Gun Blue Transformers

Any reason why I couldn't use gun blue to finish the transformers? I've got mine stripped bare right now and just happen to have a bottle of Van's Gun Blue sitting here ... obviously, heat wouldn't be an issue as it's made to coat gun barrels. Should even hold up to the occasional exploding tube.

Basically, clean the metal with acetone and rub the stuff in. When it's the color you want, buff it lightly for a touch of gloss and rub in a bit of gun oil to stop the bluing process. I expect the iron would tone differently than the caps, but that'd be a good thing for a two tone look.

Seems like it'd be better for cooling than a coat of paint? I can always practice on the bottoms first to see how it looks.

Probably the transformer covers have no enough carbon in it's steel to get oxidized by the gun blue.

Regards

Blued transformers? Why? Ship Gray Rustoleum on the covers and satin black on the laminations. The transformer below is from one of my MkIII which I rescued from being stored outdoors under a picnic table. I am very happy with how they came out.

Cold bluing is not so good. Hot bluing is OK but still needs a protective coating (oil) to prevent rusting.

How about Parkerizing?

Good points all ... I do know that the cores are made from low carbon steel, and it stands to reason the bells are also low carbon or they wouldn't shape the way they do without cracking. Still ... wouldn't hurt to experiment a bit on the bottoms of the transformers. I'd hope for a two tone effect with the bells going darker than the cores. The Van's Gun Blue is also more of a metal dye that the other cold bluing solutions, so maybe the carbon isn't the issue you'd think it'd be. You can also build layers for a darker color.

Then again, I'm kinda diggin' on the naked look right now ...



They cleaned up real nice with some scraping and elbow grease. The secret weapons for getting the glue off the plates was a flat scraper and ... tada ... drywall screen? 3M polishing pads in various grits and a good scrubbing with a Never Dull polishing pad gave a nice smooth sheen to the bare metal. I use the Never Dull on the bike for all the chrome (including hot exhaust), so I know it holds up to a lot more weather than the amp should ever see - even if I park it under a picnic table?? It leaves a protective seal on the metal so rust isn't an issue.

Project's on hold right now due to spring planting, so I got time to ponder while I'm knee deep in the soil ... the soil, the soil, the soil!