(Added..I didn't realize this was so long, so delete it if needed)
What Bluing Soln did you use?
I'm guessing it was what they call an Express Rust Blue soln.
I don't know what Brownells has for that anymore.
Their 'Classic Rust Blue Soln' is a Cold Rust' or 'Slow Rust blue soln.
There is a difference in how an Express Rust and a Slow Rust bluing is done.
But first, th metal needs to be absolutely clean.
A cleaning with the solvent is good. A scubbing after that with hot water/dish soap & a tooth brush will get the built up gunk in the crevices.
If you don't get all that out, it will liquify during the boiling cycles when actually bluing. At that point the crud will contaminate your boiling water and effect the bluing. It'll also drag out onto the metal parts and then contaminate the Carding Wheel (Wire Wheel) when you card them.
A very hot , near boiling water bath using a bit of Lye (sodium Hydroxide) will cut any grease /oil in or on the metal and leave it clean. That was the old formula for the cleaning tanks. Then clean boiling water or very hot for a rinse.
You can also use TSP powdered cleaner ,,a couple tbs per gallon water to do the same.
Do not boil either cleaning soln with the parts in it. Just HOT.
Do not touch the parts with your fingers after cleaning nor during the bluing process unless you are very lucky (?) to have extremely dry skin that will not 'print' the surfaces.
No need to plug the bores or chambers. Just don't put the Bluing soln(s) in there. Nothing else but boiling water will touch them.
If you are going to Express Rust Blue, you need the part(s) to be warm.
Not so hot that the soln when applied sizzles. Just warm enough that a patch or even a clean brush with a minimum of soln on it gently drawn across the surfaces lays down a thin coating and right behind that, the coating drys from the heat of the part.
The dried coating will be brown(ish) in color.
At that point you can place the part right into the boiling water for 10 to 20min.
There is no need to hang them and let them rust. They will not develope any further rust coating than they already have.
This is the 'Express' of the Express Rust process.
They will turn blue/black in the boiling water almost immedietly.
Pull them out and shake the water off. Use compressed air IF you are sure there is no oil in the compressed air system.
A wadded up paper towel can be used to pin point small drops down inside areas that don't want to evaporate quickly. But don't wipe over the part entirely with anything.
If water is left on the surfaces and you Card over the wet spots, it will discolor the finish already built up.
Now take the part and handling it with dowel(s), pliers, plugs, cloth gloves, whatever so you don't actually touch it,,,Card the surfaces to remove the loosened black debris and burnish the color underneath.
If the part is large , it may still be warm enough to have the next coat of bluing soln swabbed onto it.
If it needs some help, use a propane torch flame carefully, an aside stove burner, heat gun, etc to warm the part back up. Don't over heat.
Swab on the next coating. Same as before..nice and thin and don't scrubb it in. Down and up the long parts. If you miss a sliver of area, leave it and the next cycle will get it.
Back into the boiling water.
Repeat these cycles as many times as needed for the color you want.
Normally it will take about 4 to 10 cycles to complete. It depends on the steel alloy, the specific soln you are using, the water (distilled is best), and if there is anything effecting the cycles like contamination.
When you card with a wire wheel like you have, it's OK to go non-directional. That will actually burnish the color and produce a better looking finish as well as being more efficient in carding.
Don't use a lot of pressure,,let the wheel do the work. It should not leave marks in the finish especially when using the very fine wire sizes like .003d.
IF you are going to Slow Rust Blue,,it is different from the above in the following.
#1 is that it uses it's own Slow Rust Bluing Soln(s).
Express Rust Solns are for just that.
Slow Rust Blue uses Slow Rust Blue Solns.
You clean the metal the same, take the same precautions in handling.
But:
You apply the rusting soln to the metal parts when the parts are Room Temp. Do not heat them up.
Once the parts are coated, set them aside and allow them to rust naturally (The 'Slow' in Slow Rust Blue)
Depending on the soln you use, the temp and the humidity in the room, it can =take anywhere from a couple hrs to a couple days for the very fine controlled rust to form. That is what you want....and it does not need to be a very heavy covering. Just a reddish coloring to the metal surface is all thats needed to convert to a bluing color cycle.
