Thanks for the lesson, DG. I learned something slightly different than what you are teaching and that is I am willing to pay people like you to do this kind of stuff for me. JUST DONT. To obtain oil-free steel wool, get some acetone in a container (say, an old, clean yogurt container you were going to throw away anyway). Polish to at least 400 grit. There is something really rewarding about this technique. Cooking off the more volatile hydrocarbons leaving the heavier ones produces a different effect yet again. Often it does provide an adequate cosmetic touch-up of a gun's finish when applied and additionally oiled on a regular basis. Itll evaporate rather rapidly, but still, dont whip it at cars or house finishes. Initially case hardening was used but did not offer any aesthetics. WebBluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. Step 3: Suspend the components in the bluing solution tank, However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using, Step 4: Rinse the components in a cold water tank then transfer them to a hot one, Step 5: Submerge the components in a tank filled with water displacing oil, Address: 4455 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ste 114 #852, Fort Worth, TX 76107. I handed a buddy my wallet and cell phone, and stepped under the safety shower and got wet. Blue Metal Shell 13 in 1 Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering. An iron wire, stainless dipper, and part basket are required to handle the guns components and adjust the bluing solution as well. Drop a piece of hot charcoal in it and it will burn in the absence of any atmosphere as the nitrate provides the oxygen for the reaction. Do NOT wipe/touch your metal with anything after degreasing as the whole purpose of cleaning was then for nothing. Participated in the Explore Science Contest. Ill go into parkerization later this week. You need to adjust the boiling point of the salts for your altitude. $3.59. Modern home hobbyist versions of this process typically use a hydrogen peroxide and salt solution, sometimes with vinegar, for the rusting step to avoid the need for more dangerous acids.[7]. The rust then turns to black-blue Fe3O4. Oxides come after its been heated to a red heat and cooled. So you said the polishing is key for the coloring process. Ill be saving this for the future. Work on a metal or steel surface, such as an anvil, to avoid any fire hazards. There can be different layers you have to apply. Bluing Stainless Steel: What You Can and Cant Do - Forging World Most cold blueing agents contain some selenium dioxide in them to enable to them to react at room temps. Youll need some shop rolls, ranging from 180 to 400 grit (typical 4-packs are 180, 240, 320 and 400 grit, in 1, 1.5 or 2. DIY Gun Bluing It is slightly caustic, so be careful you dont leave it on the gun for long. If you have a wood or phenolic handle, use a propane torch to heat the blade only for about two minutes. Blued Pivot Steel I use kerosene to wet my paper from 500 on up. Dont. Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. There's also blued hardware available, like nuts, bolts, screws, and hinges. This step should be done before heating the steel, as the steel should be quenched immediately after removing from heat. The "turning blue" process has nothing to do with hardening of the steel, or its compression. In the nitre bluing process, polished and cleaned steel parts are immersed in a bath of molten saltstypically potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate (sometimes with 9.4 grams (0.33oz) of manganese dioxide per pound of total nitrate). This is a great time to point out that leaving guns in gun cases, especially the woolen/fleece cases, in the back of a closet, is one of the most sure-fire ways to rust the value completely out of a gun. This process leaves a deep blue-black finish. It is a difficult product to apply evenly, offers minimal protection and is generally best used for small fast repair jobs and touch-ups.[2][3]. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. Keep them in that state while you heat them but be sure to not boil up the tank. Copyright 2023 Flixsterz. Quenched steel is harder, but it becomes more brittle. Further, I probably would have used a coarser wet-dry to prep the raw steel (this was a kit Kentucky long rifle) rather than the 1500 grit I used. Premium fencing blades are often offered with a blued finish. 84 or Du-Lite 3-0. Also, the results you indicate are typical of still having some oil on the gun. WebStep 1: Preparing Your Materials You will need: -2x containers (one of them preferably being metal for the oil) -oil -unleaded petrol/Acetone/Terpentine/Rubbing alcohol or any good Brand: Logix. This method was adopted by larger firearm companies for large scale, more economical bluing. "@type": "ImageObject", NaOH is nasty stuff. Oil-free steel wool is also sold by woodworking shops. Hopefully these concepts suggest caution and diligence for what you are doing. Cold blues will His enthusiasm for handling firearms and hunting gear inspired him to create the Shooting Mystery blog. "@type": "Organization", 4 years ago Excellent info. this produces better, less turbulant gas flow, which will reduce heat traces. 