I had to sand and restain the stock, and sanded the barrel from 120 down to 400 grit the pitting was so bad. Just remove the blue/rust, degrease, dry, then blue/card/boil-out/oil/drain. Aluminium (Al) and polymer parts cannot be blued, and no corrosion protection is provided. It will first turn gold, then orange, then red, purple, blue and then dark grey! "https://twitter.com/Shoot1ngMystery", The tempering reduces the amount of martensite and thus makes the steel softer. Then remove it from the degreaser, don't be tempted to wipe it off with anything. }. Share it with us! After Often it does provide an adequate cosmetic touch-up of a gun's finish when applied and additionally oiled on a regular basis. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. it takes a long time to heat up a long (ie barreled action length) tank that is, oh, three barrels wide. No. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. 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. 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. Use your torch to bring up Once you strip the blue & rust, then you can see what youre dealing with. It can soften up some paints and plastics. Also remember, by adjusting the heat you can get whatever color you want. "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", Ive cut and pasted this to my notes on the cloud. This is an alternative method for creating the black oxide coating. It is not nice stuff. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. Heat the Steel. Keep them in that state while you heat them but be sure to not boil up the tank. Life is good. Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. Youll have a hot caustic degreaser tank (about 10 minutes), then a cold rinse tank, then into the hot salts for, oh, 15 to 20 minutes, then out into the hot rinse, then into a cold running rinse tank, then into a water displacing oil tank for 20 minutes or so. 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. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. What is your opinion of the 2 to 1 lye and potassium nitrate bluing solution? 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. How do I harden a steel hammer so that is lasts longer and is more durable? Red rust is Fe2O3, and is incomplete rust it will continue allowing the surface to corrode over time hence the oil or wax. If you drop a piece of paper in there, or hydrocarbon compounds (like oil or grease on your part). 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!). If you need to use a blow torch, focus the flame tip on the area you want hardened. You heat the outside member only when you do a shrink fit.). For the color change to be uniform you have to remove the grease, oil, paint etc or it looks blotchy. It is usually sold in a 1lb bottle for $3, you'll need 3 or 4 pounds probably. He has more than three years of experience writing for and working with wikiHow. References 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. The parts are then oiled and allowed to stand overnight. "https://www.reddit.com/user/theshootingmystery" Many double-barreled shotguns are soft soldered (lead) or silver brazed together and many of the parts are attached by that method also. Either of these two methods is called 'hot bluing'. Most cold blueing agents contain some selenium dioxide in them to enable to them to react at room temps. Glad that there are folks like you around. High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. That seems wasteful. Not only does it give you an alchemical feeling of satisfactionbut it also gives the metal a finish to stop corrosion. Then, you can put the components back into the bluing tank and increase the temperature until you see the blued steel. of the steel than do not even try this on something that is anything other than artistic in nature! Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. 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. I saw you reference a coleman stove and propane tank for heating solution. Use hemostats to hold a cleaning patch wetted with the solution and apply in nice, long, even strokes. Just take them from the comments he posts. 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. Hot. "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). Then the crucibles would be removed from the furnace and placed over boiling hot water and air would be bubbled through the water and the parts would be dropped into the water. Hot bluing should never be attempted on aluminium, as it reacts it usually dissolves in the caustic salt bath. Hardened steel prevents knife blades from dulling and tools from bending and breaking. LOGIX 20910 Butane Torch, Cooking Torch, Torch for Creme Brulee, Refillable, 9.6 oz, Blue Steel . 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. Todos los derechos reservados. Approved. However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using Hydrochloric Acid). Hes claiming that method is more durable than Blue alone. There are also methods of cold bluing, which do not require heat. This is one of the reasons rust and fume bluing are generally more rust-resistant than other methods. Also buffing wheels pre blue. 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). I hope to someday have good knowledge to pass on to people, heh. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. 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. "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dwEQfHK1tk_ZeaA4PniOA/", My first time wasnt a stunning success. You have entered an incorrect email address! When everything is set up, put on your protective gear and then get down to business. (NaOH from Ebay soap supplies). wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Submerge in water and scrape edge. What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. Always back your paper when youre polishing over edges and up against features. This is often achieved without chemicals by simply heating the steel until a blue oxide film appears. 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. 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. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Im talking like 90+ minutes to heat the salt bath to 285F. 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. For the chemical, the bluing solution should be either Oxynate No. 