Rust bluing, temperature and humidity

[Paladinpainter]

Hey Ollie~
I've been struggling with the same issues all winter and I've stumbled onto some encouraging results.

I use a clear vinyl "greenhouse". I think it is used to starting seedlings indoors. I use a steam humidifier, turning it on/off as required. When the vinyl steams up, I turn it off; let it sit until they clear and then back on again. It takes me about 3 hours to get a good coating of red fuzz at 65 +/- degrees.

I was about to start mixing my own bluing agents because, like you, I you I wanted a bluer tone. By chance, I looked at the components of some Aquafortis I had: water, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid....classic bluing solution. This stuff is very aggressive and I'm diluting it with water. ( It will still ruin your manicure.)

In my eyes, the results have more deep blue tones. Keep experimenting and let me know what happens.