Blackhawk Ligntning Restyle
- Thread starter Sharps40
- Start date
Jimbo357mag
Hawkeye
That is a nice touch and I bet it will make our host (flatgate) smile.Sharps40 said:
Really tremendous job and a pleasure to see the process. Thanks. :D
Mike Mulligan
Single-Sixer
Really nice post- looking forward to the rest!
tek4260
Buckeye
Great transformation!! Glad to see all the detail!
One thing I'd add on leveling the front sight is to check it inside the window in addition to the top. The top is polished at the factory and sometimes it isn't level :(
Been there, done that, and got the tee shirt! Ever since I have referenced the top and inside the window. If there is a difference, go with the inside of the cylinder window. Of course the one that bit me was a high polish Old Model Super and they may very well be worse offenders than the regular Blackhawks.
One thing I'd add on leveling the front sight is to check it inside the window in addition to the top. The top is polished at the factory and sometimes it isn't level :(
Been there, done that, and got the tee shirt! Ever since I have referenced the top and inside the window. If there is a difference, go with the inside of the cylinder window. Of course the one that bit me was a high polish Old Model Super and they may very well be worse offenders than the regular Blackhawks.
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Sharps40
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Time to see if Ruger steel is easy to rust....blue that is....rust blue. Folks say its hard to get it other than purple....I say that's cause they hot tank blue it too hot!
With luck, its less hard to rust blue than a 94 Winchester receiver, which I must say, takes a bit of work but in the end, rusts/blues pretty quickly using this old school method.
First step, clean up all the small parts and the cylinder. Get the old blue off with a simple wire brush in a drill press at 3000 rpm....a nice matted finish and I find a few small pits in the cylinder.....no worries, they weren't really visible before and they should hide just as well when I'm done. In the end, they are deeper than I want to polish out....leaving either divots or making the cylinder a bit smaller. The matt wire brush finish and kissing the cylinder with 120 and 220 (since large surfaces are difficult to wire brush finish evenly, but the 120/220 kiss will matt it nicely and have all the lines going round and round the cylinder....I finished the lines in the flutes front to back).
For this batch, only the cylinder is final finished with sandpaper, all the rest of the small parts are kissed matt with the wire brush. Here they are, degreased and awaiting the first very wet coat of Pilkingtons and the first 1 hour sit (second coat is nearly dry and a 3 hour sit, then the first boil tonight!)
10 minutes into the first wet coat, the steel is already beginning to color and develop a light bloom of rust. This bodes good tidings for the job. Lots of contours to deal with and depending on how these parts color up over the next days will dictate whether I rust blue the entire gun or try out a home hot tank blue instead. I am not looking forward to carding and dealing with all those curves, nooks and crannies....revolvers are hard to rust blue!
The flat gate is a bit different alloy, not hard but seems to puddle the solution. It may need a more matted finish than wire brush, it may just need The Special-High-Intensity-Treatment to get it to start a nice bloom of rust for blackening....much like Win 94 receivers and Marlin Magazine Tubes.
That'll be neat looking, a greyblack dot were the steel of the ejector rod comes thru the brass ejector button....
One hour from now, the second coat and then three hours later, first boil. Should be able to boil again twice tomorrow before I go visit a buddy and maybe up to 2 or three more times Sunday. With luck and good Southern Humidity, my Garage-Come-DampBox will do its usual good job and I'll know by Sun/Mon whether to continue the frame and barrel for rust bluing or start some experimentation on scraps of gun steel via drain cleaner caustic/hot blue....(yep, drain cleaner, that's what yer factory gun and custom gunsmith hot blue gun is blued with....really expensive batches of what is pretty much strong household drain cleaner)
With luck, its less hard to rust blue than a 94 Winchester receiver, which I must say, takes a bit of work but in the end, rusts/blues pretty quickly using this old school method.
First step, clean up all the small parts and the cylinder. Get the old blue off with a simple wire brush in a drill press at 3000 rpm....a nice matted finish and I find a few small pits in the cylinder.....no worries, they weren't really visible before and they should hide just as well when I'm done. In the end, they are deeper than I want to polish out....leaving either divots or making the cylinder a bit smaller. The matt wire brush finish and kissing the cylinder with 120 and 220 (since large surfaces are difficult to wire brush finish evenly, but the 120/220 kiss will matt it nicely and have all the lines going round and round the cylinder....I finished the lines in the flutes front to back).