2. Note: I know a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one! I just had my first experience rust browning a barrel. Just take them from the comments he posts. Think big scars. If you tempered the steel with a blow torch, set the metal on an anvil or another large steel surface to conduct the heat. I saw you reference a coleman stove and propane tank for heating solution. Once you strip the blue & rust, then you can see what youre dealing with. Just dont do it. Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. When Im polishing on barrels, I polish lengthwise. Put 600 grit compound on a wheel, use a little too much pressure and youll be gob-smacked at how fast it can cut material off the gun. Safety is the number one priority so protect your body as much as possible. Buffing wheels have their purpose, but they take real skill to use without making a mess of guns, starting with the selection of the wheel (theres, oh, at least six types of buffing wheel), choice of type of compound, choice of grit of compound, choice of wheel speed (many buffers have only one speed, and there are some jobs where you really want a 3-phase motor on your buffer with a VFD to adjust the speed down from 1800 or 3600 RPM) and so on. What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. I now want to reverse the process so I can drill and tap the metal tip. The easier of the two methods, hot bluing only requires some degreasing agent, a heating apparatus (a blow torch is perfect for this), and any kind of oil. If you look at the temps that Tenifur(SP) and Melonite(sp) and early Pakerizing processes used this is nothing. tighter your arc, the less the heat input will be. 4 years ago 3 years ago. The differing rate of cooling for each area produced a different color creating that rainbow effect. "image": { To shrink, I assumed you heated the steel plate only, to expand the hole in it. 5. Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques.Have fun doing it! While still hot and while wearing rubber gloves rub the bluing compound Into the steel with the steel wool. Try it on some unimportant pieces first. I think DGs method is a lot safer than mine. If you do not get crazy and over heat the steel there is no reason to be fearful of the process. kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). Isn't the point of the acetone to degrease, why would i grease? }, "@type": "ImageObject", Even with safety glasses and a full-face shield, a rubber apron, rubber boots, etc it is possible to get salts into your eyes and all over the rest of you. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Blue or Black rust is complete passivation of the steel surface Fe3O4. Heat the gun parts. Most waters in the Rockies clear out to the west coast will have high(er) dissolved solids in them. Ill be buying the stainless tubs and chemicals to do it and go for as close to black as I can get. "https://www.pinterest.com/theshootingmystery/", occasionally I'll buff it afterwards. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process. Craig, torch bluing is a real thing that has been use a lot in the custom gun world, mostly for screw heads but even for complete muzzle loader creations ( the vendor will be quite proud of his work it seems as cost increases considerably to a finished item). The mixed fumes of the acids produce a uniform rust on the surface of the parts (inside and out) in about 12 hours. Heat the Steel. Just use distilled water. Theres a reason I didnt pursue a career in chemistry. Mea maxima culpa - and I left my comment up rather than delete the thread (for now) just so I could reply and admit the My Dumb, rather than skulk away cleanly >;-), Question I like parkerization on some of my milsurps. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 914,567 times. For the chemical, the bluing solution should be either Oxynate No. you could also heat this size tank with anything from a hibatchi up to a Weber charcoal grill or you could put it on top of a wood-burning stove or even a kitchen stove. Once the solution reaches its boiling point, turn down the burner to about one-third of the boiling temperature and let it stay there. 4. Once you get the colour you want, go outside to your oil container and fully quench your object into the oil!Note: I know a plastic container is "Bluing" is the process of oxidizing steel to create a durable, corrosion-resistant layer. Usually, you can find the manufacturers recommended ratio in the product manual. It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use. "description": "If you want to find out how to blue stainless steel, then you've come to the right place. The melting point for KNO3 is 633F. I am using bronze, is it for a polish? 2mm wire has a circumference of ~0.25in. . You should note that the blue layer is rather delicate so dont treat it roughly. How to colour steel with heat (hot oil finish) is a simple but effective way of achieving a desired colour of choice.The colours are fantastic and often come out in a beautiful two-tone shine. This item: Special Blue Full Metal Butane Torch (Gold) - Refillable Flame Lighter- Culinary Torch - Welding Torch - Adjustable Dual Flame for Desserts, Creme Brulee, BBQ and Baking. Ships from and sold by Direct-Wholesale. Next, suspend the components in a cleaning solution tank to get rid of dirt, oil, grease, and crud. I thought there was something that could help improve the colors but wasnt sure until I came across this. References journeyman. It provides the stainless steel surface with a layer of protection, giving rust and corrosion resistance while reducing potential glare as well. Dont drop or try to bend the steel once its removed. