This is my first step into doing real bluing,I have been every where with cold blue and despite all the "newest ,and best"as I have always suspected they will always be "lowest and best" choice ,a good Band-Aids maybe.Cerrakote and others are not traditional enough for me ,not on my present favorites( traditional walnut and steel rifles) on tactical creatures maybe but even then parkerizing is plenty colorful,I am old school.
I have time and skills on my side nowadays,but I don't t want all the expense and rigamarole of hot salts blue,so what's more traditional than rust blue?
I will state my plan ,please advise of any problems.first I already refinished to a 220 grit(:Marlin 336)but the bluing set up not all in place so I reoiled parts to prevent unwanted rust.when ready I will wash in hot water and Dawn,then boil in our solution or TCP ,TCP is unfamiliar to me but safer than lye but I am familiar with the cautious of lye. Than a final boil in water hopefully I will not see any signs of seepage from the receiver barrel junction after this,I will at this point handle with laundered cotton or nitrile gloves and while the steel is still hot apply with cotton swabs the solution ,my choice being Brownell's classic rust blue,Pilkingtons not available,but I am not yet truly particular to any one solution,( not enough experience to tell but it does not seem like much difference to me anyway).
At this point comes a juncture,originally I had decided to boil,thus the tank,this process is familiar to me,rust ,boil ,card repeat, further study has tickled in me an interest in making a steam set up using a vertical PVC,or,ABS PIPE using a steam source,teakettle ,wallpaper steamer etc.Questions arise for me,obviously the parts should be hot before the solution is applied so boil to heat or will the steam tube heat them?won't the steam prematurely rust the parts before they get hot and get the solution put on?Is this a problem?
Is the steam continuously run while rusting is occurring .it seems ,I am confused here,in the boiling process there is, heat the metal,solution the metal,rust the metal,boil and card the metal ,repeat...with steam it seems you steam to heat or at least heat the metal somehow,solution the metal,place the metal in the steamer to rust,then at some point after red rust forms,you do something to make the rust turn to ferric oxide or magnetite,something to replace the boiling ,is not the steam constantly running or is it not running while rusting is taking place,and then run as hot and steamy as you can once rust is present in a good even coat .What prevents condensation and drips in this interim rusting time?hey! heh !sorry just want to get this straight,your answers are very appreciated.I am sure more will drop up !thanks