For this batch, only the cylinder is final finished with sandpaper, all the rest of the small parts are kissed matt with the wire brush. Here they are, degreased and awaiting the first very wet coat of Pilkingtons and the first 1 hour sit (second coat is nearly dry and a 3 hour sit, then the first boil tonight!)
10 minutes into the first wet coat, the steel is already beginning to color and develop a light bloom of rust. This bodes good tidings for the job. Lots of contours to deal with and depending on how these parts color up over the next days will dictate whether I rust blue the entire gun or try out a home hot tank blue instead. I am not looking forward to carding and dealing with all those curves, nooks and crannies....revolvers are hard to rust blue!
The flat gate is a bit different alloy, not hard but seems to puddle the solution. It may need a more matted finish than wire brush, it may just need The Special-High-Intensity-Treatment to get it to start a nice bloom of rust for blackening....much like Win 94 receivers and Marlin Magazine Tubes.
That'll be neat looking, a greyblack dot were the steel of the ejector rod comes thru the brass ejector button....
One hour from now, the second coat and then three hours later, first boil. Should be able to boil again twice tomorrow before I go visit a buddy and maybe up to 2 or three more times Sunday. With luck and good Southern Humidity, my Garage-Come-DampBox will do its usual good job and I'll know by Sun/Mon whether to continue the frame and barrel for rust bluing or start some experimentation on scraps of gun steel via drain cleaner caustic/hot blue....(yep, drain cleaner, that's what yer factory gun and custom gunsmith hot blue gun is blued with....really expensive batches of what is pretty much strong household drain cleaner)
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Sharps40
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Ya can infer a lot about steel from rust bluing. For instance, here in the first two photos, about one hour into the first coat/first rusting......the cylinder is coming along nicely....while the formerly Green ejector rod is not rusted or colored a bit. Also, the Front Sight blade, also resisting rusting. The steel with the least rust resisting alloy appears to be the Cimarron cammed ejector rod housing. Its rusting quite nicely and faster than the rest.
Though puddled at first, the flat gate seems to bloom more quickly than the cylinder pin......I spose the no load bearing gate is a less expensive/less hard alloy than the pin.
And here, seconds after applying a second coating of Pilkingtons......more and almost instant rusting of all but the ejector rod.....that ol rod is prolly gonna have to get The Special-High-Intensity-Treatment....I don't wanna have to cold blue it if I can avoid it. Time will tell.
And the Special-High-Intensity-Treatment? I keep wetting the resistant parts down every 30 minutes or so for the next three hours to encourage the beginnings of rust,,,,from there, these resistant parts will typically keep up with the rest and color out quite the same. Fingers crossed.
Though puddled at first, the flat gate seems to bloom more quickly than the cylinder pin......I spose the no load bearing gate is a less expensive/less hard alloy than the pin.
And here, seconds after applying a second coating of Pilkingtons......more and almost instant rusting of all but the ejector rod.....that ol rod is prolly gonna have to get The Special-High-Intensity-Treatment....I don't wanna have to cold blue it if I can avoid it. Time will tell.
And the Special-High-Intensity-Treatment? I keep wetting the resistant parts down every 30 minutes or so for the next three hours to encourage the beginnings of rust,,,,from there, these resistant parts will typically keep up with the rest and color out quite the same. Fingers crossed.
Joe S.
Hunter
Do you plug the barrel to keep rust out? On my phone and didn't read whole post.
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Sharps40
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Joe S. said:
Nope. Not unless you want to ruin the rifling with pitting at the plugs. Unlike hot tank bluing....nothing rusts inside since it doesn't get sauce inside. Hot tank bluing rusts the gun, inside the bore and out....since no one in there right mind will plug a bore and then drop it into 290 degree caustic salts! Pow, ye loose yer sight and get burned all over. Rust bluing is "Safer" for the bore than traditional methods but even hot tank bluing does no harm to the bore.......
Joe S.
Hunter
That is good to know. Already wondered about that.
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Sharps40
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4 hours of rusting....a light coat on all the bare metal.
