Blackhawk Restyle

[Sharps40]

Lets see...."They" say Blackhawks are hard to blue. In so far as these parts are concerned and using traditional rust bluing methods....Not! Though I've yet to hot tank blue one I'd likely indicate the steels are very blueable and if it turns purple or red....check your technique and heat, one or both is wrong. Last evenings overnight rust cycle produced very fine grained and even rust on all the parts.

After a morning boil, note the black coloration, even thru the fluff appears more even and the coloration will be much darker grey black after carding off the residue. (Closing the garage door last evening kept the temperature near 70F and the humidity climbed to a 3 am high of 60%+.....near perfect for slow, Slow Rust Bluing. For now, I have plenty of other things to do so will continue with Garage as Damp Box....no need for steam or artificially created humidity.

The carding process, on the left, residue on the gate, on the right, the beautiful deep grey black satin bluing that will show on the entire piece when completed.

And here, the cylinder carded. Dotted with flecks of steel wool but blacker than grey very early in the process and the finish is very well evened out. From here, 3 to 5 more cycles of sauce, rust, boil and card to achieve a good finish. Really, doesn't take any longer than the 5 to 6 hours needed for hot tank blue, work is distributed in increments over several days....and no caustic burns and no risk to your vision should you be unwise enough to attempt hot tank caustic bluing with out proper personal protective equipment.

 

[Sharps40]

Three almost dry coats of sauce and a 24 hour sit at an average 65F and 50% humidity. Rust. Lovely! Whatever anyone else may think of a Ruger Lightning conversion, no one can say I have not well and thoroughly rusted these particular action parts. Half way. Several 3 hour rust/boil cycles and tonight, these will either be done or I will place them in the ready for 1 to 2 more 12 to 24 hour rust cycles.

Even, fine grained and a beauteous bloom of oxide.

The coating is so fine and upon carding I find the color of the cylinder pin, sight and ejector rod nut to be complete.....I card and set them aside. They will rest a day in the final treatment....a wipe down of 50/50 Rig grease and Hoppes 9 gun oil.

And here, the smutted parts directly from Boil #3, toweled off and blown dry and allowed to cool before carding and subsequent application of Pilkingtons which will continue to build color and depth as needed on the large parts like the gate, cylinder and ejector rod housing.

The cylinder, half way thru the carding process. Smut carded off the faces and top half of the cylinder......the bottom half remaining to be carded. The color is even and spot free. Everything is carefully handled with clean paper towels to prevent fingerprinting that at this stage will be retained in the finish (necessitating full strip and reblue!). Careful and clean is the watch phrase.

 

[7pt62THOR]

Dang brother. NO ONE can say you took any short cuts! It's gonna be awesome!

 

[Sharps40]

Parts are in for the fourth boil. Should be able to cycle at least twice more and a 24 hour sit for final carding and oiling on Monday evening. Its hard at this point not to run down to the shop and buff out the frame. But patience prevails, its size and many contours merit taking it slow and doing it well......fingers tapping anxiously on the table top.....hmmmm....shortcut?....Nah, can't do it,,,,,,must control myself, must....must....I think I'll go wax the truck and try to forget about it for 3 more hours.....

 

[Sharps40]

Humidity stayed just over 50% today but the temps dropped into the low 60s and rusting just wasn't happenin at a pace that I was happy with. So after the fifth boil and carding I broke out the ever cheep (repurposed cardboard box and coffee mug and cheep red towel) ever effective damp box for the final cycle or two of rusting. In with the carded and sauced parts. Wet paper towel on the bottom, a spacer to keep the parts out of the wet. A hot, durn hot, boilin furiously mug o water for humandidity and warmnessification and drop on the red towel to keep it in.

I located one lil dark spot on the cylinder, next to some pitting. Mighta been a touch of oil contamination but I doubt it cause its darker. It should blend well but either way, its small enough I ain't strippin the cylinder back to bare.

So, a shot of the high tech and totally Green/Recycled/Repurposed damp box assembly......3 hour wait then a boil and another overnighter to keep the process goin.

 

[Sharps40]

These parts are as black as they're gonna get. A very nice color with a grey tone typical of slow rust bluing. Blackens up nicely when oiled and the overnight treatment is a good wipe down, in and out with 50/50 Rig grease and Hoppes 9 oil. (before oiling, the cylinder bores and the pin bore are cleaned out with dry fitting bronze bore brushes....the bores are shiny bright like new). There is a bit of smut left down in the cylinder stop notches. I'll have to dig in there with pipe cleaners or something, its hard to get them lil nooks carded out....I did some brush work but for now, an oil soak and more of the smut should float out of them low square crannies later.

The darker dot on the cylinder as discussed above. Its near a spot of pitting on the cylinder circumference so, maybe they are related. Don't know but its a small dot and as such, I am NOT strippin back to bare steel to start the bluing over. If I had polka dots all over, I would cry, then strip it bare and reblue. In the photo you can just see the dot at 12 oclock on the line between light and shadow.

Another look at the parts, different angle, different light on them....black dot on the end of the brass ejector button looks neat.

Last one...guess its time to start bluing the frame....might get some help by the weekend as Thursday should see local temps back up to 90+F and the humidity should climb a bit too....good tidings if yer in the business of rusting gun steel.

 

[Sharps40]

First. Hard to hold, keep finger prints off, so a jig to hold this for sauce applications and rusting.

Coarse brush, 3000 rpm, light touch, quick work, satin finish.

3 times around the wheel for an even finish.

A few more of those hidden pits and age marks, dents, scuffs. No need to polish em out and change the shapes so close to the edges.....they won't be obvious or a bother. Besides, its honest age.

First boil is clean water to try to get all the gunk out of the tight spots.

 

[Sharps40]

15 minutes ago the freshly stripped steel was dropped into boiling water to clean it in preparation for first rusting. As ya can see....rust forms instantaneously. Invisible when it came off the wire brush, it was turned to ferroferric oxide in the boiling water....black spots. This is why any gunsmith worth his salt will demand to polish your gun. It must go to bluing as fast as possible after removing the original black rust. Otherwise, the job won't be as good as could be. Ya ain't savin much by polishing it youownself and then cartin it in for bluing....just let the smith do it all.

Spotty, it can't be blued but it is clean.

Hot steel, clean wire brush, 3000 rpm, light touch, quick removal and immediately move to the bluing operation....don't touch the steel, wear gloves or handle with paper towels or both.

Warm clean steel, a bit of sauce and instant color, rust. Garage temps are in the mid 80s and the humidity hovering at a healthy 57%...should be a perfect first bloom in double quick time.

I actually have to work till Thursday afternoon....sucks. So, Tue to Thur will be 24 hour rust cycles with boiling each evening. Sauce will be applied after each boil, then 9 PM, then 5 AM and boiled again in the evenings. Friday and sat should see 3 to 12 hour rust and boil cycles as I'll be on holiday! Maybe, just maybe, done on Saturday!

 

[Sharps40]

45 minutes in and I went out to check and get on with the second very dry coat of sauce (first coat is always a bit wet) per the pilkingtons destructions and low and behold a beautiful and very fine grained bloom of red rust has already formed on about 50% of the steel. Me so happy. If it goes well, I will O-Fish-Ally pernounce Ruger Blackhawk Steel easy peasy super dooper in no way difficult to blue....regardless of what Innerweb Arm Chair Cheeto Eatin Coke Swillin WannaBeOtherThan a HackerSmith's have to say bout it! We'll see....we shall see.....

 

[Sharps40]

I'da never figgered in the last half of my life I'd be makin guns rust on a regular basis stead of rubbin em down with oil and cussin at the red mess....