Regarding Freckling~

4 Scale · 08-17-2017, 07:31 PM

The whole idea behind using mild abrasives like 0000 steel wool is that browish/reddish rust is much softer than a blued surface. I have verified under a microscope that rust on Lugers is in fact quite soft - almost like a powder loosely attached to the surface, and that blue has far higher resistance to mild abrasion.

The trick is to use light pressure and lubricant with whatever abrasive you select, so that there is not enough pressure to damage the original blue. As Eric's video above shows, different abrasives are available. Cloth, polishing compound and 0000 steel wool are all types of abrasives from mild to more aggressive.

As rust progresses pits form and begin increasing in depth. IMO the difference between freckling and pitting is simply depth. As pits progress in depth, steel wool and similar simply cannot get to the bottom of the depression to remove the loose rust.

08-17-2017, 07:31 PM	#13
4 Scale User Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 544 Thanks: 194 Thanked 490 Times in 251 Posts	The whole idea behind using mild abrasives like 0000 steel wool is that browish/reddish rust is much softer than a blued surface. I have verified under a microscope that rust on Lugers is in fact quite soft - almost like a powder loosely attached to the surface, and that blue has far higher resistance to mild abrasion. The trick is to use light pressure and lubricant with whatever abrasive you select, so that there is not enough pressure to damage the original blue. As Eric's video above shows, different abrasives are available. Cloth, polishing compound and 0000 steel wool are all types of abrasives from mild to more aggressive. As rust progresses pits form and begin increasing in depth. IMO the difference between freckling and pitting is simply depth. As pits progress in depth, steel wool and similar simply cannot get to the bottom of the depression to remove the loose rust.