Recipes wanted for bluing, anodizing, and finishing metals

Dixie Gun Works is a good resource. Order the Catalog like Farmer said.

This thread is more Hot Rod than most might thing. There is several thousand years history in Metalurgy that we need to look at for finished and protective coatings. Chrome wont get you home!!!! hehheehehee

 

Great thread!

I wanted to give some of my forged pieces an antique/rusted look with dark metal and I discovered this quite by accident. I got some gun blueing, put it in a spray bottle, and I'd spray it on the metal piece. Then I'd take the torch to it. Spray, torch while wet, repeat. Instantly rusts. Then take a bit of steel wool to it to remove excess rust in the areas you want the blue to show through. I've since done this with plum brown too, but it doesn't work as nice as the blue.

Another happy accident was on a cast iron piece I did. Wanted just a metal finish, but a slight sheen to it, so I did the 'warm it up with a torch and apply wax' method. I used carnuba wax, and it gave the iron this really weird bronzy sheen. I liked it!

 

[ QUOTE ]
Dixie Gun Works is a good resource. Order the Catalog like Farmer said.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. The DGW catalog just arrived today.
Along with some Chinese safety fuse for the model cannons!

Thanks also to Bruce for the keyword "Formulary".

My wise wife recently pointed out to me that many art supply stores have patina-in-a-bottle for use on bronze, brass or copper. You can choose how blue or green you want the finish to look. The result seems nicely predictable.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I was talking with another member about some chassis parts getting the buing treatment, anyone have any pics or more info to add?

 

I was wondering about blueing my headers. If the paint doesn't work, maybe I'll try some of the recipes.

 

The linkages were blued with over the counter bluing, and the bases were "parkerized" (iron phosphate) with a homebrew method.

 

Is this the CLR that someone mentioned earlier?
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/clr-calcium-lime-rust-cleaner/ID=prod1765587-product?ext=gooHousehold_PLA_Drain_ampersand_Septic_Care_prod1765587_pla&adtype={adtype}&Kpid=prod1765587&sst=031fb986-2951-7ac9-9a36-000051dcb23e

Ad says:
CLR Calcium Lime Rust Cleaner Enhanced Formula

Blasts calcium deposits & zaps rust
Dissolves lime scale
Recognized for safer chemistrymore

 

The easiest and quickest cold bluing solution I've ever used is Oxpho Blue. It's only available from Brownells.
http://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=oxpho+blue&ksubmit=y

If you want to "antique" brass, or copper, then the simplest and quickest way is plain old sulphur. Get sulphur crystals or powder. Mix in some water to make a slurry and apply it to whatever you want to blacken. It will turn it totally black, and then you can usee 0000 steel wool to remove the high spots and leave the black in the low areas.
http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=sulfur&gclid=CL7H667_2LMCFQuCQgodfxgAtA

 

Kinda-Sorta like blackening steel with oil we used to rub ATF on raw steel headers to blacken and rustproof them.After a couple of rub downs they looked pretty good and the finish lasted quite a while before needing another treatment

 

Anymore details on this? Like how much ATF? How long do you run the car? Do you coat inside and out?

 

We just used shop rags soaked with ATF.Wipe it on cold,run the motor to burn off the ATF and repeat when the motor cools off.After a couple of coats the steel darkens and stays rustproof for quite a while.When the tubes start showing some rust after a while just re-apply the ATF.Only used it on the outside of the headers.

 

Anymore tech? Getting ready to try on some parts.