This heating forms the blue on the plate. Both ingredients are super cheap. All About Bluing Steel Stainless Steel Necessary Gears and Tools Procedure Step 1: Ready the bluing tank Step 2: Process the components of the gun Step 3: Suspend ", not only fun, but also profitable. Wear thick gloves so you dont burn yourself. For hazzalandy: carbon content has nothing to do with the color process, it is only the temperature you heat to, and to a lesser extent, the time spent hot. Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. If you drop a piece of paper in there, or hydrocarbon compounds (like oil or grease on your part). I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. Next, suspend the components in a cleaning solution tank to get rid of dirt, oil, grease, and crud. In fact most guides no matter their material cast iron to bronze and often bearing races are installed the same way. Heat source You will require at least one burner for bluing salts and two hot water burners. When polishing something like the above rifle/shotgun, youve got a pretty light coat of rust, without severe pitting. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Blow torches only heat a small concentrated area. In order to confirm the bank transfer, you will need to upload a receipt or take a screenshot of your transfer within 1 day from your payment date. Are you sure you want to heat the steel to 700F in that early step? I rarely use them. You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. You then oil or wax over the finish when youre done. The object on the left is a custom mild steel potentiometer knob! And thats about everything you need to know about stainless steel bluing. Also, the results you indicate are typical of still having some oil on the gun. Examples of this finish are common on older pocket watches whose hands exhibit what is called 'peacock blue', a rich iridescent blue. This signifies that the steel is tempered. The higher temperatures of the other processes as well as their caustic nature could weaken the soldered joints and make the gun hazardous to use. You can not do this method with Aluminium because it won't reach the temperatures required for bluing, it will just melt. Im asking because theres a guy on YouTube recommending Brown Express first, then several layers of Blue over that. Note that it has to be a different tank from the one you used for Step 2. Life is good. You are a fantastic resource for all of us here. Stainless steel can only tolerate hot bluing and a limited amount of chemicals. Get it Feb 25 - 27. His enthusiasm for handling firearms and hunting gear inspired him to create the Shooting Mystery blog. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. One of the reasons I hand-polish up to 600 and buff only above that is that when you see one of my barrels (by holding it up to a light source, and sighting down the barrel from the muzzle at your eye to the breech out at arms length), you see no dips, waves, ripples, etc. It costs an arm and a leg, and you can buy 0000 so cheaply at Wally World that it makes the acetone method worth your while. To temper the steel so it isn't brittle, place it in an oven heated to 375 F for 3 hours, and then it let it cool overnight. WHERE or when would the torch get used? Heat the gun parts. It is usually inadvisable to use cold bluing as a touch-up where friction is present. % of people told us that this article helped them. If you look at the temps that Tenifur(SP) and Melonite(sp) and early Pakerizing processes used this is nothing. 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. Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! Shooting Mystery is an independent website that provides content for informational purposes only. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. Always back your paper when youre polishing over edges and up against features. He has more than three years of experience writing for and working with wikiHow. Its the corrosive gift that just keeps on giving. "https://www.reddit.com/user/theshootingmystery" 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. You want 0000 steel wool for carding between coats. Christopher Graham writes all the content and reviews on this site with the help of his team of hunters and shooters. The plate turned blue just like you ible and I was told this was an effect of compression fitting.the rod didn't change colour even though it had the heat applied to it so was it actually the compression fit that changed the plates colour. If cold bluing is the only practical option, the area should be kept oiled to extend the life of the coating as much as possible. Then wipe off all excess oil and look at your beautiful finished object! Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: -An old container filled with your chosen degreaser (unleaded petrol), -Your desired polished metal object/s (very important! Once you strip the blue & rust, then you can see what youre dealing with. Metal parts that look black or blue-black are usually blued (rather than painted). Hot NaOH is so alkaline it is great as dissolving organic materials. I use it, oh so cautiously in making my biodiesel. 2 years ago, For the record The gentleman said multiple times that the plastic container shown in the pictures was just for the instructional photos and to be sure that the container is made of metal for this process, (Homer Simpson smacking his forehead: "DOH! Answer Thanks a lot for sharing. 35% Potassium nitrate (aka saltpeter), http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-36054.html. You need to adjust the boiling point of the salts for your altitude. Higher carbon contents will take longer to heat. Quenched steel is harder, but it becomes more brittle. 