How to Slow Rust Blue Gun Metal

Slow rust bluing got its name because it's slow, but did you know the process is fairly easy? Let me take you through the steps.

We start by boiling the parts in soapy water to remove all the grease and oil. I'll be using Pilkington's classic rust blue solution. Using a swab, the solution is applied to the raceways.

I then use a cleaning rod to hold the barreled action and apply the solution to the outside surface using a damp cotton pad. The key here is using long and even strokes.

After letting the part set for one hour, I'll apply another coat and set it for another three hours. By that point, the entire surface should be rusted over.

Boiling the part in clean, deionized water converts the red rust to a black oxide and carding off the velvet leaves a nice dark surface.

I'll repeat this process of coating, boiling, and carding until the desired color is reached. The last step is covering the surface in boiled linseed oil to stop the rusting process.

Slow rust bluing is definitely slow, but the results speak for themselves.

-- Larry Potterfield