RL Nunley Bluing Formula

Bob has a new bluing formula available for sale.  Here's his post from the Classic Fly Rod Forum:

Well, after reformulating the old Mega Blue I used to sell, I have the new stuff ready to ship.  I'll start shipping orders out on Monday, Feb 8th.  I'm simply calling the new Formula "RL Nunley Bluing Formula". 

Here's what it does... Most of this, I copied form my posting on the Rod and Reel makers forum.

RL Nunley Bluing Formula
for
Nickel Silver, Brass and Duronze

This ferrule was sanded with 600 grit paper and blued for
2 minutes.  Very nice dark gray black finish on it.  Polishing
the hardware out to a bright finish will yeild a more blue-black patina.

I have now tested this on Nickel Silver, Brass and Duronze.  With the Nickel silver and Brass, you get anything from a dark gray black to a blue black depending on the finish on the metal.  A finish with 400 or 600 grit comes out more black.  I finished some out with 1200 then polished it on the buffer to a mirror finish and it comes out a deep blue black. 

Same on the Duronze.  You can get anywhere from a dark gray black finish with a rough (400 to 600 grit sandpaper) finish, but with a polished finish on the Duronze, it comes out the most beautiful blue black that I've ever seen on ANYTHING!  It's absolutely gorgeous on Duronze.

No harmful or toxic chemicals are needed to clean or prep the parts.  I simply clean them with Dawn dishwashing liquid. You don't have to use lacquer thinner or anything like that to clean the parts for bluing. Just wash them well with Dawn and water, put them in the solution and 2 to 2 1/2 minutes later, depending on the color you want, you take them out and rinse them with cold water.

Another nice thing about this is that it DOES NOT have any adverse effect on the bamboo.  You can mount your ferrules on the rod, clean the glue off of the tabs then dip the ferrule in this with it mounted on the rod.  That way, you can make sure your ferrule tabs don't have to be reblued after the ferrule is mounted.  The solution doesn't discolor the bamboo or affect the way it takes varnish or sealers.

Personally, I don't do anything else to the ferrules, because I varnish over my ferrules, but I do seal the butt caps.  You can use any kind of clear coat you want on them from Lacquer to Aerogloss and it will protect the finish.

The shelf life on this is undetermined at this point.  I have some I've been using for over 8 years and it still works great. Harry Boyd also has a bottle of the old formulation, which contains the same basic ingredients as the NEW one, and it's from my first batch in 2002

Price for an 8 ounce bottle, which should be a lifetime supply for many rodmakers, is $20 US plus shipping.  Shipping in the Continental United States is $5 US.  For those outside the lower 48, email for shipping costs.  Payments accepted by PayPal.  PayPal username is bobnunley@rlnunley.com .   Buyers are welcome to send a check or Money Order, but I prefer PayPal as it makes it much easier to keep track of shipping status as opposed to having a bunch of envelopes laying on the desk.

If you have any questions regarding the Bluing Formula feel free to email me at bobnunley@rlnunley.com or ask them in the Rod and Reel Makers Forum or by PM.

Thanks,
Bob
www.rlnunley.com