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 13 in 1 Metal Shell Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering at the best online prices at eBay! Use your torch to bring up Put all the components into the tank and wait for 5 15 minutes. Then you pull it out and scrape off the oil along the blade edge. I pulled the temp off the top of my head. How to remove discoloration from heat? - Forums - Miller Welding I'm trying to be positive and constructive, and think this is: for an amateur to stick a very hot torch-heated metal object into a plastic container filled with oil is simply dumb (ok, more polite: "irresponsible") at best, highly dangerous at worst. Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? Picture Information. (NaOH from Ebay soap supplies). Hot blueing salts attack soft solders on guns, so it isnt to be done on old shotguns and some older rifles. I used Brownells Plum Brown, a product that requires that the barrel be heated to 275 degrees to activate the reaction. "height": "800", That seems wasteful. 3.3k. ], Any gun. Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: Fume bluing is another process similar to rust bluing. Cold blues will react with steel at room temperature, but you get more aggressive reactions when you heat the gun to, oh, 150 to 200F. So unless you have sufficient equipment and skill, its advised to let a professional perform the bluing for you. The downsides are: the safety issue, which I laid out above, and which youve made clear. Pour in All blued parts still require oiling to prevent rust. I ended up with some spots where the browning did not take, and a few dull spots, most of which I was able to buff out with steel wool soaked with gun oil. Hot blueing is a good process, especially if you have a lot of iron to shove through the blueing process quickly. Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. 8 years ago Process that partially protects steel against rust, This article is about the historical uses of black oxide. Then, use a pair of tongs to carry the steel to a container filled with water or vegetable, and submerge the hot metal in the liquid. Think big scars. Reply Wear thick gloves and a face mask before you quench your steel so the water or oil doesnt splash onto your hands. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. Turn the heat on and give a good regular stirring until it gets very hot and starts to steam. Gun companies dont/wont do it because they want to make quick money, and today its all phosphates and bake-on appliance paint (you didnt think a guy who calls Glocks cheez-whiz was going to sing the praises of Duracote or Cerakote, did you?). "width": "1500", The steel will pull some of the carbon out of the oil while quenching and harden the outer portion of the metal. Pull it out of the tank and place on a drain rack. There wasnt a whole lot of pain just yet until my buddy took the safety bottle of vinegar solution used to neutralize the alkaline NaOH salts, and then the pain was there. Heat the area you'd like to drill just until it starts to glow red, then allow it to cool slowly. Once you get the colour you want, go outside to your oil container and fully quench your object into the oil! In place of using a hot bath (although at a lower temperature) chemically induced method, it is possible through controlling the temperature to heat steel precisely such as to cause the formation of black oxide selectively over the red oxide. Youre just using stump remover to do it. 500F-600F is often all that is needed and the parts can be done over and over again you just have to clean between each attempt. I used Express Blue #1 on lots of guns, where I want something less labor intensive than slow rust blueing (which I wont describe here): most steel wool isnt oil-free. Bear in mind not to touch the walls of your container as you don't want to disturb the process of what's happening! This is often achieved without chemicals by simply heating the steel until a blue oxide film appears. Bluing may be applied by immersing steel parts in a solution of potassium nitrate, sodium hydroxide, and water heated to the boiling point, 275310F (135154C) depending on the recipe. The cross section and size of parts affect the outcome of the finish and time it takes to achieve. ")You're ABSOLUTELY right. For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. Also Dont get the 275-300F bath on you. Usually they would pack the parts in crucibles and surround them with leather, wood, coal,bone etcThey would heat them up to 1200F to 1500F and hold them at this temp. Some people might not have a tank long enough to contain a barreled action to boil out. It will first turn gold, then orange, then red, purple, blue and then dark grey! Torch You dont want to affect the hardness of your steel in critical areas like actions, bolts, bolt lugs, barrels, chambers, etc. "Cold" bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. [ ", You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. of the steel than do not even try this on something that is anything other than artistic in nature! Are you sure you want to heat the steel to 700F in that early step? 2. Bluing also helps to maintain the metal finish by resisting superficial scratching, and also helps to reduce glare to the eyes of the shooter when looking down the barrel of the gun. 99. The loose oxide was then carded (scrubbed) off, using a carding brush - a wire brush with soft, thin (usually about 0.002in (0.051mm) thick) wires - or wheel. