Darth Lars
Master Member
I hope you are not tired of seeing Obi-Wan grenades.. 
Natural light: (The clamps and stems are just place-holders)
Flash + sunlight:
The biggest inaccuracy with Parks grenades is the first step. I hand-filed the edge down on both grenades. It took surprisingly little effort to get a large difference. However, doing just a little bit more took just as much time. Then came a lot of sandpaper of increasing grit.
I think I did give both grenades maybe a little bit too much edge wear using a round file on the grooves. I also filed down some of the machining marks using a triangular file.
I wanted to give the black grenade the look of antique blued steel. I have a few antique items and I just love the luster and look of translucency in them.
The black grenade was cold-blued a couple of times, using cheap liquid from Hoppes. I then sprayed it with some old automotive rust-protection spray which had black pigment in it. I then wiped that off and degreased it - and the rusted parts were now black. It was given a layer of gloss clearcoat, which dulled the luster of the cold blue a bit unfortunately. I will give it more layers later. What looks like corner wear on the bluing is actually corner wear before blueing reflecting light in another angle. :unsure
The rusted grenade took a few tries and it was mostly experimentation. I wanted a look almost like MR's painted grenade - dark brown, but still looking real.
Eventually, I soaked the grenade in a blend of 1) a teaspoon of cold bluing liquid, 2) a teaspoon of brown fabric dye, 2) half a cup of coffee. 3) halv a cup of vinegar. I don't know which ingredients actually made any difference. :lol
That made the steel gray. I then sprayed it with ammonia and let it sit overnight in a jar of ammonia fumes. I brushed off the surface rust with a toothbrush and did it all over again.
I had heard a rumor that hot steam would produce a type of rust that is harder than regular rust, so I also put the grenade in a kitchen steamer, alternating with the oven to get rid of condensation. I think the steaming might have turned the gray steel more brown, but that might just be my imagination. The surface pitting was created in earlier experiments...
I have not sealed the surface of the rusty grenade. I would like a method that would keep the luster of the gray steel and the matt-ness of the brown rust. Any ideas?
Natural light: (The clamps and stems are just place-holders)
Flash + sunlight:
The biggest inaccuracy with Parks grenades is the first step. I hand-filed the edge down on both grenades. It took surprisingly little effort to get a large difference. However, doing just a little bit more took just as much time. Then came a lot of sandpaper of increasing grit.
I think I did give both grenades maybe a little bit too much edge wear using a round file on the grooves. I also filed down some of the machining marks using a triangular file.
I wanted to give the black grenade the look of antique blued steel. I have a few antique items and I just love the luster and look of translucency in them.
The black grenade was cold-blued a couple of times, using cheap liquid from Hoppes. I then sprayed it with some old automotive rust-protection spray which had black pigment in it. I then wiped that off and degreased it - and the rusted parts were now black. It was given a layer of gloss clearcoat, which dulled the luster of the cold blue a bit unfortunately. I will give it more layers later. What looks like corner wear on the bluing is actually corner wear before blueing reflecting light in another angle. :unsure
The rusted grenade took a few tries and it was mostly experimentation. I wanted a look almost like MR's painted grenade - dark brown, but still looking real.
Eventually, I soaked the grenade in a blend of 1) a teaspoon of cold bluing liquid, 2) a teaspoon of brown fabric dye, 2) half a cup of coffee. 3) halv a cup of vinegar. I don't know which ingredients actually made any difference. :lol
That made the steel gray. I then sprayed it with ammonia and let it sit overnight in a jar of ammonia fumes. I brushed off the surface rust with a toothbrush and did it all over again.
I had heard a rumor that hot steam would produce a type of rust that is harder than regular rust, so I also put the grenade in a kitchen steamer, alternating with the oven to get rid of condensation. I think the steaming might have turned the gray steel more brown, but that might just be my imagination. The surface pitting was created in earlier experiments...
I have not sealed the surface of the rusty grenade. I would like a method that would keep the luster of the gray steel and the matt-ness of the brown rust. Any ideas?
