The Armour Archive

I have some nice aluminum armour and I LOVE it, but I HATE that gray look it has....it just doesnt look right...

I dont have the funds right now to replace any thing so I wanted to see if I could Blue it so it looked better.

Before I go out and buy the Bluing compund, I was hoping to see if anyone knows if you can blue aluminum???
Its 6061 T-6 if that counts for anything

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/anodizedye.htm

I think you will have to anodize aluminum. Caswellplating sells kits to anodize aluminum. The link above is for the color options.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by sarnac:
<B>I have some nice aluminum armour and I LOVE it, but I HATE that gray look it has....it just doesnt look right...

I dont have the funds right now to replace any thing so I wanted to see if I could Blue it so it looked better.

Before I go out and buy the Bluing compund, I was hoping to see if anyone knows if you can blue aluminum???
Its 6061 T-6 if that counts for anything</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, you can do a chemical treatment but to my knowledge it might not look like "blued" armor.

Example:

There is Aluminum Black, from Birchwood Casey (you can get the product line through Small Parts Inc., www.smallparts.com), which is "for use on aluminum and aluminum alloys. Color varies from pewter to deep black depending on alloy treated."

Let me know if use it; I am curious as to how well it will work...

I dont have the cash to invest in an anodizing kit right now...which is why I was going to try bluing....

bluing might take perfectly well, given the right conditions. I am told that stainless can be blued too, if it is given a brushing first. Perhaps something similar exists for Al

went to the loal gun store and got some Aluminum Black....

not at all what I was hoping...it is nothing like bluing...

ah well...I will try somethign else.