very easy way to get a blue finish on steel - Fit and Finish Water is great for rapidly quenching the hot metal, but it could cause thin steel to distort or crack. Put all the components into the tank and wait for 5 15 minutes. 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. List Price: $18.64 $18.64. When you add water to a hot salt tank, you get an explosion of steam, and you need to develop some skill in adding the water with a very fine copper pipe on your water hose to prevent steam blow-outs spattering salts all over you. They have their place, but doing a whole gun with them isnt that place. blue steel Next you hold it in front of your heat source until a blue oxide layer covers the whole blade edge. 4 years ago Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. NaOH is nasty stuff. 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. Make sure to check every nook and cranny of the components so that you can find any discoloration or blemishes. 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. This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. I can then get the temp to be 600F spot-on in a lead melting pot. Add in the 250F+ temperatures of the salts when they hit your skin, and youre both burned thermally and chemically in seconds. Different colors can be achieved through variations of this method including quenching in oil instead of water. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience :) ). Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques. One can generally use the same solution to brown as to blue. 5 years ago, I found that heating will turn steel silver ~> gold ~> violet ~> blue. Very true. Brand: Logix. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. For the process your metal should be nicely polished for the best results.The more shinier the polish the more your end result will glow. Then, you can put the components back into the bluing tank and increase the temperature until you see the blued steel. 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]. ], The rod was heated and the plate 2" square was inserted and the rod shrunk onto it. Heat the gun parts. Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: The torch comes in when you first apply the Express Blue. 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. "@type": "ImageObject", I pulled the temp off the top of my head. Once you strip the blue & rust, then you can see what youre dealing with. 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. If I remember right they then heated them up a bit and applied fish oil orignal and I think latter switching to linseed oil to protect the finish and give it that wet look. 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. 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! Then you have to heat the metal. (You say the rod was heated, but it couldn't have been, as it was on the inside. You have a degreased gun, and now you need to get the metal hot enough that the reaction will oxidize the steel as much as possible. Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. 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. Use ice cubes. Bluing involves an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface selectively forming magnetite (Fe3O4), the black oxide of iron. Its much cheaper anyways. Thanks a lot for sharing. LOGIX 20910 Butane Torch, Cooking Torch, Torch for Creme Brulee, Refillable, 9.6 oz, Blue Steel . Holy crap, did that reaction hurt like hell. Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. You MUST plug your barrels, gas cylinders, remove your pistons, etc. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. 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?). "datePublished": "2022-03-27", Ive cut and pasted this to my notes on the cloud. "sameAs": Either of these two methods is called 'hot bluing'. Note that it has to be a different tank from the one you used for Step 2. 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. That would be a hot salt blueing mix. 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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. Dont. I plan on doing this on a couple of older beaters first. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. Im talking like 90+ minutes to heat the salt bath to 285F. In comparison, rust, the red oxide of iron (Fe2O3), undergoes an extremely large volume change upon hydration; as a result, the oxide easily flakes off, causing the typical reddish rusting away of iron. Even at room temperature, the salts are highly caustic and will eat into your eyes or skin in seconds not minutes. "Rust bluing" and "fume bluing" provide the best rust and corrosion resistance as the process continually converts any metal that is capable of rusting into magnetite (Fe3O4). By using our site, you agree to our. And for the next (after the next) installment, how to do hard case coloring. Heating up a tank on the kitchen stove. 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]. Dont leave cold blue solutions around anywhere pets or kids could get at them. Thats how vigorously we de-grease guns before starting blueing. This is all from memory so I might have left some stuff out. Knowledge is the power and fear is the opposite of power it cripples the mind and the body and almost always guarantee's a poor decision will be made. 4.3 out of 5 stars 242 ratings-30% $12.99 $ 12. When putting water in your boil-out tank, use distilled water if you have water with high mineral content. [ 2. For the process your metal should be nicely polished for the best results.The more shinier the polish the more your end result will glow. I can' How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method It is hazardous. 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 heating forms the blue on the plate. 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. Drill bits and gun barrels are common examples. While I am certain that I could do it myself, you already have all the bits and parts and stuff so it is worth my dollars to buy a gunsmiths time to have this done for me. You have to apply the bluing fluid. 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. "@type": "Article", A couple bottles of aged bourbon minimum. Most waters in the Rockies clear out to the west coast will have high(er) dissolved solids in them. Alternatively. Alternatively, You could store them in a hard case (like a pelican with a purge) and throw some desiccant packs in there as well. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I didnt drop outta my mommas womb being able to do this stuff. So you will get a shinier finish. 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. Your 700F temp is too high, IMO. I saw you reference a coleman stove and propane tank for heating solution. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! Mea culpa. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. Contemporary heat-treatable steels did not exist or were in their infancy. The cabinet is then sealed. To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. Shooting Mystery is reader-supported. Fill a heat-safe container with water or oil deep enough to submerge your steel. Aluminium (Al) and polymer parts cannot be blued, and no corrosion protection is provided. Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. Should something happen, seek medical help right away. 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. Use a backing block of wood or even a Pink Pearl rubber eraser. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. It is one smoooooth profile, from one end to the other. on Step 1. Then you can express blue it with a propane torch and a tank of boiling water. Excellent info. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. It provides the stainless steel surface with a layer of protection, giving rust and corrosion resistance while reducing potential glare as well. Bluing - Finishes for Metal - I Forge Iron 2023 All Rights Reserved by Shooting Mystery. Dont want to get any of the liquid on you its 700F. The rust then turns to black-blue Fe3O4. Could I use stainless steel earrings that I have got? 2. Note: I know a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one! 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. Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each Ill detail why. % of people told us that this article helped them. "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", You turn up your nose at crap guns? Heat the gun parts. Use a coffee can or similarly shaped container as your quenching chamber. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was left in a flannel gun case in the back of a moist closet for 25+ years. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. Blue Make sure the piece is chemically clean, sandblasting followed by power wire brushing is good then stop heating when you hit purple because the heat will travel. steel This answer was tested with a utility knife blade and it drilled through with ease. Safety notes: Dont use an aluminum pan. Let them cool down as you take a closer look at the bluing effect. Steel The inside barrel was saved by the fact it was so full of lead fouling. My apologies for the background noise in the first half of the video We had compressors running where I 2 years ago How do I do this? Oxides come after its been heated to a red heat and cooled. Thank you all who had a part in the production of this important information! No. [4], Bluing can also be done in a furnace, for example for a sword or other item traditionally made by a blacksmith or specialist such as a weapon-smith. Prepare the components of the metal surface before you attempt to blue using your tools. DIY Gun Bluing For most of the time, guns that utilize carbon steel components are the prime candidates for bluing but its totally possible to color stainless steel blue as well. Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. Its oiled in production to keep it from rusting on store shelves. It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. I like using acetone to strip the heavy oil on guns, because it lightens up the oils and makes them easier to strip with a water-based cleaner. Gas burners can usually do the job for this. - Ballachy", "Bluing of Steel by Heat Treatment: Why and How it Happens? I handed a buddy my wallet and cell phone, and stepped under the safety shower and got wet. Now securely hold your piece with whatever you have chosen. This is often achieved without chemicals by simply heating the steel until a blue oxide film appears. After Im asking because theres a guy on YouTube recommending Brown Express first, then several layers of Blue over that. The difference is immersion in boiling water for bluing. Thermometers and stirring tools are also needed, as well as something to heat up the tanks. How to Colour Steel With HEAT : 5 Steps (with Pictures)