The bluing of hands
The subject of bluing clock hands and screws has been described lots of times by experts, none better in my opinion than John Wilding. However, I include myself among those of us who have found bluing larger hands, such as those of 12in dial clocks, to have needed two or three goes to get a satisfactory colour over the whole hand.
An excellent, satisfying and easy solution to this, although admittedly a bit more expensive initially (though a little goes a long way) is to use 'gun blue cream' which as the name implies is intended for guns.
Having cleaned and polished the surface to be treated, apply a small amount of cream (no heat required) with a clean cloth, neutralise it with water and wipe dry. Follow this by a coat of lacquer or wax polish, whichever you prefer.
The product I use is G96 Gun Blue Cream, obtainable from E J Blackley & Sons, tel: 01508 548003.
Don Cole, UK
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