Natural iron coloring .

[RBHarter]

Let be clear going in I have no desire to be historically accurate with the faux side lock Juker Pennsylvania-ish .......more a Carolina I think ....... Not the point .

Through the years I've grown fond of "gun metal grey" kind of , it's that greasy slick color on your best Shrade Imperial carbon steel knife a few days after you dressed that first bird or rabbit . Blood bluing if you will .

I have this more or less finished Juker Spanish rifle that until last weekend I had forgotten was even around still which is a bit of a story in its own . It's probably a 30+ yr old cheap kit that looks good in a Monet kind of way . You know if you stand way back and squint a little it looks good but up close it hard to tell what it is . Anyway ...... Is it worth a try to get that or should I just let it go on to the hot tank . I don't have the stability of time to brown it . But it would be well worth soaking up some meat tray juice or getting a bucket of chicken livers and directions to go long line some catfish .......

 

[Ian]

Well, there's always that boiling Clorox thing you can do. Hot caustic blue might look like a diamond in a pig's...eye. Raw chicken livers might mot be a bad idea either if you're OK with streaks and splotches.

 

[fiver]

best gun metal grey i've ever seen is a pre-64 model 94 buffed up in a leather scabbard.

 

[RicinYakima]

"Browning" is not an original finish. Browning is natural finish that has rusted from non use. "Bright" turns grey from use and rubbing with leather or course cloth after cleaning with boiling water.

Oxidation occurs when a chemical reaction causes electrons to move. When a substance loses electrons we say that the substance has been oxidized. But oxidation is not like flipping a switch on or off. It occurs on a spectrum. To talk about the spectrum of oxidation a substance can experience, we have the term “oxidation state.” The oxidation state is the level of oxidation a substance has experienced and is expressed through an oxidation number.

So, a substance’s oxidation number refers to the total number of electrons its atoms lose in bonding. Substances that go through an oxidation reaction get a number added to their name to note the loss and indicate their ability to bond with other atoms with electrons to spare.

The iron in ferrous oxide and ferric oxide go through an oxidation reaction. To find out how many electrons the iron in ferrous oxide and ferric oxide lose when bonding, you need only look to their common names.

Ferrous oxide, commonly known as iron(II) oxide contains iron that lost 2 electrons in the oxidation process. So it is able to bond with other atoms that have an extra 2 electrons. Ferric oxide, is commonly known as iron(III) oxide. It contains iron that lost 3 electrons.

There are numerous iron compounds, each with different roles in nature. We even need iron as part of our diets. Despite what may seem an almost trivial difference at the atomic level, the difference in the oxidation state between ferrous oxide and ferric oxide means that they each play unique roles in the world.

Ferrous oxide comes as a black powder and, surprisingly, contains ferric oxide. It is used to produce numerous materials like plastics, heat-absorbing glass, paper, ceramics, and even rubber. Special high purity iron oxides are used to produce a type of ceramic magnet called ferrites, used in electronics like speakers, TVs, and computer memory cores.

Ferric oxide, also known as hematite, is a reddish-brown powder. It is FDA approved for cosmetic use, even around the eyes. But ferric oxide is most helpful in the iron and steel industries. It is the primary source for the iron used to create the entire industrialized world.

 

[RBHarter]

My old TC Hawkins has that true age patina . It was an older kit gun when I got it , 5 digit number I think . I don't think I've got 35 yr to weight on this Juker . .

Ian , streaks and blotches wouldn't be all bad . It's getting to be that time of yr where I hunt up a picnic ham and cook it down for lazy mans carnitas verde . Chill it down and scape the fat off , if I can find a fat one . It never fails if I pick to a lean one it'll give me a 1/4" all over the pot if I pick a fat one I get about 4-5 pieces the size of nickles and dimes .

Good information . I'm not sure how to apply it cheap kit rifle faux aging . Is it the interaction between the solid mass surface oxides and the oxides in the blood that causes the grey oxidizing resistance ? If it is then does it change the way that the fat and oil "bond" to the surface ?
Am I maybe trying too hard to compare the effect to plain steel cylinder bores vs nitrided where there is a hardened surface created with ammonia that also increases porosity at a microscopic level ?

At the core of the question is will the 40 yr old Spanish steel give similar results to that of cutlery steel from Germany , Canada , and US mills of 40+ years ago .

 

[fiver]

i don't know about Spanish steel., but ww-2 Japanese steel will take a bright polish then dull grey easy enough.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

If it's a cheap kit, chances are good the alloys used in the parts may be different. So the finish on the barrel, bands, lock, etc. are likely to come out different regardless of which method you use.
I associate that grey finish the OP speaks of with old polished steel/iron parts that are allowed to age but not seriously rust. LIke an old wrench that is handled often and wiped down before storage but has no finish. I'm not sure how one could duplicate that appearance quickly.

 

[Bret4207]

Let be clear going in I have no desire to be historically accurate with the faux side lock Juker Pennsylvania-ish .......more a Carolina I think ....... Not the point .

Through the years I've grown fond of "gun metal grey" kind of , it's that greasy slick color on your best Shrade Imperial carbon steel knife a few days after you dressed that first bird or rabbit . Blood bluing if you will .

I have this more or less finished Juker Spanish rifle that until last weekend I had forgotten was even around still which is a bit of a story in its own . It's probably a 30+ yr old cheap kit that looks good in a Monet kind of way . You know if you stand way back and squint a little it looks good but up close it hard to tell what it is . Anyway ...... Is it worth a try to get that or should I just let it go on to the hot tank . I don't have the stability of time to brown it . But it would be well worth soaking up some meat tray juice or getting a bucket of chicken livers and directions to go long line some catfish .......

That's what some in the antique equipment field refer to as a "Social Distancing Quality Restoration", ie- "Hey! She looks pretty good...well, at least from back here..."

 

[Petrol & Powder]

"Social Distancing Quality Restoration"

Looks good from afar but a far from good.

 

[JWFilips]

Any patina on an old barrel 19th C and before was there on the bright steel / iron finish!
Almost all early guns, gun metal, was polished bright! age , atmosphere, and powder they shot created that!
The German's in the 16th , 17th century did like their "fire blue"! Dig a pit fill, it with burning charcoal and place the super highly polished barrel on the coals and watch the color change! Quickly dip in cold water to stop any more color change!
I will continue:

 

[JWFilips]

A brown bess musket was not called the "Brown " word because of the barrel! It was because of the stock!
A British soldier had to polish his barrel ever day to keep it bright.....
Browning and chemical bluing ( rust bluing) came into fashion in the 19th Century (1800's)

 

[RBHarter]

Hence my desire to "rush" the color .....

Now I have a lot of work to do on a Chessipot ........

 

[RicinYakima]

Almost all early guns, gun metal, was polished bright! age , atmosphere, and powder they shot created that!
The German's in the 16th , 17th century did like their "fire blue"!

My research, for what this is worth, is the early American barrel makers also did the "fire blue" but it died out in the 1760's and American Revolution. Fire blue turns to brown rust very easily.

 

[JWFilips]

Fire blue needs maintenance in the form of constantly wiping it down to prevent rust. A bright barrel is easier to maintain.
But it needs to be looked after also...however it takes on a beautiful patina quickly unless it is polished back often!