Main > The Armoury
Blueing / blackening armour
Sir James A:
--- Quote from: Sir Edward on 2013-07-31, 14:17:17 ---
Gun bluing can definitely still scratch/wear off over time. Pistols will get a certain amount of holster-wear, along corners and edges. I'm sure it'll be the same for armor.
--- End quote ---
Yep, mild steel is mild steel. You can get off-the-shelf wipe-on bluing, but it's a bit annoying. Have to prep the surface with other chemicals first, use rubber gloves, rub the bluing on, trying to keep even coats so that it doesn't show "overlaps" or darker/lighter spots; and then it can still rust. Which means stripping the bluing down to bare metal ... rinse, lather, repeat. I tried on some scrap pieces and wasn't happy with it. Not to mention, if your articulation is off and the plates rub anywhere, it'll rub the blackening off down to bare metal.
Now, done right, it looks *fantastic* to me. I haven't been too impressed with the OTS wipe-ons, the ones I've seen that come out well are done with a heat source (like Allan's).
Paint is a good option, powder-coating is even better. It's like a hardened paint shell. Common with motorcycles (gas tanks), aftermarket upgrades on vehicle brake calipers, and / or parts that take a beating that regular paint wouldn't hold up to as well. It is, of course, more expensive, and harder to find somewhere that can do it, since it is an electro-chemical process.
Sir Patrick:
I'm kicking around trying it on my helmet. Going for something like this:
EDIT: Will it mess up the brass?
Sir William:
Not if you avoid it. ;)
Sir Patrick:
--- Quote from: Sir William on 2013-07-31, 21:31:30 ---Not if you avoid it. ;)
--- End quote ---
You make it sound easy.
Lord Dane:
If you heat the brass, it will scorch and melt. Unavoidable at bluing temperature.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version