2. The parts are then boiled in distilled water, blown dry, then carded, as with rust bluing. Should something happen, seek medical help right away. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. Alternitavely you can leave it in the oil bath to stabilize. Sometimes at this point, I come just a fraction away from the heat to go through colours a bit slower. I hope to someday have good knowledge to pass on to people, heh. It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. on Introduction, Hello my name is Joe and Im doing a project where Im trying to achieve the same outcome. Then wipe off all excess oil and look at your beautiful finished object! The mixture is heated to 310 to 321C (590 to 610F) and the parts are suspended in this solution with wire. 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. Ive hot salt blued guns in a shop with the proper equipment and you can shove a river of iron through a single hot salt tank in an afternoon. Spray down the whole barreled action with copious amounts of WD-40, inside and out. 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. How to Blue/Re-Blue a Gun - The Truth About Guns On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Keep a grade B fire extinguisher nearby in case of a fire. Metal Finishing Guru. -Something to hold your piece with, make sure it's appropriate to hold it with so it doesn't get too hot in your hands. So I buffed down the barrel with steel wool and started over heating the barrel in the oven before taking it outside to add the solution (which is nitric acid). Once you see it turn golden, the process has started and colours will change fairly quickly! It is one smoooooth profile, from one end to the other. Pour in some acetone, and while wearing rubber gloves (dishwashing gloves are OK), put in a pad of 0000 steel wool, swish it around and pull it out. to blue / heat anodize stainless steel Enjoy! I believe the change of color is due to a growing thickness of an oxide layer. Bluing (steel) - Wikipedia Turn the heat on and give a good regular stirring until it gets very hot and starts to steam. I plan on doing this on a couple of older beaters first. 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. Bear in mind not to touch the walls of your container as you don't want to disturb the process of what's happening! "I am nearly 16 and can not wait until I have my drivers license. 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. Thanks for always being so willing to share, Sir. Ventilation is important. The blue appearance of the oxide film is also used as an indication of temperature when tempering carbon steel after hardening, indicating a state of temper suitable for springs. Hes claiming that method is more durable than Blue alone. You then oil or wax over the finish when youre done. 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. "https://theshootingmystery.tumblr.com/", Im not responsible for marital discord as a result of gun projects attempted on the kitchen stove. When youre done and have neutralized & washed off the Express Blue #1 solution, you then should spray down the barrel with water-displacing oil. And I work alone in my shop, and lack the required (IMO) safety facilities that are needed. Just dont. (You say the rod was heated, but it couldn't have been, as it was on the inside. 5. Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques.Have fun doing it! . "@type": "Article", NaOH will quickly and completely dissolve aluminum. WD-40, as mentioned earlier, is a water-displacing oil compound not a penetrating lube, and for preventing rust, WD-40 actually works pretty well, but it doesnt last like cosmoline or waxy oils used for long-term rust prevention. Fill a heat-safe container with water or oil deep enough to submerge your steel. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Harden-Steel-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Harden-Steel-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a> License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5b\/Harden-Steel-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5b\/Harden-Steel-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Harden-Steel-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Harden-Steel-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/af\/Harden-Steel-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/af\/Harden-Steel-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Harden-Steel-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/02\/Harden-Steel-Step-8.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/28\/Harden-Steel-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/28\/Harden-Steel-Step-9.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Harden-Steel-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Harden-Steel-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Harden-Steel-Step-10.jpg\/aid1214287-v4-728px-Harden-Steel-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
\n<\/p>
