Rust Bluing

[timn]

Originally Posted by nukem556

well, you guys must have connections, because I can find NO ONE that will sell nitric acid to a private individual!

A good industrial cleaning supply house will sell it to you by the gallon.

That's way too much for a casual user just to make up a small batch of rust blue solution. By the time you get all the acids you will have spent as much as a bottle of commercial solution will cost you.
Plus, you don't have to deal with the dangers and experimentation to get the solution to work the way you want.

You would be far better off to just by some Pilkinton's or similar solution.

The color you get really depends on the way and amount of polishing on the steel and the number of "trips" you make.

It's a slow process and requires a lot of patience to get the best results.

It is worth the effort, but it doesn't happen quickly.