"Age-ing" a nickle magazine???

[sheepherder]

OK, my 1900 AE came with a very weathered magazine which appears to have a nickle plated body (well, originally it was nickle plated)...

I have two new Mec-Gar nickle plated mags which I want to use/display with it...but they mags are bright and clean, unlike the well-used look of my original...(Pic attached)...

Any ideas on how to artificially age the Mec-Gar mags to simulate a used look???

I was wondering if a watered-down acid would give the worn look...Maybe sprayed in the air with a plastic bottle sprayer [Windex bottle?] and allowed to disfigure the nickle body...

I like the aged, weathered, patina look of both the 1900 and the mag...

[George Anderson]

Forty-eight hours submerged in a can of human urine. It works like magic on steel and brass.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by George Anderson

Forty-eight hours submerged in a can of human urine. It works like magic on steel and brass.

... ...

Now, I've heard that ancient Japanese swordmakers hardened/tempered their swords in urine of different animals...

Does urine 'spot' the nickle magazine shell, or discolor it, or what??? is there anything you should drink to improve the effectiveness???

(I can see this thread is going to spiral out of control any moment now...)

[George Anderson]

Beer works for me.

[Vlim]

It all depends on what you ate and drank the day before

But the tricks shown here are probably less harmful (and embarassing)

http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/...0017&clk=81341

[sheepherder]

Hmph...I guess I could cut the top off a 2 liter pop bottle to hold the mags + fluid...but it'll probably take me 2 or 3 days to completely cover the upright-standing magazines...

...My output isn't what it used to be...

Thanks, George...I think...

[sheepherder]

George, if you're still following this (and not laughing your butt off - I'm still hunting for snipes), does the urine-soak also turn the metal brown???

And I'm sitting here, with my plastic bottle, and nothing...If I didn't want any, I couldn't stop...

I ask because I re-barreled my infamous 'Red Five" C96 and want to blend the new metal in with the old...It's all a nice brown patina color...Except the new barrel...

[George Anderson]

A friend of mine made some K-date type cleaning rods and sent one to me. It was brand new and minty steel. After twenty-four hours and a steel wool rub down this was the result:

[George Anderson]

After a second twenty-four hours and before the wipe down:

[George Anderson]

After the final wipe-down and oiling:

[sheepherder]

Thanks for the pics, George!

All righty!!! It's a go!!!

I've started accumulating the required materials now...It'll take a day or maybe two, at least...Then another two days to 'soak'...I'll try the Red Five barrel first...

I'm not so sure about the nickel magazines...Aren't they nickel plated to resist corrosion???

[GySgt1811]

Postino,

Take it from and old diabetic...store the accumulating etching fluid in a closed container in the reefer until you have enough for your needs; then let it rise to...ahhh..."room" temperature before use.

Regards,

John

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by GySgt1811

Take it from and old diabetic...store the accumulating etching fluid in a closed container in the reefer until you have enough for your needs; then let it rise to...ahhh..."room" temperature before use.

Ah...This is a new area for me...Is there a reason for storing it with my chopped ham, Snickers bars, Little Debbie brownies, Pepsi, chocolate milk, Chinese cookies, and Maxwell House coffee???

I could just leave it out on the back porch...Where the dog can't knock it over...

It's not like the house hasn't known the smell before...I've had dogs since 1973...

Edit: Accumulating etching material takes longer than I would have thought...Drinking Pepsi & coffee, seems like less goes out than goes in...I suppose that's correct: I seem to recall that most moisture leaves your body through your breath, rather than sweat or other...Heh, funny force of habit - Still flushing even though nothing in the Porcelain Throne...

[tomaustin]

For Sale thread...........

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by tomaustin

hey, if it doesn't work, you can always list it on the For Sale thread...........

You need Mec-Gar mags??? Greg Cote has them in stock, fast shipping...

[GySgt1811]

"Is there a reason for storing it with my chopped ham, Snickers bars, Little Debbie brownies, Pepsi, chocolate milk, Chinese cookies, and Maxwell House coffee???"

Flavor enhancement, for one reason.

Actually, to keep stink and mold growth down. The albumen in the urine breaks down and gets...rather funky. However, it might not affect the uric acid content which does most of the etching.

(Years ago, I took a gallon jug of holy water into the doctor's office as requested. However, the sawbones forgot to tell me to refrigerate it during the collection process. His nurse popped the cap and cleared the office...)

Tee Hee,

John

[Ben M.]

what did/does the urine soak do to the wood of a magazine?

[George Anderson]

Never used it on wood, only brass and steel.

[Ron Wood]

Originally Posted by Ben M.

what did/does the urine soak do to the wood of a magazine?

It would do it a world of hurt. In addition to discoloring the wood and raising the grain, the wood will swell and probably stink forever.

[sheepherder]

OK, I have accumulated 1 1/2 liters of etching fluid...and it's in a cut-off plastic 2 liter AWB Root Beer bottle...On an old desk on the back stoop...Surrounded by garbage containers...and interested dogs...

And the test subject is my infamous C96 Mauser with the new 30 cal barrel...I posted the 'before' pic below...(Bore plugged off)...

I really want this to 'brown'...Etching is OK but incidental...If, after 48 hours immersed in George's Magic Elixir it doesn't turn brown, I'll wash it off in boiling water and then get some Birchwood Casey Plum Brown and try that...

I'll post the 24 hour pics here tomorrow...