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]. I plan on doing this on a couple of older beaters first. And I work alone in my shop, and lack the required (IMO) safety facilities that are needed. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. Note: I know a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one! "Cold" bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each In the hot salt process, you will need, oh, four to six tanks, only one of which will be the heated blueing salts. You dont want to affect the hardness of your steel in critical areas like actions, bolts, bolt lugs, barrels, chambers, etc. Now securely hold your piece with whatever you have chosen. The hot washing soda tank typically used in gunsmith shops is caustic washing soda, and if you leave the gun in long enough, youll start to see corrosion on the gun before you get to the blueing step. "@type": "ImageObject", The content is not meant to be a replacement for professional service advice. I wish I had known more about the process, heating (I was working outside on a 60 degree day) I may have to check with my friend to see if it needs reblued again, Im sure he never shot it. "I am nearly 16 and can not wait until I have my drivers license. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 914,567 times. Then you have to heat the metal. If the magnet doesnt stick, its ready to be pulled away from the heat. Hot blueing salts attack soft solders on guns, so it isnt to be done on old shotguns and some older rifles. $3.59. Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. For larger pieces of steel, you need to use a. Bluing only works on steel, cast iron, or stainless steel parts for protecting against corrosion because it changes iron into Fe3O4; it does not work on non-ferrous material. Next you hold it in front of your heat source until a blue oxide layer covers the whole blade edge. Below is a link to a video I found on YouTube that shows the process. 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. Free shipping for many products! This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. Hopefully these concepts suggest caution and diligence for what you are doing. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. 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. While still hot and while wearing rubber gloves rub the bluing compound Into the steel with the steel wool. "I have very limited knowledge as to how metal can be manipulated for different applications. This finish allows them to be stored in high-moisture conditions, like sports bags, without rusting. Probably the main one is the content of so-called "carbon, "I was looking at making a set of plate armor and I wanted to see how to harden the breastplate. You should put the brass drift (which you can make out of a piece of brass rod about 1/4 in diameter) on the sight base, and then start tapping the end of the drift with a small hammer. Any more advice is welcome SteelJunkee Joined May 6, 2018 Messages 891 Ferrari installs valve seats in their aluminum cylinder heads via robot. It does provide good rust resistance, which is improved with oil. 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. I wouldn't recommend either. Oil binds with the metal and prevent it from getting air/chemicals to corrode. Frequent TTAG commenter Dyspeptic Gunsmith saw the gun above in our postA Garden Gun Cultivates a Newfound Fascinationand answered reader questions about blueing/reblueing a gun thusly: If the rust is very fine and there is still substantial blueing left on the gun, you might want to strip the blueing. Work on a metal or steel surface, such as an anvil, to avoid any fire hazards. 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. It is one smoooooth profile, from one end to the other. 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. 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. Fill a heat-safe container with water or oil deep enough to submerge your steel. http://www.lowes.com/pd_188198-316-HG-66420_0__?productId=4764059 Black oxide provides minimal protection against corrosion, unless also treated with a water-displacing oil to reduce wetting and galvanic action. Brilliant blues. Your container should be relatively larger than your object. This crucible was heated to 730C (1,350F) for up to 6hours (the longer the heat was applied the thicker the case hardening). It provides the stainless steel surface with a layer of protection, giving rust and corrosion resistance while reducing potential glare as well. 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. -something to hold your object with i.e. Just dont do it. on Step 1. Never know when it will come in handy. My apologies for the background noise in the first half of the video We had compressors running where I 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. Answer It greatly helped me to learn how to blue a gun perfectly at home. You need to adjust the boiling point of the salts for your altitude. "https://www.pinterest.com/theshootingmystery/", Ill be saving this for the future. Higher carbon contents will take longer to heat. 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. Free shipping. Depending on what solution you use, the tank temperature must be maintained somewhere between 240 and 310 degrees Fahrenheit. Before operating your torch, read all instructions so you know how to handle it safely. Itll take perhaps 20 minutes to really dry down. At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. Rust bluing is also used on shotgun barrels that are soldered to the rib between the barrels, as hot bluing solutions melt the solder during the bluing process. Brand: Logix. Reply I like 1.5 wide shop cloth myself). Cold blueing is OK for touchups, at best. Be careful since considerable heat might be generated in the process. Thank you, DG! 2023 All Rights Reserved by Shooting Mystery. Use a smaller toaster oven if your piece of steel fits inside. Gas burners can usually do the job for this. 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. The melting point for KNO3 is 633F. Its durable and wears well. 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. Ventilation is important. This method must not be used on critically heat-treated parts such as receivers, slides or springs. For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. Wear thick gloves so you dont burn yourself. