Originally Posted by
W.R.Buchanan
OK Kev: I use Birchwood-Casey Cold Blue alot in my shop to finish small steel parts. I just refurbished a shot shell loader that had a bunch of black oxided parts that were rusted. I wire brushed the rust off and used the cold blue to make them black again. With small parts like screws I just hold onto them with tweezers and dip them directly into the bottle. then wipe off with a paper shop towel. You have to do this several times to get a good black finish. On larger parts I apply the stuff with a paper towel again do it several times.
All oil must be gone, Rubbing Alcohol, Acetone, Lacquer Thinner, will do that.
You have to apply the cold blue several times to get it into the metal all the way. It helps to heat the metal with a hair dryer or heat gun as that opens the pores of the metal and lets the color in, also rubbing it in with 0000 steel wool will work wonders making the color darker. Mild steel takes the color better than harder steels.
After you have done this 3-4 times and gotten the color as dark as you want,Wipe it down with alcohol and heat the metal up hopefully just above where you can't hold onto it and apply a thick coat of Trewax or even Frog Lube. Rub off excess between and after coats with a towel. Do this a couple more times and it ain't gonna rust.
Note: IMHO Frog Lube sux as a gun lubricant, but it works pretty well as a rust preventative. Also Note: People have been waxing their guns for centuries for rust prevention. Bees Wax being one of the primary things. What do you think they used on Black Powder guns which often were used in the rain? Not like they had any Magic Lubes back then, in fact back then Bacon Grease was right up there at the top, and Whale Oil was about the only flowing lubricant available.
The key to being successful is to heat the metal!
Try this and get back to us.
Randy