15 minutes boiling in water will convert red ferric oxide to black ferro ferric oxide....then card with 0000 steel wool, sauce, rust, boil and repeat up to 10 more times till its right.
Nope....this does not hurt the chambers, bores, nooks, crannies or anything else. Its rust bluing.....same finish as factory hot bluing, just a different path to target.
15 minutes boiling in water will convert red ferric oxide to black ferro ferric oxide....then card with 0000 steel wool, sauce, rust, boil and repeat up to 10 more times till its right.
Nope....this does not hurt the chambers, bores, nooks, crannies or anything else. Its rust bluing.....same finish as factory hot bluing, just a different path to target.
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Sharps40
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15 minutes at a rolling boil and I can see the parts have blackened. There will be lots of fluff on the metal, I'll card it off with 0000 steel wool. Under it all will be the first translucent black grey coloring of the steel.
A better first bloom than I thought I'd have given the humidity and temps are just high enough. All that black fluff has to come off, its not color, just residue.
After carding with steel wool. Translucent black grey, we'll continue the process for several days in 3 to 12 hour increments building the color and depth with each succeeding cycle of rust, boil, card, repeat.
The cylinder faces are fine, the circumference a touch splotchy but it should even up fine. As for these parts, mucho bettero than I'da thoughto....(we had Mexican for dinner).
A better first bloom than I thought I'd have given the humidity and temps are just high enough. All that black fluff has to come off, its not color, just residue.
After carding with steel wool. Translucent black grey, we'll continue the process for several days in 3 to 12 hour increments building the color and depth with each succeeding cycle of rust, boil, card, repeat.
The cylinder faces are fine, the circumference a touch splotchy but it should even up fine. As for these parts, mucho bettero than I'da thoughto....(we had Mexican for dinner).
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Sharps40
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Humidity is down to 42% in the garage. Tonight will be a true slow rust blue. If its not back above 50% tomorrow evening I'll move the parts to my trusty damp box. A cardboard box with a wet paper towel in the bottom, a mug of hot water and a towel over top. 60F and up is fine, just need a scooch more humidity to speed up the process, of course, slow rust blueing, so speed up is a relative phrase.
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Sharps40
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Lets see...."They" say Blackhawks are hard to blue. In so far as these parts are concerned and using traditional rust bluing methods....Not! Though I've yet to hot tank blue one I'd likely indicate the steels are very blueable and if it turns purple or red....check your technique and heat, one or both is wrong. Last evenings overnight rust cycle produced very fine grained and even rust on all the parts.
After a morning boil, note the black coloration, even thru the fluff appears more even and the coloration will be much darker grey black after carding off the residue. (Closing the garage door last evening kept the temperature near 70F and the humidity climbed to a 3 am high of 60%+.....near perfect for slow, Slow Rust Bluing. For now, I have plenty of other things to do so will continue with Garage as Damp Box....no need for steam or artificially created humidity.
The carding process, on the left, residue on the gate, on the right, the beautiful deep grey black satin bluing that will show on the entire piece when completed.
And here, the cylinder carded. Dotted with flecks of steel wool but blacker than grey very early in the process and the finish is very well evened out. From here, 3 to 5 more cycles of sauce, rust, boil and card to achieve a good finish. Really, doesn't take any longer than the 5 to 6 hours needed for hot tank blue, work is distributed in increments over several days....and no caustic burns and no risk to your vision should you be unwise enough to attempt hot tank caustic bluing with out proper personal protective equipment.
After a morning boil, note the black coloration, even thru the fluff appears more even and the coloration will be much darker grey black after carding off the residue. (Closing the garage door last evening kept the temperature near 70F and the humidity climbed to a 3 am high of 60%+.....near perfect for slow, Slow Rust Bluing. For now, I have plenty of other things to do so will continue with Garage as Damp Box....no need for steam or artificially created humidity.
The carding process, on the left, residue on the gate, on the right, the beautiful deep grey black satin bluing that will show on the entire piece when completed.
And here, the cylinder carded. Dotted with flecks of steel wool but blacker than grey very early in the process and the finish is very well evened out. From here, 3 to 5 more cycles of sauce, rust, boil and card to achieve a good finish. Really, doesn't take any longer than the 5 to 6 hours needed for hot tank blue, work is distributed in increments over several days....and no caustic burns and no risk to your vision should you be unwise enough to attempt hot tank caustic bluing with out proper personal protective equipment.
