Allen, I believe you may find it with a search of the Cafe files, but maybe too old.
This get's a bit long. But just incase, here is what it is. Nothing exact or complicated.
And I'm sure it's inexactness will drive your engineering brain crazy.
Into a clean jar pour a couple if inches of acetone.
Pry the lid off of a can of old fashion Long Spar Varnish with a screwdriver. Not the plastic varnish.
Dip the blade of the screwdriver into the varnish and let some drip back off into the can.
Stir the blade into the the acetone jar.
Hold the back of you hand to the light and note it's skin reflection.
Dip a finger of the other hand in acetone/varnish solution and make a quick swipe on the back of you hand.
The heat of your hand will flash off the acetone, leaving the varnish.
If you see no slight sheen from the varnish, add a little more varnish to the solution.
Repeat the swipe on a different, clean part of the back of the hand.
When you have adjusted it until you can just see a slight residual varnish sheen, that is it.
The French Gray treatment etches the steel surface, opening the pores and imparts a phosphoric oxide.
Warm the surface of the metal in the sunlight or with a hair dryer.
Using a Q-tip, swab the solution on the French Gray areas.
The solution fills the pores and the acetone flashes off from the warmth, leaving the residual varnish in the pores of the steel.
Hang it from a wire in a room temp place to dry for about 24 hours.
Clean the surface. Wrap a finger in a single layer of T-shirt material and moisten with acetone.
Use a swiping motion to clean off any surface varnish. Do not flood the surface with acetone.
Again, hang to dry for a day. Ink in the details with Speedball Oil Based Printers ink.
Enjoy your French Gray product for many years.
Sorry for the long spiel !
This get's a bit long. But just incase, here is what it is. Nothing exact or complicated.
And I'm sure it's inexactness will drive your engineering brain crazy.
Into a clean jar pour a couple if inches of acetone.
Pry the lid off of a can of old fashion Long Spar Varnish with a screwdriver. Not the plastic varnish.
Dip the blade of the screwdriver into the varnish and let some drip back off into the can.
Stir the blade into the the acetone jar.
Hold the back of you hand to the light and note it's skin reflection.
Dip a finger of the other hand in acetone/varnish solution and make a quick swipe on the back of you hand.
The heat of your hand will flash off the acetone, leaving the varnish.
If you see no slight sheen from the varnish, add a little more varnish to the solution.
Repeat the swipe on a different, clean part of the back of the hand.
When you have adjusted it until you can just see a slight residual varnish sheen, that is it.
The French Gray treatment etches the steel surface, opening the pores and imparts a phosphoric oxide.
Warm the surface of the metal in the sunlight or with a hair dryer.
Using a Q-tip, swab the solution on the French Gray areas.
The solution fills the pores and the acetone flashes off from the warmth, leaving the residual varnish in the pores of the steel.
Hang it from a wire in a room temp place to dry for about 24 hours.
Clean the surface. Wrap a finger in a single layer of T-shirt material and moisten with acetone.
Use a swiping motion to clean off any surface varnish. Do not flood the surface with acetone.
Again, hang to dry for a day. Ink in the details with Speedball Oil Based Printers ink.
Enjoy your French Gray product for many years.
Sorry for the long spiel !
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