Gunpowder metal finish

razormaker

razormaker

Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
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Here is an odd question. I've been told there is a method for aging or putting an antique finish on blades that involves gunpowder. This is probably an old school thing that is not too well known. I would Google it but I don't want to type in gunpowder and metal, probably would get some unwanted visitors from the government.

Anyone know of this process?

Thanks
 
I'm too concerned about the government chasing me down so I googled it for you. Just found a lot of links to powder coating. No real information. Maybe someone else will weigh in. Sorry I couldn't help.
 
There are finishing methods that use nitrates for bluing steel. Potassium nitrate and the like are components of black powder.
I'm pretty well-versed in metal finishes and know of no method that involves gunpowder.
 
Oh! I know! I am not sure what metals it works on, but I know for a fact it works on copper and brass. One needs to use the fouling from a musket and spread it on the surface of whatever they want to tarnish. It can be replicated by mixing a bit of black powder with enough water to turn into a heavy sludge. I know it works with true blackpowder, but I am unsure what other powders it works with. I am in reenacting, and this is how I tarnished the buttons on my shell coat.
 
Ferahgo said:
Oh! I know! I am not sure what metals it works on, but I know for a fact it works on copper and brass. One needs to use the fouling from a musket and spread it on the surface of whatever they want to tarnish. It can be replicated by mixing a bit of black powder with enough water to turn into a heavy sludge. I know it works with true blackpowder, but I am unsure what other powders it works with. I am in reenacting, and this is how I tarnished the buttons on my shell coat.
Click to expand...

So this works on copper and brass but not on carbon steels?
 
Black powder will have an effect on copper alloys since the BP contains sulfur which creates copper sulfide.Iron should also turn into an iron sulfide but probably not as easily as copper.
 
Yes, this is an old patination method that gives similar results to livers of sulfur ( which is also an old treatment). It works on coper metals and silver ( because silver has copper in it), but I never heard of it being used on knives. IIRC, it was called "gunpowder black". I have an old manual with all sorts of alloying, mixes, treatments and solutions. Some are really funny in today's world, calling for thorium, telluric acid, cyanide, and arsenic.
 
Silver sulfide is black , no copper needed.Silveroxide is white but found only in ozone environments. 'Tarnish' on silver is the sulfide . For a sterlingsilver that resists tarnishing ask for Argentium.
 
You are correct that silver sulfide is dark, but the darkness of tarnished silver is caused by the sulfide and oxides of the small amount of copper in sterling. That is why it resists tarnish if you remove the copper or use fine silver ( 99.9% silver). Silver sulfide doesn't form easily at room temperature, but copper sulfide easily forms at that temperature.

A few of the new silver alloys are argentium, sterlium, sterlium plus, silvadium, elite. These are made with germanium, palladium, and/or other elements to replace the 7.5% copper...which greatly reduces the tarnish.

Silver sulfide is hard as well as black, which is why patination with livers of sulfur can make durable silver objects. Sterling silver filings are mixed with sulfur ( and usually lead and copper), then heated to make a black sulfide, which is ground up and put in recessed engraving/carving on metal jewelry and objects to create niello style jewelry and decorative ware ( particularly popular in Thailand).

Plain copper can be made to form a thick coating of copper sulfide that looks similar to shibuichi and shakudo. Soak in a strong livers of sulfur solution , rinse, buff with fine steel wool, re-soak, repeat until the surface is a shiny gray-black. I do this on most of my copper sword fittings.
 
Forgot about old niello and haven't kept up on silver alloys after Argentium. Our experiences with silver are from two different view points .LOL !
 
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