Metal Treatment

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timmy wheeler
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: So. California

Metal Treatment

Post by timmy wheeler »

Well I'm actually from the live steam side of things, but I'm looking for advice on the metal treatment you guys use on guns....Would some form of blueing, parkerizing, iron phosphide, etc. work on live steam locomotive parts? Paint on it's own can chip, and as you know our equipment lives in a hot moist environment. I was thinking of using a metal treatment instead of, or, under the paint to prevent rust. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks, timmy
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Fullautomike
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Re: Metal Treatment

Post by Fullautomike »

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already-old
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Location: PNW-USA

Re: Metal Treatment

Post by already-old »

.
I posted this info to another thread here. I believe it could be a solution to the steam problem too. What this will do is stop the rust. It is a brown color and may be able to use for pre-painting treatment of steel and iron parts. I to built many steam engines and had experienced the same problems you have. But have never used this process on anything except guns and tools. Works great for anything that can use the brown look.


Previously posted to:
Black powder revolver kit im making "right"...

A simple and low cost form of "authentic old look brown" is chemical rust browning can be done with a very simple set up, at most any home shop with cheap and easily obtainable supplies. This can be done quickly in a mater of hrs for a decent look or a few days for a very deep brown near black coating. This is not the wear away cold blue process. I quite accidentally discovered the process. It will replicate the old "salt rust" browning method used on old fire arms. The old salt box method of browning could take weeks even months.

This simple method uses the common household product found at Wal mart , other grocery and hardware stores "Lime Away"

To do this job if doing a barrel for example get a piece of PVC pipe of at least 4 or 5 times the dia of the part. If a barrel make a little stand that will support you item up from the insides of the tube. Now for the simplest form which take the longest just have slide on caps for the ends of the pipe. Before closing the pipe with your part inside place some a couple of oz of the lime away in the pipe in a small open glass container. Close the pipe with the caps. Now you can either let this set at room temp (takes longer) or keep heat on the pipe with a small room heater blower type. Make sure you oil or grease the bore, I also sealed the bore with a little oiled cotton. To get the feel for this system you need to experiment a bit, with any piece of polished steel, to get the color you want. Its the fumes from the Lime Away that make the brown. Now I got to say that this worked with the Lime Away I used 15 years ago and the formula of this product may have changed since. But it is the phosphoric acid that seems to be the active ingredient. So anything containing phosphoric acid should work. When finished water rinse well and oil. Unless poorly taken care, over time, your product wont easily rust again.

By the way it works on tools to.

.
"Oily to bed Oily to rise the life of a man, when a Machine tool he buys"

Some men always thought they wanted build things, what they discovered really, is that they only just wanted to run the machines!
timmy wheeler
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: So. California

Re: Metal Treatment

Post by timmy wheeler »

Hey guys, thanks for the tips. timmy
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Rex
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Re: Metal Treatment

Post by Rex »

You can make that rust brown a number of different ways. I've read that one way an old gunmaker browned his barrels was by urinating on them regularly. He had a rack outside the back door of his shop.
oneeyedmac
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Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:45 am
Location: USA

Re: Metal Treatment

Post by oneeyedmac »

It's sounds like Black Nitride would be just the thing you are looking for. It's permanent, hardens the surface of the metal, blackens the surface of the metal and prevents corrosion completely. It's also not costly but you can't do it yourself. Contact MMI Trutec or H&M (H&M's web site is www.blacknitride.com).

Hope this helps.
coyotechet
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Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 8:43 pm

Re: Metal Treatment

Post by coyotechet »

I use Dry Moly Lube Spray by Sprayon Withstands pressures up to 500,000 P.S.I. Lubricates up to 750F*.
I spraying it on then take a propane torch and dry it. It well leave a light gray color and won't come off with out a lot of work . Easy and cheap and work great. Chet
timmy wheeler
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: So. California

Re: Metal Treatment

Post by timmy wheeler »

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm looking into all of them. Please feel free to keep them coming....I just keep learning!
Timmy
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