WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? PROOF/CONTROL MARKS

celtan · 11th November 2008, 03:24 PM

A word to the wise

If you try to buy the ingredients stateside, you will get the NSA knocking on your door. They can be used to make home explosives...

BTW, guys. Can you use the vinegar to clean pitted or stained blades? If so, how would you go about it ? I have had mixed reactions to this possibility in the past, I'd like to hear yours. Likewise with the RS etchant.

Best

Manuel Luis

Quote:

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Hi Bill,
I have rebrowned many damascus barrels over the years and this is the formula I used. Clean the barrel with AJAX to remove ALL grease etc (This is most important or you will get a blotchy result), and strip off ALL old finish. Polish and immerse in BOILING water to heat the metal--this is important as the heat is need to make the process work. DON'T USE A FLAME AS IT WILL MELT THE SOLDER AND THE BARREL JOINTS WILL FALL APART. Apply solution with a CLEAN cloth EVENLY. Wash in fresh water and dry. Polish in between applications with fine steel wool. Repeat the process. Once you get the colour you want immerse again in BOILING water to cure and stop the action. (Browning and blueing are both an artificial "rusting" process)
You can buy browning paste but I have not found that it is suitable except for VERY MINOR touchup.
The mixture I used is :
64 GRAINS Mercuric Chloride
32 GRAINS Sodium Nitrate
64 GRAINS Potassium Chlorate
64 GRAINS Spirits of Nitre (4%)
32 GRAINS Potassium Nitrate
Distilled water to 1/2 Pint
You will have to find a manufacturing chemist to make up your solution, or someone who has access to the chemicals. They are a bit thin on the ground these days as most chemists just sell pills!!
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Regards Stuart

Bill M · 11th November 2008, 04:21 PM

I wonder if there is an already made staining material? For gun barrels?

Vinegar and PCB to stain blades is similar in process to what Stu suggested for gun barrels. Clean, degrease, heat blade until it is hot, but not too hot to handle.

Vinegar will clean rust, but I usually use lime, pineapple or lemon juice.

After using vinegar / PCB, I clean residue with ammonia based cleaner (Windex) in order to neutralize the acid.

I also use distilled water. Tap water can, in some areas, cause the stain to become brown or reddish brown due to impurities in the water.

You can expect different results with sword blades, particularly with blades made in pre-industrial regions. Obviously different metals and combinations will give different results.

If you have a sword with a wooden hilt, you want to protect the wood so it does not soak up the solution. I wrap the handle in plastic and use a small amount of oil (I use Tru-oil) where the sword blade enters the handle. Carefully applied, the oil enters the wood and is less damaging than the solution.

11th November 2008, 04:21 PM	#2
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	I wonder if there is an already made staining material? For gun barrels? Vinegar and PCB to stain blades is similar in process to what Stu suggested for gun barrels. Clean, degrease, heat blade until it is hot, but not too hot to handle. Vinegar will clean rust, but I usually use lime, pineapple or lemon juice. After using vinegar / PCB, I clean residue with ammonia based cleaner (Windex) in order to neutralize the acid. I also use distilled water. Tap water can, in some areas, cause the stain to become brown or reddish brown due to impurities in the water. You can expect different results with sword blades, particularly with blades made in pre-industrial regions. Obviously different metals and combinations will give different results. If you have a sword with a wooden hilt, you want to protect the wood so it does not soak up the solution. I wrap the handle in plastic and use a small amount of oil (I use Tru-oil) where the sword blade enters the handle. Carefully applied, the oil enters the wood and is less damaging than the solution.