I'm looking for information on how mill scale forms during the steel-making process (i.e., the atmospheric conditions, mechanical processes, heating and cooling profiles), with the ultimate goal of being able to recreate mill scale in a small shop/studio environment. The reason for this is that I would like to incorporate the look of mill scale in some of my sculptural work, but the processes involved in creating the work tend to destroy or degrade the original scale. No other coatings or processes I've encountered yield quite the same color, texture, uniformity, and overall look of mill scale. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Bert