I had trouble getting it from RShack also and that was a few years ago.
Some didn't have it,,some didn't want to sell it w/o some sort of 'license(?)'
I finally bought some from a chemicle dealer on the net,,maybe it was even off of Ebay.
That 5% soln I made up, I use for etching bbls between coats doing a Damascus finish. No alcohol in it. I've never used it for a browning or rust blue soln. It's pretty weak, but it would probably work.
The Ferric chloride I got is listed as 38.5% concentrate on the container.
It took my math challenged mind a while to figure a 5% (approx) soln and at that I may be off on my estimate.
When making up the browning/blueing soln,,I do just as Jack Brooks does,,pour the Ferric Chloride into a quantity of distilled water till you get a medium yellow color. Then the alcohol.
I mix very small quantitys up at a time in plastic prescription bottles. I like the shorter ones, I'm less apt to spill them! If I had to guess, I'd say the ratio is 3 parts water to 1 part ferric chloride.
No more than 5% of the total soln in alcohol,,so in my small mixes I throw in just a few drops of alcohol and shake it up.
You can see it's pretty un-scientific. You can experiment with the concentrations, applications, etc till you find what works best for you.... And that is the key,,what works best for you.
I like the small mixes so I don't loose alot if I contaminate it (easy to do if a spot of oil gets in there carried in by the applicator or however), or as I said Mr Shakey here tips it over.
Apply to room temp clean steel with a cloth patch damp with the soln. I stay away from using a patch of paper towel,,they have sizer, perfumes, etc in them,,even the plain white stuff.
When I did alot of quick rust bluing, I used to put the soln (different from this) on with a piece of steel wool as an applicator. That worked well for that system. It's not needed for cold rust brown or blue but it shows how you can experiment and try different things.
You don't want any runs in the soln on the surface. They will show in the final finish,,you don't want the surface to stay wet with the soln. It should flash dry off in a few seconds after you go over it. That's how little soln actually gets applied to the steel.
Avoid going over areas you've already coated. Sometimes on the first or second coat you'll miss a streak or line,,Don't worry,,you'll catch it the next time.
Engraving cuts will tend to avoid the soln the first coating or two but will eventually take OK.
When re-coating, do as the first time, nice easy once over and off. Don't go over a spot and scrub it in. The soln will remove what is already there as it is acidic. Most any rust blue soln will act that way.
Recoating, especially rust brown, may demand a bit more soln in your applicator pad as the surface is somewhat more rough as the finish builds up. But still avoid any runs or excess on the surface.
When re-coating, I try to start from a different flat or spot on the barrel or part to avoid an unconciously layed down pattern to my application. The pad runs dry at the same rate in the same spots each time if you follow the same pattern. It can show in the finished product especcially on a finer polished blue, not so much in a brown finish.
Sometimes if the first coat doesn't rust as well as I think it should, I'll recoat w/o carding (or boiling if bluing) and then go on as usual at the second coating.
Ferric chloride works best (quickest) in higher humidity and temp, but I use it during the winter months also. The house is kept at 64F. It may take 24hr for a single coating to form at that temp. To speed it up, hang the parts in the bathroom from the shower bar after you've taken a shower and keep the door closed. Instant damp box. You'll have rust coating in about an hour or two..
One thing Laurel Mtn does have in it is a copper compound (copper sulfate?). I think it's for use as a marker of sorts to be able to see where you've coated the steel easily. The applications turns a blue grey color quickly as it drys on the steel. It really only helps on the first couple of coatings,,after that you're working over a brown or blue surface anyway.
It can be a pain sometimes as it will 'plate' the steel with a copper wash if the steel is the least bit too warm or you happen to reverse direction in application for some reason. It won't blue well in those areas , but a quick buff off with scotch-brite saves the day and you can go on.
..and they advertise it has a detergent cleaner in it so you don't have to clean the steel before applying. But I just do it as a normal course of the process.