\n<\/p><\/div>"}. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. If the sights need to be stripped & blued, follow the same procedure, but dont polish on them. The process was to coat the gun parts in an acid solution, let the parts rust uniformly, then immerse the parts in boiling water to convert the red oxide Fe2O3 to black oxide Fe3O4, which forms a more protective, stable coating than the red oxide; the boiling water also removes any remaining residue from the applied acid solution (often nitric acid and hydrochloric acid diluted in water). The head is fixtured and and an arm holding the valve seat moves the the proper location. Some people might not have a tank long enough to contain a barreled action to boil out. Im asking because theres a guy on YouTube recommending Brown Express first, then several layers of Blue over that. Its a good process, but it isnt a 1:1 replacement for blueing. To remove pitting and keep the barrel profile intact requires skill with a file, and that requires hands-on training. You turn up your nose at crap guns? Your 700F temp is too high, IMO. Also, the results you indicate are typical of still having some oil on the gun. I now want to reverse the process so I can drill and tap the metal tip. When everything is set up, put on your protective gear and then get down to business. 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. Always wear goggles and gloves when operating a propane blow torch. I want to add rainbow color to safety razor blades that would be used again, how can I do this? Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! Either of these two methods is called 'hot bluing'. A couple bottles of aged bourbon minimum. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. With a simple heating and quenching process, you can make your steel last for much longer! Dont drop or try to bend the steel once its removed. To shrink, I assumed you heated the steel plate only, to expand the hole in it. It can soften up some paints and plastics. You work on nice guns! When polishing something like the above rifle/shotgun, youve got a pretty light coat of rust, without severe pitting. Hi SteelJunkee Method is as follows: Fit rod into drill and set at constant speed Clean rods with acetone on clean rag Use butane and propane mix blow torch to achieve colour range Quench in water Dry The weird thing is that they look great for around 4-5 days then deteriorate. You can then use a soft brush to gently remove all the residue of the cleaning solution on the components. The wire is extremely small in diameter, so you have to take that into consideration. When heat treating a forged blade you get the whole knife glowing, then submerge just the blade in the oil for 8 seconds. 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! Thermometers and stirring tools are also needed, as well as something to heat up the tanks. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. With HSS you're looking for 2500-3000rpm, M35 or M42 cobalt bits 3000-3600rpm, and carbide 10k-12krpm. Im talking like 90+ minutes to heat the salt bath to 285F. Its durable and wears well. 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). You can blue heat-treated parts with no ill effects. At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Shootinglogo.png" Many older browning and bluing formulas are based on corrosive solutions (necessary to cause metal to rust), and often contain cyanide or mercury salts solutions that are especially toxic to humans. 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. My apologies for the background noise in the first half of the video We had compressors running where I had to shoot this This video shows how to blue steel parts using an oven or torch and quenching in oil This method is not the professional method using bluing salts but can be done in your home with a torch or if you have access to a high temperature oven This method will provide your parts some protection from corrosion and show how to achieve different colors in the steel by varying temperatures I am not a professional so please spare me the that s not hot bluing and other criticisms If you don t like it turn it off Hope this comes in handy for someone, How to take apart disassemble and put together assemble a 1911 pistol 1st method, Stevens 20 Gauge Break Action Shotgun Project - Part 4 Cold Bluing with Brownells Oxpho-Blue Creme, Van's Instant Gun Bluing - Removing Gun Rust, Cold bluing Steel blackening How to use Tifoo Black Devil - burnishing steel, Gun Bluing - Colt Official Police 38 Special, Vintage Screwdriver Cold Bluing Br nierung Restore No 2, Slow rust bluing O1 knife blades part two, Easy and Fast bluing touch up Presto Gun Blue Pen, DuraBlue Spray-on Bluing Aerosol Application Process Polished Version, Axe Restoration Part Two Bluing With Birchwood Casey Superblue, Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black Super Blue and Metal Work on a Tanfoglio TA22S, Gun Bluing using cold blue and heat Weihrauch HW35 E Restoration, Perma Blue Gun Blue Paste Birchwood Casey. Just use distilled water. Ive dealt with strong acids and strong bases in lab work, and I fear the strong bases more. This process leaves a deep blue-black finish. Blue This is not necessary as long as you can hold your item appropriately and not cover where it is to be heated. Below is a link to a video I found on YouTube that shows the process. 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?). You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). When youre done, attach the thermometer to the tank and fire up the burner. The cotton gloves insulate your fingers from the heated barrel, and they prevent oils from your skin from getting on the raw steel. 