[SEL] Making old style, old looking black iron pipe fittings

[Curt]

Last week Rob posted on making new brass items that looked like bling, 
turn to look like old parts in short order. About the same time there 
was a thread on old style pipe fittings as well.
Thoroughly inspired by Rob and the need for old style pipe fitting for 
my Stickney fuel pump project, I set about making some modern fittings 
look like old fittings.
First the fittings were chucked in a lathe by screwing a nipple and 
chucking on that nipple. Using a small tool the modern shoulders were 
turned off flush with the rest of the body of the fitting. Well close 
enough anyway. What mismatch I worked out with a small flat file and 
then a round bastard file to leave a rough blending finish. Also put a 
radius on the outside edges.

I had no real aspiration to impose chemical warfare on the neighbors 
'cause they are good folks! While Rob's experiments with phosgene gas 
seemed to have certain entertainment value I decided to try a safer 
route....at least at first!
The idea is to make rust which requres oxygen. Looking thru the chemical 
lab under the sink in the kitchen, there was hydrogen peroxide. Hmm, 
extra oxygen mixed with a little heat ought to make rust real fast. So I 
made a double boiler of sorts on the stove and heated a small glass of 
fittings submerged in hydrogen peroxide. Once things got warm 
considerable bubbling occurred and though I could not see the magic 
occurring beneath the burbling, I was sure to be delighted at the rusty 
fitting being created. After about 20 minutes, I hooked one and brought 
it out of the soup. Dang, it was a clean bright part! In fact there 
wasn't a lick of rust on the fitting anywhere, outside, inside, nowhere! ???
Well I didn't get the intended results, but hell I had discovered 
another method for cleaning parts that's much faster than the 
electrolysis method. This bears more investigation later....

Well now I am holding a couple of real bling looking fittings! What to 
do now? In the winter we run a wood stove constantly and that's free 
heat for the next experiment. A "high tech" hyperbaric chamber was set 
on the stove:
<http://www.oldengine.org/members/holland/images/Rusty/Pot.jpg>

Yup, that's a cast iron pot full of water. The fittings were hung by 
wire and suspended over the water, but not in the water. The top was 
closed over them and I let the fittings cook in the heat and humidity 
for 2 hours.

Pulled them out and wow! I was pleased:
<http://www.oldengine.org/members/holland/images/Rusty/Rusty2.jpg>

and another view:
<http://www.oldengine.org/members/holland/images/Rusty/Rusty1.jpg

So that's it, a little turning, a little filing, and a short time in the 
heat and humidity and viola, you can have fittings that look like they 
are a 100 years old.
If SWMBO will agree I may try some on the kitchen stove or even in the 
dishwasher next.

Curt Holland
Gastonia, NC
P.S. Haven't tried this with brass yet.