The Armour Archive

Any one know how you get this color / patina?

looks like birchwood casey gun black then allowed to rust just a little

CT03 wrote:looks like birchwood casey gun black then allowed to rust just a little

Sure looks like Gun Blue. Maybe with a little scotchbrite on the highpoints to simulate wear.

Is that one of Gilmans suits?

Yeah, it's Chris Gilman's. Probably write his name in the thread title and he'll pop in describing the process. I think this one's just regular ol' bluing solution, though... I recall having to clean it a bit before one Pennsic and he had to re-apply the chemical to some rusted areas on the skull. In fact, from these photos it almost seems like he's got the patina going right along with the chemicals, not sure that's exactly the sort of color it's meant to be. *shrugs*

-Gerhard

Gerhard is correct, my helmet. "How to get this color?"
It's a bitch! This was done with a chemical blackening made by Sur-Fin. It is very inconsistent and 80% of the time it wipes off almost completely unless the surface is just right. What is just right you ask? I don't know, I never could find a pattern to what worked and what didn't. I have had the same results with many other blackening solutions.

Chris Gilman

One of my mild steel helms resembles this shade. Basically just used a scotch bright pad and black shoe polish. It slowly darkened up over time with the build up of polish and a bit of surface rust

OK thanks Chris - Slank and the rest for the help I think what I will do is read some more on how to get this look on guns and see what I can find.

This was done with old/reused "gun blue"

Interesting thanks whonew

If I was to try to mimic that patina I'd start by bluing the steel, probably by leaving it in my oven at 500° until it darkened. Then as Johann says maybe use use a scotchbrite pad to put a bit of wear on the high spots.

Next seal it up in a plastic trash bag with with an open dish of muriatic acid in there with it. Leave it someplace where it won't be bothered and check on it every few days. The vapors from the muriatic will rust it up quick.

When it looks done take it out and knock the active rust off with the scotchbrite pad, then either give it a light coat of linseed oil or rub it down with carnauba wax.

Try it with a test piece first though...

If you can find a copy of "Firearm Blueing and Browning" by R.H. Angier it is a great guide to the treatment of iron and steel.
Rust blueing that is then "Buffed" off might give a nice look.

Thanks Woodwose and Vinnie.

Watch out for some of the formulas in the book. Some are not at all user friendly and can be toxic through touch or inhalation.

Vinnie

OK thanks Vinnie do not want to poisen myself or something

Heck, even "cold blue" is nasty stuff. Be careful with ANY chemical treatments.
I love the late "Black and White" armor, but I have kept to polished helms for the overheating issues here in the desert.

Vinnie.

The polished stuff looks good but I want to have just enough of a patina so I can show wear patterns on the edges etc. To make it a little more used looking. It is going to be interesting gettting it just right.

So, Chris Gilman, what are those gray spots? I thought they were rivets in your leather camail strap at first, but blowing the image well up to the point of going a bit fuzzy shows tiny dark vervelles with the yellow cord going through them -- and the gray spots.

Thanks for the pics I appreciate patinas.
I think it gives the armour character.

I like to use the Japanese Brown and Magic Black from Sculpt Nouveau.
A little scotch bright and oil can age it quite well.

Best of luck on your quest.

Hal.

Thanks Halberds.

Konstantin the Red wrote:So, Chris Gilman, what are those gray spots? I thought they were rivets in your leather camail strap at first, but blowing the image well up to the point of going a bit fuzzy shows tiny dark vervelles with the yellow cord going through them -- and the gray spots.

They are decorative studs/rivets. I'm pretty sure I did this based on a period example, but now I can't find it. So maybe I made it up.

On the coloring question: I just used some Birchwood-Casey "Antique black M-24 patina for bronze, brass & copper" on some steel hinges and it gives a very nice consistent black, if allowed to react, then with running water only, washed off, no rubbing. Then a clear sealer (wax, oil or clear paint) I was surprised because I thought it was for steel until I checked the bottle again.

Quite a few of the chemical darkening compounds work on nearly any metal to one extent or another,
I used to use birchwood casey to darken copper and brass.
It worked fairly well for small items, but I never tried it on large ones.

Has anyone tried the urine field browning technique for armor?

It was used for gun barrels and iron furniture and the like in the 18th and 19th centuries, but I had not thought to experiment with it on helmets or armor.

-Badger-

One old school method to get a deep dark black is to rust brown the steel and card it a few times then boil it for a few minutes. Process to get an even brown takes time.

If I decide on a black can I get a black like this with Oxpho Blue? I am going to want it just as worn looking I do not need super shiney even black since I am just going to rough it up and get it back down to something like this.

I once got mild chocolate color like that when quenching a hilt made mostly from 5160 in a bucket of soapy water... dawn blue concentrate/ultra type. I'd had the whole hilt at the critical temp, then dunked and swished in the dishsoapy water. I tempered it to 430F or something like that and dunked it again. Later attempts with other alloys in the same soapy bucket didn't work. I never managed to replicate it. Clearly, magic.

sulla123 wrote:If I decide on a black can I get a black like this with Oxpho Blue? I am going to want it just as worn looking I do not need super shiney even black since I am just going to rough it up and get it back down to something like this.

I might be wrong but that almost looks as if its been silvered and is almost black from tarnish.

Im not familiar with oxpho blue, but what I would try would be to heat the metal to the blackened shade and let it cool. Add a blueing agent and wipe it down to whatever effect you want. I've been meaning to test it out but haven't gotten around to it.

What is the info on that piece anyways? I always liked the look of blackened steel and gilded etching.