Blunderbuss for comments

[Shakethetrees]

For rusting iron, on old gunsmith convinced me to use common household bleach. Much easier to obtain than nitric and other chemicals.

Remove the frizzen and dab it on once a day or so and leave it in a damp area if possible. Don't be in a hurry! In a few days you will see results. But, don't stop now, continue dabbing bleach on. Try to get it in an irregular pattern, as if the rust is too even it will look unnatural.

If you stop treatment too soon the nascent rust will slough off, leaving clean metal. It has to stick!

Once you are convinced it is holding well, put the part in baking soda for a few days to begin neutralizing the rust.

Next, boil some water and drop the part in for fifteen or twenty minutes. This won't hurt any temper or other heat treating.

Remove it and dry it well, oil it, and remount. The active red rust will be converted to black iron oxide. And, any old patina will not be harmed by this.

I've done this and the results are foolproof, if you follow these directions closely.

[Fernando K]

hello

On the subject of the oxidation of iron (or steel) we must attend to what they say chemicals, not what they say people with the best intentions, but wrong

The oxide is a foreign body in the iron surface, t promotes further oxidation. No passive oxide,. but in the hidden, still working, slowly and without apuroo

Any attack with acid for it to be softer (boric) also attacks the metal.

When we look at a rusty piece, and we feel that this motionless, rust still working below What happens is that the process is slow, but not 100 or 200 years, everything was reduced to dust

Two metos that do not attack the metal, reduce rust and so prevent
subsequent oxidation are electrolysis and zinc-soda method. It is the method used in the sea salvage iron and recommended by Museologists

Affectionately. Fernando K

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Shakethetrees

For rusting iron, on old gunsmith convinced me to use common household bleach...

Thanks for the tip. Coincidently i have learnt the bleech trick a couple months ago, when trying to apply some oxidation on silver plaque. It did work, without any further action.
However and after such a fatigue at tuning up all blunderbuss details (lock unsticking, wood graft & finishing, new frizzen toe, some barrel bore cleaning, touchole disobstruction), i guess i will not go on the rusting process in the immediate future. Besides, the difference of tone in the treated material looks less evident at sight than in the pictures; the different parts through shadown in each other. Only the toe bluish sticks out; maybe i will apply a few drops of bleech in it.
The important thing now is the ram rod arrival .

[Ken Maddock]

I use my children's crayons for such tinting, available in a multitude of colours and cheap.
Hope the ramrod finishes the piece for you with as good a result that you have achieved so far
Regards
Ken

[fernando]

There we are; a genuine wooden ramrod and everything .


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