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. At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Todos los derechos reservados. No one can even tell you what the heat treat is on a 1895 Mauser for instance yet we do not wet ourselves before we shoot one! I use a pickling paste. I guess Ill have to just be happy drying toilet paper. "@context": "http://schema.org/", I use kerosene to wet my paper from 500 on up. Use a backing block of wood or even a Pink Pearl rubber eraser. It is not nice stuff. It, too, must be oiled to provide any significant rust resistance. Next you hold it in front of your heat source until a blue oxide layer covers the whole blade edge. It provides the stainless steel surface with a layer of protection, giving rust and corrosion resistance while reducing potential glare as well. 2 years ago When the first patch gets really funky, then drop that in your plastic garbage container (remember, these patches have been soaked in acid solutions! Then you can express blue it with a propane torch and a tank of boiling water. Theyll usually go in from the right, and be drifted out from the left (ie, drifting them from left to the right as the muzzle is pointed away from you). Some people might not have a tank long enough to contain a barreled action to boil out. Most cold blueing agents contain some selenium dioxide in them to enable to them to react at room temps. http://www.lowes.com/pd_188198-316-HG-66420_0__?productId=4764059 You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. Before you start, it might do you well to mark the sight base on each side of the dovetail with a Sharpie marker, so you can see when the sight begins to move. Seriously, this is interesting and thank you for posting it, but I hope to never be in a position where I need to use either of these techniques! Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. Again, dont mess around with these chemicals and only handle them with extreme attention. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Heat the area you'd like to drill just until it starts to glow red, then allow it to cool slowly. BUT like so many power tools on guns, it is possible to create expensive screw-ups to fix on guns with power tools, and buffing wheels are no exception. Steps to Hot Blue Steel with a Torch Itll evaporate rather rapidly, but still, dont whip it at cars or house finishes. The process isnt intended for bronze. Excessive buffing on stainless steel could result in a grainy appearance so do it with care. Fe3O4 requires chemicals and/or heat to push the iron to full oxidation. Contemporary heat-treatable steels did not exist or were in their infancy. Approved. Many double-barreled shotguns are soft soldered (lead) or silver brazed together and many of the parts are attached by that method also. Did you make this project? You can also heat the oil to create different effects. } Degrease and heat the items to be blued in a steel pan to about 700F. -something to hold your object with i.e. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. It is vastly appreciated even by those of us who will probably never use it. "logo": { Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. That can be a pen torch (pictured), a blow torch, a heat gun, a gas hob (which I am going use) or anything that will provide you with enough heat. The downsides are: the safety issue, which I laid out above, and which youve made clear. These work by depositing a coating of copper selenide on the surface. He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns. Wait for a day to let the bluing properly cure before you do anything else to it. Gee, Im thinkin Duro or cero coat maybe even Krylon might be a good enough.. After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. - Ballachy", "Bluing of Steel by Heat Treatment: Why and How it Happens? http://cdn.spectrumbrands.com/~/media/Spectracide/Files/MSDS/SpectracideStumpRemoverGranulesSDSApr15.ashx. Old school smiths use something called washing soda to strip oil off guns. Think big scars. The parts must be observed constantly for colour change. The reason I ask is that when you heat steel that is in the white to 600F, you get a brilliant blue all on its own. You wouldnt need salts. Woodworkers doing furniture finishing will use 000 and 0000 wool, and they hate oil on their wool for rubbing down oil finishes. You can then use a soft brush to gently remove all the residue of the cleaning solution on the components. 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. What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. 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). These include hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing, and so on. Once you see it turn golden, the process has started and colours will change fairly quickly! The bottom of the crucible is opened allowing the contents to drop into the rapidly bubbling water. Reply "author": "Christopher Graham", Bluing is most commonly used by gun manufacturers, gunsmiths, and gun owners to improve the cosmetic appearance of and provide a measure of corrosion resistance to their firearms. You can get a IR non-contact thermometer for less than $20 at Harbor Freight. Could I use stainless steel earrings that I have got? 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. Always wear goggles and gloves when operating a propane blow torch. While still hot and while wearing rubber gloves rub the bluing compound Into the steel with the steel wool. Black oxide provides minimal protection against corrosion, unless also treated with a water-displacing oil to reduce wetting and galvanic action. "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", Initially case hardening was used but did not offer any aesthetics. 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. The cross section and size of parts affect the outcome of the finish and time it takes to achieve. You might be able to start at 320 grit. Also Dont get the 275-300F bath on you. Its easy enough to color metal with a torch, but it has always been a hit-or-miss process for me, and when it was a big hit, I was rarely able to re-create how it got that way. If you want to blue something fast I have a cheap hot blue method: Lowes stump remover: Its a pretty straightforward process. The usual mistake on buffing wheels is using too coarse a compound, and then the wheel becomes quite aggressive in removing material. All blued parts still require oiling to prevent rust. Just let any residual matter evaporate/dry. This finish allows them to be stored in high-moisture conditions, like sports bags, without rusting. Here is a simple way to get a blued finish on steel. 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. kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). It also looks good on AK type weapons of which I have three to park. ", informative and did not use technical language and concepts that would have left me floundering and none the wiser. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. I handed a buddy my wallet and cell phone, and stepped under the safety shower and got wet. Thats one way to get dyspeptic to write articles! Just take them from the comments he posts. Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It is always essential to remove all oils from metals you want to blue, even if the cold blueing solution claims you dont need to do so. Wipe them down with WD-40 on a regular basis. Cold bluing is not particularly resistant to holster wear, nor does it provide a large degree of rust resistance. Thoroughly degrease the area to be reblued with acetone. Its essential to keep stirring the tank to prevent the forming of hot and cold areas. You dont want to affect the hardness of your steel in critical areas like actions, bolts, bolt lugs, barrels, chambers, etc. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. I really appreciate you taking the time to share it DG. I wasnt planning on doing it for a few months. It is usually sold in a 1lb bottle for $3, you'll need 3 or 4 pounds probably. For modern uses of black oxide, see, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "How To Remove Rust From A Gun Without Damaging Bluing? Keep heating the steel until you notice a blue color form on the metal. Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. Its durable and wears well. You heat the outside member only when you do a shrink fit.). Then, you can put the components back into the bluing tank and increase the temperature until you see the blued steel. Dont scrub the solution onto the gun, just run a patch that is not dripping wet down one complete run on the barrel/action in one smooth stroke. How do I harden a steel hammer so that is lasts longer and is more durable? The torch comes in when you first apply the Express Blue. It is caused by a layer of oxide that forms when the steel is heated. My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. Either that or the steel wool. Wait for 10 15 minutes and then take out the components. Ships from and sold by Direct-Wholesale. The use of stainless steel alloy varies a lot from one manufacturer to the other and thats why the bluing effect wont always be consistent. For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! Holy crap, did that reaction hurt like hell. Alternitavely you can leave it in the oil bath to stabilize. After the Civil War they switched to another process. With a simple heating and quenching process, you can make your steel last for much longer! High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. Heating up a tank on the kitchen stove. Thats how vigorously we de-grease guns before starting blueing. This is as deadly as the lye-based hot salts, but more for the temperature of a large batch of salts. Vegetable oil has a higher boiling point, so the hot steel will take longer to cool and reduce the chance of it cracking. The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. "@type": "Organization", They melt at, oh, somewhere about 280F. Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. I pulled the temp off the top of my head. Below is a link to a video I found on YouTube that shows the process. Repeat 3 times. I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. Pour in The color is oxide, but I believe you can scrape it off. It does provide good rust resistance, which is improved with oil. I have done a cold blue on a very rusted .22 for a friend. Should something happen, seek medical help right away. Spilling salts at this temperature will instantly result in fire, because the KNO3 is a powerful oxidizer all on its own, and the added thermal energy will light anything on fire all alone. Because so many people are trying to do this sort of thing on the cheap, thats when I start thundering in my warnings about safety. The steel is also used for producing great police flashlights with awesome durability. When youre using polishing paper, you think that 600 grit is very fine, and it is taking you hours to polish out something to 600. Thanks, 8 years ago You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). I dont have that much blueing to do in my shop, so I dont use hot salts. Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. It can soften up some paints and plastics. Safety is the number one priority so protect your body as much as possible. So you will get a shinier finish. We will verify and confirm your receipt within 3 working days from the date you upload it. If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. This article received 28 testimonials and 92% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. highfour, case hardening is a bit different from what you describe.. Usually, the steel needs some time in a medium that will allow carbon to penetrate the surface, and we are talking 15 minutes to several hours. Nowadays, even mild steel does have a certain amount of carbon in the alloy, which can explain your observations, if you google "super quench," you should find a waterbased quench that is rumoured to do the same, but in my humble opinion, water can do just that as well. Ok you gotta help me out herewhen I was studying mechanical engineering a good few years back a project I done involved using a compression fit of 1/4" thick plate steel into 1" thick steel rod, both mild steel. Blue or Black rust is complete passivation of the steel surface Fe3O4. Rust bluing was developed between hot and cold bluing processes, and was originally used by gunsmiths in the 19th century to blue firearms prior to the development of hot bluing processes. New guns are typically available in blued finish options offered as the least-expensive finish, and this finish is also the least effective at providing rust resistance, relative to other finishes such as Parkerizing or hard chrome plating or nitriding processes like Tenifer. I think I was drinking heavily (and likely doing stupid things in my shop with high heat and flammables at the time, possibly while juggling chainsaws) at the time I made that comment - without reading carefully. Once the steel is clean, you can begin heating it up. Ive learned a LOT. I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. 3D Printed Futuristic Space Age Wall Clock. My dad keeps his in a big safe with large desiccant packs that he threw in there. Stand on end over some paper towels to drain. I wouldn't recommend either. For the color change to be uniform you have to remove the grease, oil, paint etc or it looks blotchy. Let them cool down as you take a closer look at the bluing effect. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. Check out the video:https://hackaday.io/project/21947-makers-vise/log/60914-coloring-steel-with-magnetism. If you cant, just get them out of the case and allow air to circulate around them.