Lock Finish

[frogwalking]

I have a photo of a lock, whose finish I love.  My rifle is nearing completion and is intended to be a daily shooter.  This would mean the finish should demonstrate some degree of durability. 

The lock in question has a dove gray base color with heat coloration over it ,somwhat subtally.  I am told that cold blue once applied will provide the gray, but is not very durable.  I normally  use Pinikerton's American Rust blue on barrels and it gives a great and very durable finish.  Could it be used with only one application (instead of the 4 or more that is normal) to obtain the gray for the background color?  I have polished the lock using a final grit of 2000, so it is pretty shiney.

I think I have observed store bought guns (TC) having some sort of laquer or varnish over the heat coloring, or color case hardening.  Is this observation correct?  If so, what do you suggest.

The lock is a Chambers late Ketland.  Jim said I can heat color it without affecting the durability as long as I do not heat the frizzen.  I have hardened frizzens before, so know to leave this one alone.  Its hould probably get the gray treatment.

[Joey R]

Doug Turnbull puts a lacquer type finish on his color casehardened parts.

[B.Habermehl]

On several of my personal guns, the locks are temper blued. The frizzens are cold blued by dipping and or soaking the frizzen in the cold blue bottle for a few minutes. These finishes have held up suprisingly nicely for the last few years.  You could do a variation easily with a combo of heat and a vigorous rub down with steel wool if you want to subdue the colors some. I stop the color progression by dunking the parts in olive oil. so maybe this helps the durability? BJH

[David Rase]

The process I have used to "French Gray" involves rust bluing the metal until I have a nice even color, 4 or 5 coats.  I then rub the blue back with naval jelly to obtain the gray color.  It is a fairly easy thing to do.  There is more then one way to skin a cat and I am sure you will get postings on how others do it.  Good luck.
Here is a picture of the barrel of a Tulle with the French Gray process that I described.


DMR

[alex e.]

David, nice slender forestock

Alex E.

[keweenaw]

You can get the finish you are describing by color case hardening the lock and then removing most of the colors with some rotten stone or other very fine abrasive.  You can see this approach in pictures of some of Mark Silver's guns. You COULD make this coloration very permanent by then using baking lacquer on the lock but that will make the lock a bit glossy which is probably not what you will find appropriate.   The case hardening by itself will make the lock considerably more resistant to rusting than will leaving the lock untreated, cold blued, or heat blued.  The case hardening is not, however, rust proof.  If you decide to do this, background polishing is very important as the rubbing back of color will leave the color in any scratches that were on the lock.  What's important is that the lock be very evenly polished but not polished to too high a gloss - worn 400 wet and dry  is as fine as you want to go.

Tom

[rich pierce]

The process I have used to "French Gray" involves rust bluing the metal until I have a nice even color, 4 or 5 coats.  I then rub the blue back with naval jelly to obtain the gray color.  It is a fairly easy thing to do.  There is more then one way to skin a cat and I am sure you will get postings on how others do it.  Good luck.
Here is a picture of the barrel of a Tulle with the French Gray process that I described.


DMR

Looks beautiful.  How hard is it to maintain?