Jacked Up Pilot, few new pics

[LowpowerD]

I've been following along and like what I see so far.
Do you still plan on bluing the frame?

[MplsCoaster]

Thanks for the support Skipton!

LowpowerD: Thanks for staying tuned. Yes, I am going to blue the frame yet (maybe plus other things)
Am one of those people that tries an idea so I'm 80% sure it will work,without getting it completely done.
Am 80-90% sure the bluing will work so I have to move on to the other wacky ideas

Sorry, when I said the BB, crankset, and pedals were "done", I meant 95% sure they would work, but not the final installation

Will try to get some heat applied to the bluing on the sample frame this longer Memorial day weekend and post an update
Also, there is quite a bit of work I need to do to this frame before it ready to blue

Thanks for looking
Steve

[MplsCoaster]

GTB today
Promised myself I'd try the gun bluing on a donor frame
Just to let everybody know, I remember my Dad showing me but don't remember "how" to do it
So read the directions and then threw them aside (not washing it off with water)
Tried a bunch of different ways, probably everyway but the right way

So here is a series of photos to show how it went:
Applied it (small foam brush was easiest) and left it a few minutes (instruction 30-60s), then wiped it off




Pretty happy with this stuff, easy to work with, fast,
don't like it or made a mistake, steel wool it off and try again



Put some wire brush lines in it to see the effect


Like it best when I polished it with only an old sock



It would be fun to mask off certain shapes or parts for contrast

Tried some heat from a propane torch, didn't really do anything
Except it seemed to burn off a kind of oil, so I'll have to do that before clearcoat
Need to get some MAPP/O2, so I can use a more heat
Know Oxy/Acteleyne would do something (years as an auto mech) but have none now

Kinda like the look, AND it's a patina that actually helps prevent rust
I'm sure a lot of people have a lot better knowledge of how to use this stuff

Got some painting done on the Eliminators today too
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=51106&p=489456#p489456

Thanks for looking
Steve

[Rockit!]

You can't beat gun blue, I love the look of it.

[Skipton]

You can't beat gun blue, I love the look of it.

+1

[pick]

You can't beat gun blue, I love the look of it.

+1

+2 I'm definately stealin this idea Steve! Looks awesome! I'm still tryin to catch up!

[cman]

I thought about bluing a frame. Glad to see it done. If you could get different tube colors that would be cool.

[Xcruiser]

Super idea man! First time Ive ever seen it done.Wonder if it would work on chrome!!!

[yoothgeye]

I used gun blue on a few nuts and bolts I used last year on my buil-off bike so that they wouldn't look so... new. With all the positive responses towards your bluing, maybe I need to steal your idea and blue some of my bike...

[aka_locojoe]

That looks nice. I think it even looked pretty cool before you wiped it off.

[MplsCoaster]

Thanks a lot guys for the great responses!
Rockit: Sounds like you've done it before, how has yours turned out?
Skitpon: Thanks Bud
Pick: It's not too original so steal away, glad you like it
Clancy: I think you could you different techniques and get different tones
XCruiser: Go ahead and try it on a scrap piece, it's pretty easy to handle
Youthgeye: Sorry, I didn't see that you did that last year.
I'll have to go back and check it out
Randy: If you don't wipe it off, it gets kinda gummy
But give it a try but though it might wash off with water (per instructions)

Well I'm glad I sacrificed the Schwinn racer frame
and am going to build it that way (eventually )

The things I liked about it
It was fast (30s to 10 minutes), Forgiving of mistakes, and kinda unique
It think there could be quite a few ways to apply it to give different finishes
Matte, shiny, smoky, opaque (and hopefully blue )

I even tried it on top of rust to see what it might look like




Think if you wanted the finish to last, you may have to clear coat it, after you remove the oily finish
Or maybe just do it again when it wears away (like a gun)

I'm getting some MAPP+O2 this week to try some heat on the Racer frame
Then clean up the welds on the CWC, finish getting it to bare metal, and the blue it
Think the bluing should mellow (not take away) the look of overwhelmingly pitted metal

Thanks for looking
Steve

[Road Master]

That's a great idea for a blue original finish that has some rust spots through the paint - you could tone down the rust color and keep the original finish also. Thanks - I've got a 30s original blue finish Belknap badged bike coming that the owner says has rust also - blue is way better than rust color. Robert

[Peatbog]

Count me in as one of those idea thieves on the bluing.



One, two, three; three-e-e-e idea thieves. Ah ah ah...

[yoothgeye]

Youthgeye: Sorry, I didn't see that you did that last year.
I'll have to go back and check it out

No big deal, I don't know if I even mentioned it, I just wiped some bolts and nuts down that held on the rack and taillight and maybe some other small parts, I just didn't like them shiny.

[Green P1]

I love this. I've been toying the idea of bluing a bike frame in my head for quite some time now. I'm thinking of an old lugged frame with the tubes blued and lugs rugged brown like an old rifle stock....blued rims & brown tires..... maybe some day.

I've done quite a bit of bluing on all the old rifles and shotguns I restore. My method of choice is to apply the blue with a 000 steel wool pad, ribbing it in as i go to achieve a uniform finish. Blue can be some cantankerous stuff until you get the hang of it. Are you using the new bluing paste or the standard liquid?

Edit... Not sure how I missed the picture with the paste right smack dab in the middle. I'd say give the liquid a try as well before you move onto your final application. The paste is easier to work with for sure but you can get a deeper blue from the liquid. imho