Teaser....DWM blue!
 

Gallons of distilled water, nearly 30 different rust blue solutions and hours of slaving in a hot kitchen, I'm very close to what I consider a close match for the original DWM color. I began this Quixotian quest as a result of necessity, as there are restorers who will not share their formula, even though they have more work than they can get to. If the results meet my initial trials, I will gladly share the results with my fellow forum members.
The formula is very close to one documented here by an old member, "chuckc" (search old posts), with a couple of significant modifications. Sadly, he has stopped contributing or gone to his reward...a shame, as I'd loved to bounced ideas back and forth with him.
I'll be throwing my chips in the pot by using this mixture on an early 1900 Parabellum I bought in rough condition...hope to be able to share the results with you guys in about 3 weeks. Bob

Great news, Bob. Looking forward to seeing the results of your test.

Charlie

Hi Bob
I know a guy that I think is the best there is at rust blue and I
think he will be glad to help you. His name is Charles Danner.
He has done 3 or 4 guns for me and they all came out great.
Call me and I will tell you how to reach him.My phone number
is 1-(510)-523-6682
Thanks George Fortier

"chuckc" lives about 5 miles from me. I have been to his house on 2 occassions to compare our Luger collections. He was willing to share his formula with me and I will take the offer. He has a summer house in Colorado. I've lost his contact info when my computer crashed in January, so I'll have to knock on his door this fall. He's a nice guy, and really appreciates the help he got from forum members when he needed it. The last I saw him was about a 9 months ago.

Bob,

Exciting news, indeed! Looking forward to see the results!

The original DWM rust blue was obtained by hanging the parts in the mens urinal for several days. Was this one of the "solutions" that you tried?:evilgrin:

I've got one at his shop as we speak, I will post before and after pictures when I get it back.

Harry

Hugh...I've heard that snippet of info before....can you trace the source for it?

It is somewhere in "THE LUGER PISTOL" by Datig.

I have heard that urine was used by many small gunmakers back in the blackpowder days, but is there any credible evidence of this ever happening in a factory? You'd think that it would be very difficult to keep up with production...

I can just hear the PA system at the factory going: "All men to the urinals immediately, we have a deadline to meet!" :evilgrin:

:)I have been told not to use cat urine.
George

Using urine in production was actually quite common for many centuries. It was used as a bleaching agent in the linnen industry. The local population of the industrial towns would collect their pee in jars, this also earned them the nick name of 'kruikenzeikers' or 'jar pissers' in towns like Tilburg, the Netherlands.

If urine was used in the production / blueing process, I'm pretty confident that the town of Berlin would produce it in sufficient quantities, especially when being paid for :)

Urine was used in the manufacture of gunpowder during the Napoleonic Wars. It is rich in nitrogen and the French extracted saltpeter from it. Regards, Norm

So if you're going to use urine as a blueing agent, what kind of beer do you have to drink to get the right color? :-)

Just don't eat asparagus before you donate. The gun will smell terrible :)

Ok...preview
 

here's a comparison between 2 rust blues...on the left is Brownell's Classic rust blue...on the right is my concoction based on chuckc's formula with modifications....I realize everyones monitor and my camera might not be reading in absolutely "true" color, but a relative comparison between the two can be seen. Is it my imagination, or is the one on the right "bluer" and closer to the old DWM color?

Can't tell the color/hue difference from pics, however I can see a difference in what a Hollywood DP (Director of Photography) would call the "Spectral Highlights" between the two. Notice how the white glare of light is soft on the left, and crisp and hard on the right. The reason for that is ... ??? Please re-take your photos in direct sunlight with the sun to your back, I don't think you are using the correct color balance setting for you camera with these.

yeah, i gotta experiment, no photographer ... i'll take some outside tomorrow

ok...a little cloudy out today, but here's two outside

Bob, the indirect lighting conditions of a cloudy day are exactly what you want for these photos.

The one on the right does look more deeply blue/black to me.

I'd like to understand the steps involved in the rust bluing process. Where could I find a good reference?

Marc