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. I don't understand why you are submerging it in oil? Every true outdoorsmans dream! Heating it again to a lower temperature will not introduce additional martensite. I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. "datePublished": "2022-03-27", The robot gives the steel valve seat a quick blast with liquid nitrogen and drops the seat right in place. This is not necessary as long as you can hold your item appropriately and not cover where it is to be heated. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. After spending most of his career as a firearms expert and enthusiast, he retreated to the great outdoors to raise his family in peace and quiet. The process isnt intended for bronze. It is generally employed on smaller parts such as pins, screws, sights, etc. Blue Next comes the main part. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Wear disposable nitrile gloves, work in adequate ventilation, bag and dispose of all rags/towels used in the process in their own bags, and quickly. Brownells has steel tanks, and there are some steel/stainless long/thin tanks available from other sources. ", informative and did not use technical language and concepts that would have left me floundering and none the wiser. They are still sometimes used by gunsmiths to obtain an authentic finish for a period gun of the time that rust bluing was in vogue, analogous to the use of browning on earlier representative firearm replicas. But the article was very informative. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. Theres nothing I see as super-dangerous about blueing other than trying to do hot salt blueing without all the correct safety equipment and precautions. If you havent done it before, wait until I mention some items about it. Fill a heat-safe container with water or oil deep enough to submerge your steel. Sometimes at this point, I come just a fraction away from the heat to go through colours a bit slower. You are nitre blueing here. "https://www.reddit.com/user/theshootingmystery" on Step 1. Reply Fill the tank with a suitable amount of water then add in the bluing salt using the correct ratio. The tank of distilled water you heat with a camp stove, the kitchen stove (Im not responsible for marital discord and disruptions of conjugal relations) or some other much larger heat source to a boil. Besides those, you must also have water displacing oil and cleaning solution (Dicro-Clean 909). We strongly advise that you only push through with this process if you are absolutely confident that you are able to perform the necessary precautions. The parts can often be put together with little or no forces need and friction lock together and the one parts shrinks and the other part expands. I want to add rainbow color to safety razor blades that would be used again, how can I do this? 3D Printed Futuristic Space Age Wall Clock. I use it, oh so cautiously in making my biodiesel. Bluing Add 5 lbs of regular table salt to the water. How to Hot Blue Steel with a Torch- A Step-by-Step Guide RF: Expect a write-up from me on Rust blueing and parkerizing in the next couple of weeks. Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. 1. polish it very well 2. clean very well 3. quick dip in dilute FeCl (4:1) is what I use 4. rinse in cold running water and pat Theres nothing wrong with your method, but is is very hazardous, especially to people who have never done anything like it before. 4 Ways to Blue Steel - wikiHow OK, Buffing wheels, which Im making their own break-out response from the blueing salt issue: Buffing wheels are useful things in a gun shop. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. The usual mistake on buffing wheels is using too coarse a compound, and then the wheel becomes quite aggressive in removing material. Then you have to heat the metal. Youre a gunsmith who has a lot of nice guns! The content is not meant to be a replacement for professional service advice. The part that is to race the other is heated normally up to about 220 especially if it is an aluminum casting like a cylinder head. Hot bluing is the current standard[6] in gun bluing, as both it and rust bluing provide the most permanent degree of rust-resistance and cosmetic protection of exposed gun metal, and hot bluing takes less time than rust bluing. You can make a Caustic Soda KNO3 water bath: 65% Lye (aka sodium hydroxide) I've never done anything like this but want to try. The "hot" process is an alkali salt solution using potassium nitrite or sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide, referred to as "traditional caustic black", that is typically done at an elevated temperature, 135 to 155C (275 to 311F). Bluing is often a hobbyist endeavor, and there are many methods of bluing, and continuing debates about the relative efficacy of each method. It is caused by a layer of oxide that forms when the steel is heated. These work by depositing a coating of copper selenide on the surface. The steel was mild steel and had very little carbon content. My advice to people here: Unless youre a professional, and youre working in a shop with all the required safety gear (a cold water shower within a couple feet of the tanks, and an eyewash station next to the tanks, and someone working in the same shop every moment youre working on the salt tanks), DONT.