Refinishing The Coyle BR

[tain669]

Can someone let me know if you can cold blue it or use some other type of gun metal finish? Thanks

[propsjonnyb]

You can 'blue' a Coyle, but remember pewter is a base metal mix of appx 85% tin, copper, antimony,bismuth and lead in that order , so the 'bluing' chemicals will react mainly to 'oxidise' the metals which is why they work best on steel, with pewter the copper 'oxidises' the fastest, which is why your treated piece will go darker shades of coppery brown , wearing protective gloves is recommended and try not to touch the piece being treated during the process also use a good de-greasing agent before and after treatment, repeat the 'bluing' process ensuring you always wear protective gloves and copious amount of water washing, degreasing and drying , until the brown is almost black , using a hair dryer to warm up the metal helps but be very careful as pewter has a very low melting point and you can weaken and/or damage you piece extremely easily.
Some specialist antique shops sell specific 'pewter aging' kits, which work very well, as old pieces of pewter turn 'black' with age which is again an 'oxidising' process , so you can use these type of kits to 'acellerate' that process, remember all chemicals used in any treatment process are toxic and dangerous, so use with care , always wear protective gloves and use plently of water to wash the item clean each time
I personally have had very good results with standard photoetching chemicals again because the chemicals 'etch' or oxidise copper, again using gloves, wash and degrease the item , mount it so you don't have to touch it ( I normally use a thick piece of wire or wooden pegs ) and then using a cotton bud or 'q'tip swab the item all over with the etching solution, leave for a few moments for the chemicals to react and then wash it off, dry it , degrease and repeat until you have the level of 'blackness' you want , please remember that all the different pieces will each react according to their 'metal' content so some may need more treatments than others in order to match.