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. Make sure to check every nook and cranny of the components so that you can find any discoloration or blemishes. "https://www.facebook.com/Shooting-Mystery-110244180901951", Ill be buying the stainless tubs and chemicals to do it and go for as close to black as I can get. Bear in mind not to touch the walls of your container as you don't want to disturb the process of what's happening! 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. Also Dont get the 275-300F bath on you. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. Did you ever find out what oil they were using? The hotter the steel, the further the oxygen can diffuse through the oxide coating, so the coating builds thicker before it protects the steel from further oxidation. Ill detail why. 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 Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Most waters in the Rockies clear out to the west coast will have high(er) dissolved solids in them. [ 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. 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 The actual temperature of the steel depends on the carbon content inside. 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. You are nitre blueing here. ", not only fun, but also profitable. 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. "@type": "Article", And for the next (after the next) installment, how to do hard case coloring. Is the torch used to heat metal ..ONLY.with Cold bluing? [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. *700F is very close to the heat treatment temperature of some steels. Let them cool down as you take a closer look at the bluing effect. If you dont drain the barrel or action recesses properly before putting a barrel or action into a hot salt tank, then you will find out in a hell of a hurry as the water flashes to steam under the surface and again, splatters hot, highly caustic lye/nitrite salts all over you and your shop. { Do NOT wipe/touch your metal with anything after degreasing as the whole purpose of cleaning was then for nothing. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. Steps to Hot Blue Steel with a Torch Thanks for the lesson, DG. kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). This is all from memory so I might have left some stuff out. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Though it may seem tricky at first, youll be glad to have figured it out because knowing how to blue stainless steel will come in handy from time to time. It would be a good idea to get some gloves on. Large scale industrial hot bluing is often performed using a bluing furnace. Have proper ventilation and use proper modern safety gear! Go on and start bluing! Follow the instructions. 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. You might need two applications to clean up more deeply rusted spots. "author": "Christopher Graham", Friction, as from holster wear, quickly removes cold bluing, and also removes hot bluing, rust, or fume bluing over long periods of use. 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! 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. Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques. You have to apply the bluing fluid. The cabinet is then sealed. Turn the heat on and give a good regular stirring until it gets very hot and starts to steam. It, too, must be oiled to provide any significant rust resistance. 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. The colours range through straw, gold, brown, purple, blue, teal, then black. I agree used oil works better and adding some copper and graphite seems to deepen the color and add more purple or plum to it. The color is oxide, but I believe you can scrape it off. Stand on end over some paper towels to drain. "height": "800", Should something happen, seek medical help right away. Process that partially protects steel against rust, This article is about the historical uses of black oxide. 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. Larger flames produce less heat while smaller flames produce a higher heat. The object on the left is a custom mild steel potentiometer knob! Its much cheaper anyways. ], This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. All those materials the leather and bone the coal where sources of carbon and other trace elements. } I can't stress how important the degreasing step is! You can get a IR non-contact thermometer for less than $20 at Harbor Freight. Ships from and sold by Direct-Wholesale. }, 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]. Now you slide the cold rod in, and the plate cools, gripping the rod. Another good test for determining when the steel is ready is seeing if a magnet sticks to its surface. This article received 28 testimonials and 92% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Degrease and heat the items to be blued in a steel pan to about 700F. on Introduction. . Then you sight down the barrel and you see dips and waves in the barrel profile. % of people told us that this article helped them. Fortunately, this is easily had at any hardware store: WD-40 is a water displacing product, not a lubricant (contrary to widespread advertising). 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. It cannot rust any further. There are many simple ways to achieve good bluing. For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! Thank you all who had a part in the production of this important information! If you want it smoother/shinier, you can polish up to 600 grit, with wet-or-dry paper. In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust. Dont pour water in to your bath! Mea culpa. Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. It will instantly vaporize into steam and splash all over you. Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. Both refer to the same chemical process for providing true gun bluing.[1]. ", informative and did not use technical language and concepts that would have left me floundering and none the wiser. When youre using hot blueing salts, youd better be on top of your game, or you can seriously injure yourself. Dont touch the metal with your bare hands since it could cause severe burns. I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results.