French grey techniques

[mitch]

Hi Everyone-
The other day I was seeking photos of the first SCI Big Five rifle (thx again, Roger!) because a client wanted to see the retro ‘80s blue, grey, & gold finish. Turns out it wasn’t idle curiosity and he wants that treatment on his next project. Apparently everything really does come back in style.

I have not done it in 30+ years and was wondering if anybody has any new technical suggestions?

As best as I can recall, I would melt some beeswax into the cuts, wipe the surface clean with acetone dampened newsprint, mask the edges with nail polish, deblue with naval jelly, neutralize with baking soda, rinse, dry, oil. Is that still pretty much the drill? Is new improved Tid-E-Bowl now preferred or??? Better mask than Sally Hansen HardAsNails? Beeswax or microcrystalline or ?

thx in advance!

 

[JJ Roberts]

The technique I use for French grey hot or slow rust blue on the gun parts and strip with Lysol 10x power toilet bowl cleaner and neutralize with baking soda works for me. J.J.

 

[SamW]

I usually mask off the area I wish to grey and remove the blue with naval jelly. A few applications of the jelly helps really get the metal looking right. I don't protect the cuts with wax. Instead, I apply Renaissance wax with some lamp black added to blacken the cuts after blue removal. A couple of coats of the black wax is followed by 2 or 3 coats of clear wax.

 

[AllenClapp]

I usually mask off the area I wish to grey and remove the blue with naval jelly. A few applications of the jelly helps really get the metal looking right. I don't protect the cuts with wax. Instead, I apply Renaissance wax with some lamp black added to blacken the cuts after blue removal. A couple of coats of the black wax is followed by 2 or 3 coats of clear wax.

Do you melt the Renaissance Wax to add the lamp black?

 

[JJ Roberts]

Back in the day I used Naval jelly to remove the bluing on a Winchester and it etched the metal so bad I had a hell of a time restoring the metal for engraving I would'nt recommend Naval jelly for stripping bluing Lysol is what I use. J.J.

 

[SamW]

Allen, no, that s not needed. I just put a small dab of wax on some wax paper and then stir in a small amount of lamp black with a toothpick and smear it in place with a finger tip. I never had the problem JJ mentions.

 

[DKanger]

I never had the problem JJ mentions.

It's a matter of timing and technique. Some get it right and some don't.

 

[tdelewis]

I have a small plastic container that can be purchased at Walmart in the section where they keep travel items. I have about a teaspoon of wax in it mixed with inletting black. I put a few drops of lighter fluid on and smear it around it each time I use it. The lighter fluid softens the wax nicely.

 

[KevinCunningham]

I am very interested in this topic!

In my gunsmithing adventures before I started scratching them “cold blue” was always a dirty word so I would usually rust blue everything.

The problem is that rust blue needs a little tooth to work well, like at least 400 grit satin finish, and a bead blast works even better, getting that nice orange brown rust quickly, going nicely gray then black in boiling water, and actually coming out often smoother than when you started due to repeated cycles of gentle carding.

I’ve gotten neat results with cold blue done and steel-wooled back for contrast, sometimes mixed with a little rusto flat black oil paint after too.

I feel like maybe there is no accepted or best way? I have books that talk about laquering over white steel engraving, I’ve talked to engravers that have heard different things or sort of guard their secrets…

 

[jswanswan]

I am also very interested in this topic. I live in the cold swamplands of Michigan where everything flash rusts.

Naval jelly and rust remover dips are phosphoric acid, and toilet bowl cleaner is hydrochloric typically. Do either really leave a layer of oxides that protect from rust? Some products claim to. The FEGA manual includes a description referencing a DuPont product that doesn't seem to be available anymore, as well as a how-to for varnishing. A practice piece I did treat with phosphoric rust remover dip and varnish has not rusted where varnished (though it has where not varnished).

For blackening, I've heard rustoleum flat black (which I've used to nice effect but I don't have data on long term durability). Another engraver suggested oil based Speedball ink. Renaissance wax with pigment added makes a ton of logical sense. I come from an art background, not gunsmithing, and this is the first I've heard of inletting black. Can anyone speak to the durability of different blackeners?

Am I just overthinking this? It wouldn't be the first time .........

 

[SamW]

I have had great success with the Renaissance wax and lamp black. I use the lamp black because it does not add anything but the fine lamp black. Then I put a few clear coats of wax over the tinted coats.

 

[jswanswan]

I have had great success with the Renaissance wax and lamp black. I use the lamp black because it does not add anything but the fine lamp black. Then I put a few clear coats of wax over the tinted coats.

Thank you! Do you put the clear wax layers over the entire surface to protect from rust? Or just in the cuts?

 

[RhoTu]

I have had great success with the Renaissance wax and lamp black. I use the lamp black because it does not add anything but the fine lamp black. Then I put a few clear coats of wax over the tinted coats.

Noob question. How do you mix the two? Heat the wax? Any ratio?

 

[SamW]

I use a flat toothpick to put a small dab of wax (unheated) on some wax paper then dip the end of the toothpick into the lampblack. Then stir the lampblack into the wax and use. It does not take much lampblack to make the wax black. This will darken cuts and heko bring out detail without coating the main surfaces with black.

I have found this treatment to work on castings as well. Real easy to apply and redo if needed later.