AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: billd on September 01, 2013, 04:06:24 PM
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Do you have to neutralize the finish with baking soda or ammonia to stop after rust as you do with browning?
Thanks,
Bill
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I never have.
The boiling water seems to take away the corrosive element.
But I boil for 15-20 minutes.
Dan
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It's a good idea to do so.
I've personally had better luck with household Ammonia.
It's too easy to do, does not take 15-20 minutes or a special container to boil a barrel in.
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I rust blued a barrel about 15 years ago on my BP Cartridge Rifle. I did boil it after each rusting/carding and never neutralized it. Still have the rifle and never had a rusting problem.
Kevin
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I used to get after-rust problems w/Laurel Mt when I first started using it. Couldn't get it to stop rusting.
I think I was stretching out the use of the water in the tank. Residual chemical in it may have been enough to cause it even after carding.
Oil alone won't stop acidic chemicals fom rusting steel and L/M is acidic on the Ph scale though no acid in it.
I stopped being cheap w/the water or at least using a freash tank for the last boil. Seemed to help stop the problem.
Using ammonia or baking soda as a back-up certainly won't hurt anything and it's good insurance against seeing a scarry looking barrel after some unattended storage.
Use either @ cold/room temp.
I've gotten into a habit of scrubbing down the bbl or parts w/a kitchen cleaner like 409 and a simple scrub brush after the last coat and things are cooled off.
I figured there's enough alkali in those to do the job if it's still needed and the wet brushing does a nice final carding of the blue.
Room temp water w/the cleaner,,then rinse w/hot. The bbl/parts will then dry easily.
The laundry tub is a good place to do this.
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I always place the barrel/parts into water with a 1# soda to one gallon. Leave it for 30 minutes. I do gently rub the parts with my hand and the solution. I have seen where the bluing changes from a somewhat lead pencil colored blue to a deeper blacker blue. Then remove and rinse the parts; then the parts are heated with a heat gun to very warm to handle and rubbed with oil. I leave the oil to soak for a day or so and remove the excess with an old flannel.
I also use water from a local artesian well that is high in mineral. The parts, after boiling come out with a scale that will scare the heck out of you the first time you see it. I believe the minerals actually help the process...calcium alkalines binding to the Hcl base and the like.
I hope that helps as this is what at this point I have tried and gotten the best results from.
I also do the rust/boil/card drill from 6 to 10 times. After that it does not change much. I think it is more a matter of the rust that forms than the times doing the deeds as in the later apps, rust will almost not form at all. When I see that I know it is done.
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Last weekend I tried rust blueing for the first time. Weather was great. Did 6 coats about 7 or 8 hours apart. Boiled and carded with a wire wheel after each coat. I am very happy with the results. Surprised myself.
I sprayed it down with ammonia, rinsed and coated with oil.
Thanks for all the advise.
Bill