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Post by fastfash779 on Oct 12, 2024 23:11:18 GMT
If you’re familiar with the hilts on Valiant Armory swords, where they add a nice gray light antiquing. There is no pitting or texture change, just a nice gray color. How could I do this?
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Oct 12, 2024 23:20:54 GMT
IK believe they are lightly blued.
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mrstabby
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Post by mrstabby on Oct 13, 2024 11:19:05 GMT
A vinegar acid wash gives a gray "antique" surface look, this isn't really a coating but microscopic pitting so it would still feel a bit rough to the touch. If it's smooth Sir Thorfinn is right and it's some kind of bluing, the ones I can see on the VA page all look blued. I think most people won't be able to do this specific colour at home. My guess it's some kind of hot bluing process, either with salt or acid (the kind of chemical can change the colour), where you need a good setup for heat control to get the right colour and the chemicals aren't that nice to be around. It could be "parkerized" - a kind of hot bluing, this gives a nice grey, also not easy to do at home but there are premixed solutions being sold.
At home you could do flame bluing, which needs some expeience to get right or cold bluing where you are pretty much limited to deeper black and blueish-black (also the part will stink of Selenium forever - personally can't stand the smell).
EDIT: You could also hot blue by quenching in linseed oil (many oils work, might result in different colours), this is pretty easy but also very dark.
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Post by fastfash779 on Oct 13, 2024 13:59:01 GMT
Thanks for the very detailed response. This would be on an already built sword so I wouldnt want to do any heating. Looks like this guy did something similar to what I’m going for: myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.16345.htmlHe calls it mild chemical bluing but doesn’t mention the chemical product or method |
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mrstabby
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Post by mrstabby on Oct 13, 2024 14:14:25 GMT
Likely some kind of gun blue. BirchwoodCasey has 3, SuperBlue, PermaBlue and PrestoMag. Super is black, Perma is a lighter black-blue and Presto has a more definate blue tint - personally very much like the look though the blue kinda looks like heat bluening, with some variation in colour. Most bluing agents will produce a deep black, some have copper salts added and will produce a blue tint. Perma is easiest to use, Super and Presto like to get streaky if not careful. You can darken Super and Perma by reapplying, with the Presto reapplication removes a lot of the blue for some reason, so only one pass. Final colour also depends on the surface and steel and stainless will not take any cold blue at all (you could only electroplate it; Correction there are bluing agents for stainless).
A small warning, there is a learning curve, don't use it straight on the sword and go sacrifice some piece of steel first. Cold blue can get streaky if not applied evenly and with a steady hand. Also any surface dirt can ruin the finish, so be sure to clean the surface well. |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Oct 13, 2024 14:18:34 GMT
I assume it was a usual commercial cold blueing, look in Amazon.
It makes steel more or less black, often it works better after applying it several times, or removing it and applying it again.
You can remove it with something slightly aberrasive, steel wool or Scotch Brites.
So you can adjust the level of "remaining" grey carefully.
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Greg E
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Post by Greg E on Oct 20, 2024 2:49:15 GMT
I did a BirchwoodCasey PermaBlue on an Albion Jarl. Here are some pics with an unaltered Albion Huskarl. As you can see lighting really changes how it looks from picture to picture. How deep the bluing is depends on number of coats and how you polish between coats. Your mileage may vary. 
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mrstabby
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Post by mrstabby on Oct 20, 2024 17:14:14 GMT
It is true that the colour on pictures can look lighter gray than it it, but Valiant does offer specifically an "antique gray". It still could be just a roughed up black finish, not something specific like parkerizing though, hard to tell, some pictures look one way others like they took some steel wool to bluing.
Don't look for zebras and so on... Probably bluing with some abrasive.
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Zen_Hydra
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Oct 24, 2024 17:53:27 GMT
I have successfully used vinegar (acetic acid), ammonia, and ferric chloride of varying concentrations over the years to give several differing steel alloys a darker patina. Specifics formulations and processing is largely determined by the particular material you are wanting to "grey".
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Nov 1, 2024 0:13:58 GMT
Nov 1, 2024 0:13:58 GMT
