Hello tuhitu and thank you for your question.
The two processes you describe in your question are "bluing" which is
fairly straight forward (I have repaired gun bluing myself) and you
can buy the kits here http://www.molyfusion.com/gunbluingkit.html ,
and the other process was easy to find references to, but was very
difficult to actually find out who/how it is done. However I have now
found the company who provides this (somewhat secretive) technology.
The company is called Immersion Graphics
http://www.immersiongraphics.com and they sell the technology on a
franchising basis:
"Immersion Graphics, licensor of the Final Finish process initiates a
licensing agreement with the applicant, based on the product line(s)
under consideration, the type and number of patterns desired, the
anticipated film volume needed, and their annual projection of
immersion/production activity. The company supplies all equipment and
materials and produces and delivers the immersion-ready film when and
where it's needed."
http://www.immersiongraphics.com/opportunity/default.asp
Note: When I clicked on "Process" the flash player (at their end)
didnīt seem to work. However I suspect that they are not going to
give away too many secrets! so it's best to contact the company
direct:
Immersion Graphics Corporation
6106 Coca Cola Boulevard
Columbus, GA 31909
Ph: (706) 568-4424
Fx: (706) 561-2757
mailto:pluse@immersiongraphics.com
mailto:sruffner@immersiongraphics.com
-----------------------------------------
Description:
"Blueing of Steel
The bluing of steel is not a coating or other form of protective film
put on the surface of metal. Rather, bluing is actually what you are
trying to avoid - rust. By controlling the rusting process, the entire
surface and all the pores of the steel become rusted and by that
fashion, further rust cannot develop. Only when the steel is
scratched, worn, or otherwise exposes "unrusted" steel, does new
uncontrolled rust begin.
In the olden days, guns were slowly rusted in humidity chambers,
requiring weeks or months to achieve a "blued" finish. Although this
old method is still available and performed by some custom gunsmiths,
most gunsmiths and all manufacturers utilized an accelerated rusting
process, commonly known as hot bluing.
Hot bluing involves the submersion of clean steel into a bath of
caustic salts at a temperature of usually 292 deg. to 310 deg F. for
20 to 30 minutes, or longer. The boiling salts act as abrasion that
continuously takes off the rust as it forms, and special ingredients
within the salts insure a uniform black-blue finish.
However, the bluing process itself is the easy part because the
quality of the "blue" depends on the quality of the metal surface, not
the bluing process itself. . Before bluing, guns must be manually
stripped of all old blue, rust, and brought back to naked steel. The
surface then must be polished to the desired finish using buffing
wheel and various gradients of polish. At Custom Stock & Blue, we use
the following grits, depending on the desired finish: 140, 240, 320,
400, 500, 555B, 555G, and 555W. Before proceeding to a new grit, all
polish marks from the previous grit have to be removed.
After polishing, the metal is cleaned in an organic solvent, such as
tricholoethane, and then put through a hot cleaner and multiple water
washes before ever entering into the bluing salts. The metal must be
surgically clean in order to obtain a quality blued finish"
http://m1.aol.com/custstock/explain.html
--------------------------------------------------
Description:
"The Second Skin Graphics refinishing process is superior to all other
methods of camouflaging used firearms. The key to Second Skin is a
unique patented process, which involves several new technologies that
significantly improve camo coverage and durability. This finish is
virtually rustproof. First, the selected camouflage pattern is printed
on a specialized film using oil based ink. Next, the film is stretched
over a water tank and sprayed with special activator. Together, the
activator and water completely dissolve the film, leaving only the oil
base ink floating on the surface of the water. Parts of the gun are
then immersed down through the oil base ink into the water. The
camouflage pattern ink adheres to the part in the immersion process.
The part comes out of the water fully camouflaged and rustproof
Because the ink has an oil base, the parts become virtually
waterproof.
This finish is permanent. It will not scratch, chip or wear off like
paint. However, it will scratch, if misused, just like an auto finish.
You will no longer have to oil the outside of the gun again, just wipe
it down with a wet rag. You will still need to clean and oil the
inside of the gun. Gun cleaning solvents have no effect on the finish.
Anything that will strip or discolor paint will have an effect on the
finish. The most common chemical that will discolor the finish is
Deet, which is used in insect repellant. New patterns can be
easily applied, to create an entirely new camo look for the gun owner.
Importantly, tolerances are unaffected by this process since the ink
only has the thickness of a coat of oil.
CAMO PATTERNS INCLUDE: Trebark Sniper, Advantage, Advantage Wetlands,
Advantage Timber, Realtree Allpurpose, Realtree Hardwoods, Realtree
X-tra Brown, Realtree X-tra Grey, Mossy Oak Breakup, Mossy Oak Forest
Floor, Mossy Oak Shadowgrass and Mossy Oak Shadowbranch."
http://www.nitrocompany.com/camo.htm
Thank you for your question, and if you need any clarification of my
answer do not hesitate to ask for clarification.
Very best regards.
THX1138
Search strategy included:
methods of camouflaging metal
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&as_qdr=all&q=methods+of+camouflaging++metal+&btnG=Google+Search |
