Yes, exatcly,I don't mean the commonly known colours after tempering steel. I can't remember when of by whom i was told, but i've got something in my mind like: quench steel in a water allum mixture and the steel will get a fuchsia colour. May that be possible? Anybody who has experience with it? Many thanx!

I think you're going to have to experiment and see. Patination of steel/iron isn't really my thing and I loaned out my copy of The Colouring, Patination and Bronzing of Metals" so I can't even look it up. Hopefully someone here does know patination of iron/steel and speaks up.

 

Please let us know what you find.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

The Colouring, Bronzing, and Patination of Metals: A Manual for the Fine Metalworker and Sculptor : Cast Bronze, Cast Brass, Copper and Copper-plate, Gilding Metal, Sheet Yellow Brass, Silver and Silver-plate

 

Available in the US for about $50, used for $30+/-

I've found that book to be only moderately useful when talking about iron and steel.  Bees knees for copper alloys thou.  Will have to pull it off the shelf and look up the allum thing.

I've found that book to be only moderately useful when talking about iron and steel.  Bees knees for copper alloys thou.  Will have to pull it off the shelf and look up the allum thing.

 

I didn't think I remembered it saying much about ferrous patination. Good to now some of my memory is still working eh?

 

I just don't recall reading much about patination of ferrous alloys, even stainless is pretty limited to the colors it'll turn or take. Chris Ray was experimenting with putting cooking oil and or sugar in his quench tubs looking for a durable finish. As I recall the sugar water made the toughest but he passed away a good 17 years ago and we haven't talked about long term results. <sigh> His inspiration for the experiments were his mother and wife's cookie sheets and how impossible it was to get them to bare metal.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Glanced thru it today, NO information on iron or steel.  Hundreds and hundreds of wild colors put onto non ferrous metals, but nothing on steel.  That little nugget about sugar on cookie sheets is something I'm going to think about Frosty, thanks for the idea!

One trick that I have used is to flash plate steel with copper... from there the possibilities are pretty numerous!  A  piece of hot steel dipped or sprayed with a solution that has a lot of copper content will immediately flash plate a very thin coat of copper!  Afterward all copper patina techniques are applicable.

Bigfoot what exactly is such a solution?   Something you make or commercially available?   

If you have pickle that is well used for copper that will work.  Some guys use Miracle Gro plant food or one of the various root killer brands (which are mostly copper sulfate).

Firearm Blueing & Browning: R. H. Angier   has some information on patination of ferrous metals---though focused on "gun" colours.