When you have the parts ready, then get the water boiling. Put the parts in the same as with Express Rust amd let them boil for the 10 to 20min.
With Slow Rust, remove them and shake & blot any water off of them. Then just hang them and let them cool off on their own.
No need to hurry as you can't re-coat them till they are Room Temp again anyway.
Once cooled off ,,Card them on the wheel as before taking the same precautions. I like using a set of those soft cloth Gardners gloves when doing this part.
Then recoat as above,,set aside again to naturally rust and around and around you go again.
......
I usually leave the sideplate off on a revolver when rust bluing.
It's on it of course when being polished, but it's a separate part when being blued.
Often the side plate or a similar type part can trap water in that seam when it's pulled from the boiling tank.
Then that little bit of water can run across the nice flat side of the revolver and spoilthe bluing as you start to card.
The carding wheel will not round any edges. The wires are only .003d generally and should be run at around 450/500rpm max anyway.
Screws, pins, small parts ect I place in a shallow 'tin can' with holes punched in the bottom with a nail. I place the can down in the tank with a pliers and it just sets on the bottom and boils away nicely. Pull it out with the pliers, let it drain and then dump it carefully onto some paper towels.
Move the parts around to dry which they do quickly being small. Then card them.
Don't get to casual with the carding wheel. It can grab a small part and fling it in to WorkShop's UnKn Zone. Especially those odd shaped ones.
I used a horizontal bearing block set-up for my Carding wheel for probably 40 yrs. It was a back breaker when doing SxS bbl sets.
One hand on each end of a 30" set w/a handle peg. Then making complete swipes end to end verticaly.
The motor caught on fire one time (another story).
I didn't have another spare 'found it along the side of the road in a junk pile' washing machine motor. So I took the Carding wheel and hooked it up in my Mill to use..horizontal now.
It's been that way ever since and I like it alot better
The longer you let Slow Rust parts actually rust and have the rust build up on the parts, the more chance you have of getting a matted final finiah. That because that rusting process is actually beginning to micro pit the metal surfaces.
All that heavy rust just muddys the boiling water as well. Then you have to stop and empty & clean, then refill the water tank while bluing for good results.
You can rust blue (either type) over old bluing,both Hot Salt Blue and orig Rust Blue with good results.
It's best to go over the old blued finish with a Scotchbrite pad to break to surface a bit as they usually hold some hardened oil, dirt,etc.
No need to remove the old bluing, just scuff it up a bit then the final few strokes you can change to grit lines to match the surrounding polishing on the metal.
..FWIW..those crusty looking brown patches you get when Rust Bluing old work is where there is orig Bluing still in tact generally.
The old blue holding onto some oil and contaminates that don't allow the new Rust Blue Soln to do it's thing.
It generally cards right off and blends back in OK. Sometimes in the bright light on a completed job the area will be seen.
Scuffing the old blue with ScotchBrite will nearly ellininate it. I use the Marron and Grey color stuff alot.
Many of the Slow Rust Blue formulas have Nitric Acid in them, even if just a tiny amt.
The Brownells Classic does. Laurel Mtn does.
Sometimes these will give you after-rust issues. The job is all done, Gun reassembled. Then you wipe it down a day or two later and the cloth is black.
That's the rusting soln continuing to 'rust'.
As a final rinse after the last carding, some people use a Sodium Bicarbonate soln (base soln). I've found that not to be strong enough when using L/Mountain. Sodium Carbonate (washing soda) works well though. Much stronger.
The TSP solnused to pre-clean the parts works pretty good too.
Lately I have been using Refined Linseed Oil as a coating on the finished parts. Let that set for a couple days. Then remove that with acetone on a cloth. I've gotten no after-rust. I don't know why.
It doesn't work using the bulk BLO from the Paint Dept at Loews. Has to be the Artist Dept little bottle of Refined Linseed.
..If I put one cycle of Express Rust Blue as a final coat over my finished Slow Rust Blue project,(boil & card) that also will kill any after-rust problems. Again I have no idea why it works.
There is quite a bit to Rust Bluing. The idea is simple, it's the techniques, prep, and small details that make the difference in the final finish.
..ain't it the way in so many things we do.
