Questions about forced patina and bluing

C

ccjcc81

Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
9
Hey guys,

I'm going to strip some coatings off some knives, and I've seen great things done with mustard, of all things. My question is, after a patina pattern is created with mustard, can I then blue the blade? What about bluing first, then mustard? I want a darker blade, but I'd like to put a neat pattern on it like I've seen in some pictures. Will the bluing eliminate the mustard patina? The pics with mustard patina designs don't leave the blade dark enough for me.

Thanks guys.
 
If you're planning on cold bluing with the little bottle of liquid sold in gun shops, it's easy enough to get a blotchy finish without even trying to. I've used it on guns some, and getting a perfect finish with it is extremely difficult. I'd almost say doing a good job with cold blue is harder than hot bluing.

Don't even consider trying hot bluing though... My gunsmith taught me how to do it properly, and still I flat out refuse to have a bluing tank in my shop. Incredibly dangerous process.
As for bluing over a patina, I can't really comment as I haven't tried. I don't imagine it would work very well though, with how picky bluing is for the piece being spotlessly clean.

Cold blue also isn't the most durable stuff....
 
I'm thinking I'll just use vinegar. It seems to work with Mustard pretty well. I'm going for something slightly similar to these:



 
I have heard some folksy they daub alternating blobs of mustard and cold blue paste get a varied effect.I am not sure if they used the selenium and nitric acid and copper sulfate based Birchwood-Casey or the phosphoric acid based Brownells Oxpho.
 
Sorry, new here and cant post a new thread... I'm hoping someone can help. I'd like to do a patina on a full tang knife. How to I do the handle assembly process? If I patina the blade then assemble the handle scales and bolsters, the patina will be removed from the spine during the cleanup and fitting process. Should I make the scales and bolsters a perfect fit before assembly? Then hope when I assemble everything there is no overlap of material to remove? Any suggestions or links would be really appreciated.
 
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