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. I heat treated a piece of carbon steel to make it less likely to wear (using its edge as a cutting surface in a wood turning application). 3 years ago Note: I know a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one! Be careful since considerable heat might be generated in the process. Thermal Bluing - The Process of Heat Treating Watch Hands In literally 10 seconds on a buffing wheel incorrectly applied, I could screw that up to a point where it might take be eight+ hours of hand polishing to recover my prior results. Red rust is Fe2O3, and is incomplete rust it will continue allowing the surface to corrode over time hence the oil or wax. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Safety is the number one priority so protect your body as much as possible. Alternatively, you can press the pad of steel wool between your hands over the container of acetone, and then put it on some paper towels to dry. I didnt drop outta my mommas womb being able to do this stuff. You MUST plug your barrels, gas cylinders, remove your pistons, etc. Think big scars. I dont use hot salt blueing because much of my work is on older double guns, which have ribs that are soft-soldered into place. However, oil may spill and create a fire hazard if the steel is put into the oil too quickly. Theres nothing wrong with your method, but is is very hazardous, especially to people who have never done anything like it before. It is hazardous. 99. 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. A few safety items: 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. It will instantly vaporize into steam and splash all over you. Then, you can put the components back into the bluing tank and increase the temperature until you see the blued steel. Learn more Steel is a common durable alloy, and while most steel used in tools is already tough, you can harden it even more to prevent wear and tear. ", 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). Again, dont mess around with these chemicals and only handle them with extreme attention. The rod was heated and the plate 2" square was inserted and the rod shrunk onto it. The process isnt intended for bronze. The only way to do that is to heat it until the metal de-magnetises, quench it again, and then temper to the desired hardness. 2. I tried heating the barrel in sections (as Brownells says is ok) but did not get a very good result, being unable to get a uniform heat in any =thing approaching more than a few inches at a time. 35% Potassium nitrate (aka saltpeter), http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-36054.html. "@context": "http://schema.org/", on Step 1. 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. Oh mas oui.Express blueing, slow rust blueing, hot salt blueing, nitre blueing, carbona blueing all are better than cold blueing. Even at room temperature, the salts are highly caustic and will eat into your eyes or skin in seconds not minutes. this article statement You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. If you do not get crazy and over heat the steel there is no reason to be fearful of the process. Ive learned a LOT. 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. Do all the prep you would for express or rust blueing, especially degreasing. Is the torch used to heat metal ..ONLY.with Cold bluing? 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. Repeat 3 times. Blacksmith products to this day may occasionally be found made from blued steel by traditional craftsmen in cultures and segments of society who use that technology either by necessity or choice.[5]. WebThe gun bluing process Start with 1 gallon of water and add it to a deep fryer that has been thoroughly cleaned. Dont just leave them on a surface that could corrode or burn), get a new patch into the hemostats, soak, wring out, and keep going. 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. -A heat source. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. Blue Metal Shell 13 in 1 Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering. You might be able to start at 320 grit. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://shootingmystery.com/blue-stainless-steel-beginners/", It repeats the process adn by the time the head moves on to the next station all the parts are seated presumably for the life of the head. Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. You can make a Caustic Soda KNO3 water bath: 65% Lye (aka sodium hydroxide) The usual mistake on buffing wheels is using too coarse a compound, and then the wheel becomes quite aggressive in removing material. Bluing, being a chemical conversion coating, is not as robust against wear and corrosion resistance as plated coatings, and is typically no thicker than 2.5 micrometres (0.0001 inches). Cooking off the more volatile hydrocarbons leaving the heavier ones produces a different effect yet again. If the magnet doesnt stick, its ready to be pulled away from the heat. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use. Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. THANKS DG. Safety notes: Dont use an aluminum pan. Its a pretty straightforward process. 