Steel in aqua fortis

[CWC]

Most of the recipes for aqua fortis call for iron to be added to the acid/water mix. Since pure iron is hard to find, I assume that most people are using steel. Am I assuming correctly, or should I go hunt for some actual iron? Will there be any problems with using the steel shavings from filing my barrel and lock plate?

 

[paulvallandigham]

You will get better results using low carbon steel used in nails, staples, etc. But, filings from the barrel will work, depending on the nature of the steel. One barrel maker uses 4140 steel which is much harder than what is normally used for MLer barrels. I don't know how well filings from 4140 steel would work in nitric acid.

A lot of people simply put something like steel wool into the bottle of acid, after first washing the oil/wax in the steel wool OUT. Without the oil/wax, steel wool rusts easily, because its so fine. Let new steel wool soak in soap and hot water for half an hour, pour out the liquid, and rinse out the soap with clean water. Dab the wool dry on paper towels, and drop it in the jar of acid, and let the jar sit until the wool is a cloud on the bottom of the jar.

 

[Stophel]

Don't put steel wool into it unless you want great billowing clouds of noxious red death.

 

[necchi]

Most of the recipes for aqua fortis call for iron to be added to the acid/water mix.

Where did you find that?
I've always believed aqua fortis IS just nitric acid and water??, It's the application of said to steel and/or wood that lends the result you want by using the stuff.?

 

[rabjr]

Ever watch Hershal House drop steel wool in the acid? Like Stophel said you don't want to breath the stuff.

You need steel particles disolved in the acid, this is what gets into the pores of the wood and when you "Blush" the wood with a hot iron or heat gun, you get instant rust within the pores, thats where you get the color from. And it becomes part of the wood, dosan't just stain it like other stains.

 

[Zonie]

The Aqua Fortis used for staining gunstocks always has iron in the Nitric Acid.

Actually, the iron or steel is dissolved to the point that more iron or steel won't dissolve.

Making this stuff is a high risk job because as the others have said, great clouds of poisonous gas is produced by the reaction.
Being a fairly strong acid adds to the dangers.

I will repeat Stophels warning.
DO NOT PUT STEEL WOOL OR STEEL SHAVINGS OR FILINGS INTO THE NITRIC ACID .
Nails, pieces of heavy fence wire or chunks of steel will work and they won't produce the instant reaction that thin, fine pieces of steel will make.

Also, as with any strong acid, DO NOT ADD WATER TO THE ACID. If you want to dilute the acid, slowly add the acid to the water.

My advice to anyone who wants to make their own Aqua Fortis is DON'T.

There are several places which supply muzzleloading parts that sell it, already made.

 

[rabjr]

Also, as with any strong acid, DO NOT ADD WATER TO THE ACID. If you want to dilute the acid, slowly add the acid to the water.

Also do not use tap water, everything I have read says rain water for use in making and diluting Nitrate of Iron, (Aquafortis).

 

[billd]

The warning about fumes are very serious. I make my own. I use 1 part 69% acid and 5 parts of water directly from my well. Steel today has all kinds of alloys in it. I use lathe turning chips from AMERICAN MADE Grade 30 cast iron. Outside, I pour acid into the water in a glass mason jar. Then throw a handful of chips in and run like heck. A cloud of red smoke will come from the bottle for several minutes, very dangerous to breathe, watch the wind direction. DO NOT put a lid on the bottle. After several days of sitting I filter the mix into another jar through a coffee filter. I leave the new jar in my garage with a lid loose enough to breathe. This gives me a dark brown with red undertones. If it's to dark for your tastes add more water.

 

[necchi]

Thanks for the explanations, that's where I got confused, you guys are Making aqua fortis.
I have on hand several bottles of the original Wakon Bay Aqua Fortis, and I was thinking That you need to add iron to that!
:redface:

 

[rabjr]

Thanks for the explanations, that's where I got confused, you guys are Making aqua fortis.
I have on hand several bottles of the original Wakon Bay Aqua Fortis, and I was thinking That you need to add iron to that!
:redface:

I'm not, I was lucky enough to visit Eric Ketenburgs site a few years back when he was selling some and stated it was probably the last he would make and sell. As it was right when I was just getting started on my 1792 I ordered two bottles of his Nitrate of Iron. It's a 1/6 ratio. He states to use rain water to dilute it if you wish to. I just use it as is and maple looks beautiful with it. I just posted three guns I used it on in the other thread "What guns have you built?" The lancaster came out gorgious using it to stain it.

 

[mikemeteor]

CWC - check out this thread Aqua Fortis 101 if you haven't already.

If you're a little turned off by anything remotely associated with great billowing clouds of noxious red death fumes, run away fast upwind or you'll dissolve like that Nazi general did when they opened the Ark at the end of The Raiders of the Lost Ark movie :shocked2:, you could always skip that first step and go with dissolving ferric nitrate crystals in rainwater or alcohol.

The crystals are cheap and easily available online Science Company - but of course this could detract a little bit from the satisfaction of making a completely homemade brew.
I'm giving the ferric nitrate crystals a go on my current build - I have no personal experience with it yet myself.

 

[paulvallandigham]

When a club member made some aqua fortis while watched, he put postage stamp size bits of steel wool into the jar. Yes, gases are given off, and he did this on a windy day where the winds blew steadily out of the NW. We stayed up wind. But, the reaction was not so violent as to cause any explosion. Now, if he had put a fist full of steel wool into the jar, THAT would have caused a problem. He was using the coarse steel wool, IIRC, and not the fine, 4-0 Steel wool we use for finishing stocks.

My father made some when I was a kid using brads and nails. After a couple of days, the jar was moved from the garage, to the basement where it was stored in a cabinet. He used it up staining some wooden boxes he made. He decided he like working with a commercial walnut stain better, after that, because he liked the color he got better. He used a hair dryer to heat up the wood that he stained, and I still think that source of heat was much of the problem he had using AF.