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Sharps40
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Three almost dry coats of sauce and a 24 hour sit at an average 65F and 50% humidity. Rust. Lovely! Whatever anyone else may think of a Ruger Lightning conversion, no one can say I have not well and thoroughly rusted these particular action parts. Half way. Several 3 hour rust/boil cycles and tonight, these will either be done or I will place them in the ready for 1 to 2 more 12 to 24 hour rust cycles.
Even, fine grained and a beauteous bloom of oxide.
The coating is so fine and upon carding I find the color of the cylinder pin, sight and ejector rod nut to be complete.....I card and set them aside. They will rest a day in the final treatment....a wipe down of 50/50 Rig grease and Hoppes 9 gun oil.
And here, the smutted parts directly from Boil #3, toweled off and blown dry and allowed to cool before carding and subsequent application of Pilkingtons which will continue to build color and depth as needed on the large parts like the gate, cylinder and ejector rod housing.
The cylinder, half way thru the carding process. Smut carded off the faces and top half of the cylinder......the bottom half remaining to be carded. The color is even and spot free. Everything is carefully handled with clean paper towels to prevent fingerprinting that at this stage will be retained in the finish (necessitating full strip and reblue!). Careful and clean is the watch phrase.
Even, fine grained and a beauteous bloom of oxide.
The coating is so fine and upon carding I find the color of the cylinder pin, sight and ejector rod nut to be complete.....I card and set them aside. They will rest a day in the final treatment....a wipe down of 50/50 Rig grease and Hoppes 9 gun oil.
And here, the smutted parts directly from Boil #3, toweled off and blown dry and allowed to cool before carding and subsequent application of Pilkingtons which will continue to build color and depth as needed on the large parts like the gate, cylinder and ejector rod housing.
The cylinder, half way thru the carding process. Smut carded off the faces and top half of the cylinder......the bottom half remaining to be carded. The color is even and spot free. Everything is carefully handled with clean paper towels to prevent fingerprinting that at this stage will be retained in the finish (necessitating full strip and reblue!). Careful and clean is the watch phrase.
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Sharps40
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Parts are in for the fourth boil. Should be able to cycle at least twice more and a 24 hour sit for final carding and oiling on Monday evening. Its hard at this point not to run down to the shop and buff out the frame. But patience prevails, its size and many contours merit taking it slow and doing it well......fingers tapping anxiously on the table top.
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Sharps40
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Humidity stayed just over 50% today but the temps dropped into the low 60s and rusting just wasn't happenin at a pace that I was happy with. So after the fifth boil and carding I broke out the ever cheep (repurposed cardboard box and coffee mug and cheep red towel) ever effective damp box for the final cycle or two of rusting. In with the carded and sauced parts. Wet paper towel on the bottom, a spacer to keep the parts out of the wet. A hot, durn hot, boilin furiously mug o water for humandidity and warmnessification and drop on the red towel to keep it in.
I located one lil dark spot on the cylinder, next to some pitting. Mighta been a touch of oil contamination but I doubt it cause its darker. It should blend well but either way, its small enough I ain't strippin the cylinder back to bare.
So, a shot of the high tech and totally Green/Recycled/Repurposed damp box assembly......3 hour wait then a boil and another overnighter to keep the process goin.
I located one lil dark spot on the cylinder, next to some pitting. Mighta been a touch of oil contamination but I doubt it cause its darker. It should blend well but either way, its small enough I ain't strippin the cylinder back to bare.
So, a shot of the high tech and totally Green/Recycled/Repurposed damp box assembly......3 hour wait then a boil and another overnighter to keep the process goin.
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Sharps40
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These parts are as black as they're gonna get. A very nice color with a grey tone typical of slow rust bluing. Blackens up nicely when oiled and the overnight treatment is a good wipe down, in and out with 50/50 Rig grease and Hoppes 9 oil. (before oiling, the cylinder bores and the pin bore are cleaned out with dry fitting bronze bore brushes....the bores are shiny bright like new). There is a bit of smut left down in the cylinder stop notches. I'll have to dig in there with pipe cleaners or something, its hard to get them lil nooks carded out....I did some brush work but for now, an oil soak and more of the smut should float out of them low square crannies later.
