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Merv Cannon




Location: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
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PostPosted: Fri 17 Nov, 2006 10:46 pm    Post subject: Rare Photo of Original Armour Bluing         Reply with quote

I am only posting this shot because its the only one I have seen like it. After the Victorians finished scrubbing all the original finishes off harnesses and making them nice and shiny for the public to see, occasionally people find a hint of the original bluing ( or browning, etc ) like in this rare photo. Some of you would have seen it before...it might be already here somewhere........but for those who havent seen it.......it must have looked quite dazzeling to see the whole (Anime) "Peacock-Blue" breastplate when new !!
Here's the link also.............. http://www.masterarmourer.com/anime_breastplate.htm



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Merv ....... KOLR
http://www.lionrampant.com.au/

"Then let slip the dogs of war ! "......Woof !
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Randall Moffett




Location: Northern Utah
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Reading list: 5 books

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PostPosted: Fri 17 Nov, 2006 11:40 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A few years back alot of the armour I made I began to either blue or black. it does looks nice. We had a bright suit that was identical to a black one I worked on from teh 1610's. Same in every respect but color. I assume that the one had its paint stripped. Interesting though.

That would be a nice color on the piece for sure.

RPM
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Torsten F.H. Wilke




Location: Irvine Spectrum, CA
Joined: 01 Jul 2006

Posts: 250

PostPosted: Sat 18 Nov, 2006 12:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The original blueing looks even more majestic than the new version, in my opinion. What a sight the original, as new, must have been...
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Merv Cannon




Location: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Reading list: 13 books

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PostPosted: Sat 18 Nov, 2006 12:21 am    Post subject: bluing         Reply with quote

Indeed........anyone know how it was done ? I believe a formula was used in the quench ? Might be completely wrong here though ? Anyone doing this today ?
Merv ....... KOLR
http://www.lionrampant.com.au/

"Then let slip the dogs of war ! "......Woof !
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Richard Knipper





Joined: 18 Nov 2006

Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sat 18 Nov, 2006 11:03 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Well, some people at my University are experimenting with making a coloured finish while forging, it looks quite amazing. Maybe these guys (Material Scientists) can give you some advice. I think asking somewhere around here http://www.uni-jena.de/Institut_f%C3%BCr_Mate...logie.html may help. I only saw it on a presentation Wall in their main building, but i could go there to get an email adress if someone is interested .

mfg Richard Knipper
Student at Universität Jena , Germany
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Jonathan Blair




Location: Hanover, PA
Joined: 15 Aug 2005
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PostPosted: Sat 18 Nov, 2006 1:24 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The color reminds me of this. It's a Cimarron Firearms U.S.V Artilery Model 1898 Single Action Army clone. I have one and the finish is a deep peacock blue except where it has wear from the holster and my fingers. There it has "discolored" to a bronze color.


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"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." - The Lord Jesus Christ, from The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, chapter x, verse 34, Authorized Version of 1611
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Justin King
Industry Professional



Location: flagstaff,arizona
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PostPosted: Sat 18 Nov, 2006 3:01 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It's hard to judge from pictures on a computer because monitors and other things will vary somewhat, but you can get a color a lot like this just by heating steel to approx. 600 deg. F. Different colors of oxidation appear on the surface of the steel as a result of heat. The violet color that you can see at the edge of the blue occurs at a slightly lower temp.
At red heat a heavier scale begins to form that is bluish-black.
Good temp. control can produce some interesting colors.
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Torsten F.H. Wilke




Location: Irvine Spectrum, CA
Joined: 01 Jul 2006

Posts: 250

PostPosted: Sat 18 Nov, 2006 7:09 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Here is some info I got from Wikipedia, but edited heavily...

Some prefer to call thin coatings of magnetite (black oxide) by the name bluing, and heavier coatings by the name black oxide. But they are both the same chemical conversion process for providing true steel bluing.

Historically, this process was referred to as browning, as many of the original finishes were brown rather than the newer and safer-to-apply blue coatings that became popular at a later period. Many of the browning and early bluing formulas were based on cyanide containing solutions, which were especially toxic. The terms bluing and browning are interchangeable.

Bluing may be applied by immersing the steel parts in a solution of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, and water heated to the boiling point. Similarly, stainless steel parts are immersed in a mixture of nitrates and chromates. Either of these two methods, among others also, is called hot bluing. Hot bluing is among the most effective forms of bluing, providing the most permanent degree of cosmetic protection. It must be additionally oiled to provide any significant rust resistance.

Large-scale industrial bluing is also performed using a bluing furnace. This is an alternative method for creating the magnetite (black oxide) coating. It is possible to heat steel precisely in a controlled environment, such as to cause the formation of black oxide selectively over the red oxide. It, too, must be additionally oiled to provide any significant rust resistance.
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