How to achieve a speckled aged patina on metal

[Florida airgunner]

Hi guys

I'm wondering how to achieve this aged look on metal with it all speckled like you see on a lot of orignal muskets.
These orignal muskets also have a dark matte like finish that I want to replicate.Can anyone help me?

Thanks

 

[Whitworth]

I aged a loading lever to match such a look by wrapping in paper towel wetted with bleach and left to dry. It rusted it up some spots and not others YMMV.

 

[Florida airgunner]

I aged a loading lever to match such a look by wrapping in paper towel wetted with bleach and left to dry. It rusted it up some spots and not others YMMV.

Does the rust come out black or red for you? All the rust I get is the ugly red colour.

 

[tenngun]

Does the rust come out black or red for you? All the rust I get is the ugly red colour.

Treat with boiling water and then buff and oil. Essentially browning in spots
Another option is cold blue. Lightly applied with a sponge then cleaned with navy jelly then the hot water treatment
You just want to touch and remove the sponge, don’t wipe as you just want splotches of color

 

[The Crisco Kid]

A friend gets good results by using cold blue first and then bleach as mentioned.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Gray it and shoot it, it will turn over time, even if well oiled.

My fowler after about 5 years.

 

[64Springer]

Paint your steel parts with real black powder fouling and put it in a steamed up bathroom.

Don't drown the parts with humidity or the fouling will be washed away.

When the parts are damp sprinkle table salt on the parts.

Be patient and let the humidity, fouling and salt do its work.

You'll end up with blackish flecks.


PS: Degrease with acetone first.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

WHOA .. that be one FUNKY percussion hammer conversion from a flintlock thar'!

I never wudda guessed that 'Bubba' had ancestor's that old!

 

[64Springer]

I'm rather proud of my rabbit with a can of carrots stuck on its nose.

Lots of file work.

 

[Whitworth]

Does the rust come out black or red for you? All the rust I get is the ugly red colour.

I got mostly dark specks, real corrosion specks. I grayed a cylinder by painting with mustard and letting it dry. Mustard just acts as a sludge to hold vinegar against the metal, specially in the nooks and crannies.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Like this?

 

[Florida airgunner]

Like this?

Exactly like that! How'd you pull it off?

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

I browned and rubbed it back with pumice and lemon oil using my hands as the sand paper. Accelerated handling. Spray bottle with vinegar to finish...

 

[Rebel bull]

I screwed up on a pistol barrel once. I was about a third of the way into hot blueing it and had a emergency call from work so I didn’t have time to rinse it and I wanted to protect it from contamination I wrapped it up in tinfoil and left it in my basement shop. Several weeks later ( life got in the way) I found it where I had left it and peeled off the foil I thought I had ruined it. It was covered in plaque rust after carding it and oiling it, it looks like a pattern welded barrel the amount of pattern is determined by how much you card it.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

Like this?

Really nice carving, I'm envious!

 

[springfield art]

Hi guys

I'm wondering how to achieve this aged look on metal with it all speckled like you see on a lot of orignal muskets.
These orignal muskets also have a dark matte like finish that I want to replicate.Can anyone help me?

Thanks

(Joke) You take the yolk from a Speckled Hen egg and paint it onto the metal; let sit for 3 minutes and rinse with orange juice!(Joke)

 

[longwalk]

I used bleach in a spray bottle, spray let it sit for awhile- hosed if off with cold water,dried it made a paste with baking soda- coat barrel with it. let dry, card it off, wipe it down, coat with atf ( auto trans. fluid) let it sit for awhile clean off rub it back with steel wool or scotch bright. (degrease barrel first)

 

[Florida airgunner]

I used bleach in a spray bottle, spray let it sit for awhile- hosed if off with cold water,dried it made a paste with baking soda- coat barrel with it. let dry, card it off, wipe it down, coat with atf ( auto trans. fluid) let it sit for awhile clean off rub it back with steel wool or scotch bright. (degrease barrel first)

Can I see the finished product if you don't mind? This sounds interesting

 

[PathfinderNC]

After thoroughly washing and degreasing the metal, I cold brown it for several days. It gets a deep rust that I rub out until I get a nice even grey color. Sometimes I allow it to even pit, which can look very cool.
One important step is to first round off the crisp edges of it has an octagon barrel. These should appear worn as well.
Sometimes I will nick the barrel with the corner of an old file to give it some nice indentations as well.
Here are a few examples.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

After thoroughly washing and degreasing the metal, I cold brown it for several days. It gets a deep rust that I rub out until I get a nice even grey color. Sometimes I allow it to even pit, which can look very cool.
One important step is to first round off the crisp edges of it has an octagon barrel. These should appear worn as well.
Sometimes I will nick the barrel with the corner of an old file to give it some nice indentations as well.
Here are a few examples.

That's basically how I do mine but I use a sweat box. usually three coats of brown over three days, no carding. They I may leave it to rust for up to a week depending on the look I'm after. I too beat the hell out of the barrel with various tools.