The darker dot on the cylinder as discussed above. Its near a spot of pitting on the cylinder circumference so, maybe they are related. Don't know but its a small dot and as such, I am NOT strippin back to bare steel to start the bluing over. If I had polka dots all over, I would cry, then strip it bare and reblue. In the photo you can just see the dot at 12 oclock on the line between light and shadow.
Another look at the parts, different angle, different light on them....black dot on the end of the brass ejector button looks neat.
Last one...guess its time to start bluing the frame....might get some help by the weekend as Thursday should see local temps back up to 90+F and the humidity should climb a bit too....good tidings if yer in the business of rusting gun steel.
The darker dot on the cylinder as discussed above. Its near a spot of pitting on the cylinder circumference so, maybe they are related. Don't know but its a small dot and as such, I am NOT strippin back to bare steel to start the bluing over. If I had polka dots all over, I would cry, then strip it bare and reblue. In the photo you can just see the dot at 12 oclock on the line between light and shadow.
Another look at the parts, different angle, different light on them....black dot on the end of the brass ejector button looks neat.
Last one...guess its time to start bluing the frame....might get some help by the weekend as Thursday should see local temps back up to 90+F and the humidity should climb a bit too....good tidings if yer in the business of rusting gun steel.
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Sharps40
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First. Hard to hold, keep finger prints off, so a jig to hold this for sauce applications and rusting.
Coarse brush, 3000 rpm, light touch, quick work, satin finish.
3 times around the wheel for an even finish.
A few more of those hidden pits and age marks, dents, scuffs. No need to polish em out and change the shapes so close to the edges.....they won't be obvious or a bother. Besides, its honest age.
First boil is clean water to try to get all the gunk out of the tight spots.
Coarse brush, 3000 rpm, light touch, quick work, satin finish.
3 times around the wheel for an even finish.
A few more of those hidden pits and age marks, dents, scuffs. No need to polish em out and change the shapes so close to the edges.....they won't be obvious or a bother. Besides, its honest age.
First boil is clean water to try to get all the gunk out of the tight spots.
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Sharps40
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15 minutes ago the freshly stripped steel was dropped into boiling water to clean it in preparation for first rusting. As ya can see....rust forms instantaneously. Invisible when it came off the wire brush, it was turned to ferroferric oxide in the boiling water....black spots. This is why any gunsmith worth his salt will demand to polish your gun. It must go to bluing as fast as possible after removing the original black rust. Otherwise, the job won't be as good as could be. Ya ain't savin much by polishing it youownself and then cartin it in for bluing....just let the smith do it all.
Spotty, it can't be blued but it is clean.
Hot steel, clean wire brush, 3000 rpm, light touch, quick removal and immediately move to the bluing operation....don't touch the steel, wear gloves or handle with paper towels or both.
Warm clean steel, a bit of sauce and instant color, rust. Garage temps are in the mid 80s and the humidity hovering at a healthy 57%...should be a perfect first bloom in double quick time.
I actually have to work till Thursday afternoon....sucks. So, Tue to Thur will be 24 hour rust cycles with boiling each evening. Sauce will be applied after each boil, then 9 PM, then 5 AM and boiled again in the evenings. Friday and sat should see 3 to 12 hour rust and boil cycles as I'll be on holiday! Maybe, just maybe, done on Saturday!
Spotty, it can't be blued but it is clean.
Hot steel, clean wire brush, 3000 rpm, light touch, quick removal and immediately move to the bluing operation....don't touch the steel, wear gloves or handle with paper towels or both.
Warm clean steel, a bit of sauce and instant color, rust. Garage temps are in the mid 80s and the humidity hovering at a healthy 57%...should be a perfect first bloom in double quick time.
I actually have to work till Thursday afternoon....sucks. So, Tue to Thur will be 24 hour rust cycles with boiling each evening. Sauce will be applied after each boil, then 9 PM, then 5 AM and boiled again in the evenings. Friday and sat should see 3 to 12 hour rust and boil cycles as I'll be on holiday! Maybe, just maybe, done on Saturday!
