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Letter 6079
"Antique" Finishes for Iron & Brass
Firearms
.
Hi, I am interested in finishing techniques that are used to mimic
age and wear. My particular interest is in replica firearms, and as I
am a re-enactor, I would prefer to have guns that don't look
"new".There are several companies offering finishes that are just
essentially bare metal with some distressing. My interest is not in
having a weapon that looks like it's 150 years old, but rather
just"well used" - somewhere between "new & blue" and distressed
white metal. The two common metals encountered are brass and steel. I
suspect some of the techniques used to "fake" antiques would be
applicable, but in my case would need to applied with considerably
less gusto. I have spent some time observing what worn firearms look
like, but I wondered if anyone had any specific suggestions about
finishing techniques.
The only technical clue that I have been able to unearth was from
an article on etching knives. The author stated that when the etchant
had aged a bit beyond its useful life, it tended to create background
pitting instead of a clean bite. Older guns that haven't spent their
lives in a box exhibit this sort of pitting as well, but this is the
only useful reference I've found. Thank you very kindly for any clues
you can offer!
Gene Smith
having cowboy fits in Houston
Gene S
[last name purged due to age of listing]
Judy Frow's Show Business - Houston, TX
USA
.
Depending on the size of your fire arm, you should look into mass
finishing equipment using dry abrasive organic materials. This is the
most common way to get an antique look to most hardware
items.Normally, metal parts are blackened first then thrown into
barrel or vibratory system with an organic and pumice. I handle an
inexpensive premix, which consists of wood sawdust and a binder to
hold the pumice to the wood. Any problems or questions, get in touch.
Dear Reader, please --
- Answer or follow-up on this subject (in non-commercial
fashion).
-
- Post a new
question or inquiry on a different subject.
-
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