OT What is carding?

[Gobblerforge]

I've read a few times about carding in connection with bluing. What I've read indicated steel wool in involved. What? Alright, I'm lost here.
Gobbler

[olyinaz]

The term "carding" seems to have come from the textile industry as it has to do with using a bristle brush (usually steel) to align fibers in a material like wool before making something out of them.

In gunsmithing it's often used to refer to steel brushing off rust in general or oxide in the bluing process.

Here's a "carding" brush from Brownell's:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2479 ... DING_BRUSH

And another:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6732 ... DING_BRUSH

A carding wheel:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=9694 ... ING_WHEELS

I'm not a gunsmith nor did I sleep in a Holiday Inn last night! If I've messed up here hopefully Nate or someone more familiar will correct me.

Best,
Oly

[Mike Hunter]

Simply put, carding is the brushing or scratching off the rust between coats in the rust bluing process. I use the very fine wire brushes that Brownells sells and/or 0000 steel wool.

Key to carding is to remove the soft surface rust without burning thu to bare metal. I've found that boiling greatly aids loosens up the surface rust.

V/R

Mike

[mouthpiece]

"Carding " in a liquor establishment is verifying the purchaser's age by inspecing their ID. for date of birth.

I think "carding" is brushing out the burrs & pieces of plant fiber from raw wool. Sheep are hygenically challenged.

[adirondakjack]

One "cards" wool, removing loose fibers with a short brush that looks like a card with a whole pile of little tiny spikes. the process, not unlike brushing a long-haired dog, removes the loose hairs, leaving those still attached behind. "Carding" rust does the same. Ya don't wanna take it all off (or yer back to bare metal), ya wanna remove the loose scale, leaving behind the tightly bound OXIDE that is yer bluing or browning.

[Chuck 100 yd]

YUP !

[AJMD429]

You can also "CARD" a file, by using a wire brush to get metal filings out of the grooves in the file - essentially cleaning the file.

It would help assure you don't scratch the finish of whatever you file next, or embed metal flakes of different alloys in the material, possibly inciting rust.