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Sharps40
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45 minutes in and I went out to check and get on with the second very dry coat of sauce (first coat is always a bit wet) per the pilkingtons destructions and low and behold a beautiful and very fine grained bloom of red rust has already formed on about 50% of the steel. Me so happy. If it goes well, I will O-Fish-Ally pernounce Ruger Blackhawk Steel easy peasy super dooper in no way difficult to blue....regardless of what Innerweb Arm Chair Cheeto Eatin Coke Swillin WannaBeOtherThan a HackerSmith's have to say bout it! We'll see....we shall see.....
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Sharps40
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As concerns ease of application of the rusting agent, nooks and crannies are best left to English Muffins.
But, 12 hours into the process and this is a glorious first bloom of lovely, amazing red rust...!
Another 5 AM dollop of acidic sauce (the fourth in a 12 hour period) and let the process work for another 12 and I'll boil this Ol Gal about 5 PM tonight for the first of several times.
But, 12 hours into the process and this is a glorious first bloom of lovely, amazing red rust...!
Another 5 AM dollop of acidic sauce (the fourth in a 12 hour period) and let the process work for another 12 and I'll boil this Ol Gal about 5 PM tonight for the first of several times.
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Sharps40
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I O-Fish-Alley Poununcikate Three Skrew BlackHawks easy to rust ... rust blue that is. Purple be dayumed, yer hot tankin it wrong if ya can't get it to rust into black I'll bet!
First boil...durn rusty!
For whats touted as a super strong gun, sure is a lotta holes in the frame. Like swiss cheese wif all them pins and screws and such....I do another its goin flat top and vaquero taper on the top strap....heck, even the top strap has three holes in it out back just for the rear sight. Get out the hot air gun and dry it good so's it don't spot and ya won't have to strip it and start over.
This is where ya get that sinkin "Tis Ruinated" feeling....sure is ugly....but it won't be by the weekend...!
That there ugly bloom of oxides is a promise of Glory unnerneath. On the paper and handled finger print free.
First swipes with 0000 steel wool....much deeper black than expected and deeper black than the camera shows. Dayum nice first bloom. I predict this here Ruger is gonna rust to beauty quicker than I thought. But I can already see, hard to card, lots of corners and the holes eat the steel wool. This one's gonna take a few extra pads of wool and lotsa paper towels ta handle it wif.
All carded and awaitin the second pass with rustin sauce. Real purty, I like it. Gonna be a nice satiny deep grey black when all done. Got tomorrow off so, acceleratin the finish time cause I'm sure I can rust and blue up to 2 or 3 times per day in this heat and humidity.
First boil...durn rusty!
For whats touted as a super strong gun, sure is a lotta holes in the frame. Like swiss cheese wif all them pins and screws and such....I do another its goin flat top and vaquero taper on the top strap....heck, even the top strap has three holes in it out back just for the rear sight. Get out the hot air gun and dry it good so's it don't spot and ya won't have to strip it and start over.
This is where ya get that sinkin "Tis Ruinated" feeling....sure is ugly....but it won't be by the weekend...!
That there ugly bloom of oxides is a promise of Glory unnerneath. On the paper and handled finger print free.
First swipes with 0000 steel wool....much deeper black than expected and deeper black than the camera shows. Dayum nice first bloom. I predict this here Ruger is gonna rust to beauty quicker than I thought. But I can already see, hard to card, lots of corners and the holes eat the steel wool. This one's gonna take a few extra pads of wool and lotsa paper towels ta handle it wif.
All carded and awaitin the second pass with rustin sauce. Real purty, I like it. Gonna be a nice satiny deep grey black when all done. Got tomorrow off so, acceleratin the finish time cause I'm sure I can rust and blue up to 2 or 3 times per day in this heat and humidity.
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Sharps40
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Very nice results this morning. The steel is well blackened, the look is velvety deep grey black and I am more than pleased with the results so far. Much less smut on the steel after boiling this morning and in carding I note the finish is clear and unspotted. The barreled action is up on the stand and coated with a nearly dry application of Pikingtons at 65F and 60% humidity. I will be applying 1 or 2 additional wipes of sauce over the next 6 hours or so. Lunch or shortly after should see an opportunity to again boil the action further building the finish. At this rate, I need to get busy cleaning the guts in preparation for final assembly. The project appears to be tracking somewhat ahead of schedule.
