rust Blue Solution, it is more aggressive than P's. They're right, it's much cheaper, but I didn't much care for the results when I tried it. FWIW.
Craig

Larry: It's their Classic Rust Blue. I wonder if it is a fairly new product; I haven't noticed it before.