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. Heat the gun parts. The object on the left is a custom mild steel potentiometer knob! "datePublished": "2022-03-27", Remove any previous finish. It takes practice. Once you get the colour you want, go outside to your oil container and fully quench your object into the oil! Color case hardening is the predecessor of all metal coloring typically employed in the firearms industry. That seems wasteful. High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. Have proper ventilation and use proper modern safety gear! Thanks for the lesson, DG. I can keep a Krylon can always handy for touch-ups. The blueing salt bath will be at about 286 to 292F, and as it is bubbling away, it is losing water, and the boiling point of the solution keeps climbing. I like 1.5 wide shop cloth myself). The robot gives the steel valve seat a quick blast with liquid nitrogen and drops the seat right in place. Vegetable oil has a higher boiling point, so the hot steel will take longer to cool and reduce the chance of it cracking. 5 years ago, I found that heating will turn steel silver ~> gold ~> violet ~> blue. What did you use for polishing your pieces and Im guessing you polished then added the chemicals after?Thanks, Joe, Question Thanks, 8 years ago One can generally use the same solution to brown as to blue. 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. Not only does it give you an alchemical feeling of satisfactionbut it also gives the metal a finish to stop corrosion. Did you make this project? I can't stress how important the degreasing step is! Cold blues will Use a backing block of wood or even a Pink Pearl rubber eraser. 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. They melt at, oh, somewhere about 280F. Also thanks DG! Remove the bolt & trigger group this might require a pin punch on some guns to pull the trigger group.From what little I can see in the picture here . We have all kinds of rifles and shotguns with recievers made from non-Fe alloys again we do not give it a second though or break out the hardness tester. The salts here will be slightly less corrosive (ie, just the pure KNO3, no lye), but at 600F, you have a big physical risk right in front of you. You can improve your results by doing two things: 1. "height": "800", If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Either that or the steel wool. My dad keeps his in a big safe with large desiccant packs that he threw in there. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. This will keep the bluing from adhering to the sharpened edge. You can use a heat gun, a blow dryer, or a torch for this. Submerge in water and scrape edge. Wait for a day to let the bluing properly cure before you do anything else to it. It's worth noting that there can be some additives in motor oil that release hydrocarbons when burnt which is a known carcinogens to the body (in other words: Bad Stuff!). Wear thick gloves and a face mask before you quench your steel so the water or oil doesnt splash onto your hands. Here is a video by Clevinger Customs illustrating it: I use the Brownells nitre blueing salts, which are a combination of sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, and potassium nitrate. There are many methods you can use to blue the steel. This answer was tested with a utility knife blade and it drilled through with ease. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. Heat the gun parts. Blue Bluing 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. The melting point for KNO3 is 633F. "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", SO, DG; unless I missed it, I am assuming the torch is used separate from heating the tank/ container with the boiling solution. 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 for 6-8 hours. | Alpha Detroit", "NRA Family | Gun Manufacturing: Browning vs. Bluing", http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2014/08/quick-rust-bluing-back-in-black.html, "Radio Kits and Designs for Old and New Styles", "Coating, Oxide, Black, for Ferrous Metals (MIL-DTL-13924D)", "Phosphate and black oxide coating of ferrous metals (MIL-HDBK-205A)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bluing_(steel)&oldid=1142351288, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles that may contain original research from October 2020, All articles that may contain original research, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles lacking in-text citations from September 2014, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 22:58. Thanks a lot for sharing. After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. Use a coffee can or similarly shaped container as your quenching chamber. For the chemical, the bluing solution should be either Oxynate No. Bluing is also used in seasoning cast-iron cookware, to render it relatively rust-proof and non-stick. I use a pickling paste. The steel will pull some of the carbon out of the oil while quenching and harden the outer portion of the metal. very easy way to get a blue finish on steel - Fit and Finish I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? "image": { How do I do this? }, I had to sand and restain the stock, and sanded the barrel from 120 down to 400 grit the pitting was so bad. Dont leave cold blue solutions around anywhere pets or kids could get at them.