I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. Gas burners can usually do the job for this. 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. High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. Use a smaller toaster oven if your piece of steel fits inside. It does provide good rust resistance, which is improved with oil. Wait for a day to let the bluing properly cure before you do anything else to it. : Make sure it is made from Mild Steel or Titanium. 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. Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. You wouldnt need salts. 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. Do NOT wipe/touch your metal with anything after degreasing as the whole purpose of cleaning was then for nothing. Soft, low-carbon steel was used, but strong materials were needed for the receivers of firearms. Do all the prep you would for express or rust blueing, especially degreasing. this article statement I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results. If you need to use a blow torch, focus the flame tip on the area you want hardened. { of the steel than do not even try this on something that is anything other than artistic in nature! As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: Dont mess with hot salts. 1. 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. Just take them from the comments he posts. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Cooking off the more volatile hydrocarbons leaving the heavier ones produces a different effect yet again. }, Thanks for the lesson, DG. Reply My apologies for the background noise in the first half of the video We had compressors running where I Youre a gunsmith who has a lot of nice guns! Either of these two methods is called 'hot bluing'. Drift the sights back in from the right side of the barrel. on Introduction, Hello my name is Joe and Im doing a project where Im trying to achieve the same outcome. This is as deadly as the lye-based hot salts, but more for the temperature of a large batch of salts. Participated in the Explore Science Contest. 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. "logo": { Not every manufacturer puts bittering agents in the solution and as one poison control nurse told me: (t)here is nothing you can do and it aint the good death.. It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use. To remove pitting and keep the barrel profile intact requires skill with a file, and that requires hands-on training. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. Ships from and sold by Direct-Wholesale.
Metal Finishing Guru. This method must not be used on critically heat-treated parts such as receivers, slides or springs. And I work alone in my shop, and lack the required (IMO) safety facilities that are needed. "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). Oil-free steel wool is also sold by woodworking shops. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Make sure to check every nook and cranny of the components so that you can find any discoloration or blemishes. There's also blued hardware available, like nuts, bolts, screws, and hinges. NaOH is nasty stuff. This is how Colt made their rifles and pistols prior to Civil War you can read all about the process.
How to Colour Steel With HEAT : 5 Steps (with Pictures) My dad keeps his in a big safe with large desiccant packs that he threw in there. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in, Step 2: Process the components of the gun, Wait for 10 15 minutes and then take out the components. Red rust is Fe2O3, and is incomplete rust it will continue allowing the surface to corrode over time hence the oil or wax. The difference is immersion in boiling water for bluing. If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. 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. 1/16-inch pivot wire has a circumference of ~0.2in. Tenifer get's up to (1077F) last I checked and was the 5th step in Glock heat treating after that they Pakerize it. It cannot rust any further. It is generally employed on smaller parts such as pins, screws, sights, etc. 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. Always wear goggles and gloves when operating a propane blow torch.
Safety is the number one priority so protect your body as much as possible. 1. You will need:-2x containers (one of them preferably being metal for the oil)-oil -unleaded petrol/Acetone/Terpentine/Rubbing alcohol or any goo Ill wait for and look forward to your article! % of people told us that this article helped them. Should something happen, seek medical help right away. What did you use for polishing your pieces and Im guessing you polished then added the chemicals after?Thanks, Joe, Question 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. Its oiled in production to keep it from rusting on store shelves. on Introduction. "height": "800", it washes off with water. Instead of applying the acid solution directly to the metal parts, the parts are placed in a sealed cabinet with a moisture source, a container of nitric acid and a container of hydrochloric acid. The steel will pull some of the carbon out of the oil while quenching and harden the outer portion of the metal. You are nitre blueing here. Bluing is also used in seasoning cast-iron cookware, to render it relatively rust-proof and non-stick. 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. Mea culpa. This is not necessary as long as you can hold your item appropriately and not cover where it is to be heated. If the sights need to be stripped & blued, follow the same procedure, but dont polish on them. Free shipping for many products! Hardening will cause it to be more brittle, which could cause the hammer to chip and cause injury. To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. Blue Metal Shell 13 in 1 Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering. Just dont. "Cold" bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. Both refer to the same chemical process for providing true gun bluing.[1]. I guess Ill have to just be happy drying toilet paper. Most knives, rifle receivers and barrels are heated to at least 1200F and cooled and drawn at 490F-700F. You might also want to read our article on how to easily darken stainless steel or blacken stainless steel for more ways to personalize your gear. }
Metal Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. "https://www.reddit.com/user/theshootingmystery" Just remove the blue/rust, degrease, dry, then blue/card/boil-out/oil/drain. Excellent info. Ventilation is important. Quenched steel is harder, but it becomes more brittle. Is the torch used to heat metal ..ONLY.with Cold bluing? "I have very limited knowledge as to how metal can be manipulated for different applications. After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Shootinglogo.png" the cost of the burners or heaters to heat up all these tanks really only practical if you have natural gas available 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. FigureLLC. For the color change to be uniform you have to remove the grease, oil, paint etc or it looks blotchy. 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. This article was very, "I've been working with steel since I was a child, and reviewing these proper methods and skills makes my projects, "It surely educated me on several points. If you tempered the steel with a blow torch, set the metal on an anvil or another large steel surface to conduct the heat. "name": "Shooting Mystery", The cotton gloves insulate your fingers from the heated barrel, and they prevent oils from your skin from getting on the raw steel. Get it Feb 25 - 27. Once it's cooled down, take the object out of the oil and place it on a piece of paper/cloth and let it set for about 20 minutes. They have their place, but doing a whole gun with them isnt that place. When youre done, attach the thermometer to the tank and fire up the burner. Use hemostats to hold a cleaning patch wetted with the solution and apply in nice, long, even strokes. tighter your arc, the less the heat input will be. Larger flames produce less heat while smaller flames produce a higher heat. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. 84 or Du-Lite 3-0. Only 3 left in stock - order soon. You can then use a soft brush to gently remove all the residue of the cleaning solution on the components. I dont have that much blueing to do in my shop, so I dont use hot salts. This crucible was heated to 730C (1,350F) for up to 6hours (the longer the heat was applied the thicker the case hardening).
How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method I saw you reference a coleman stove and propane tank for heating solution. 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. "Bluing" is the process of oxidizing steel to create a durable, corrosion-resistant layer. I use kerosene to wet my paper from 500 on up. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Hunter holds a BFA in Entertainment Design from the University of Wisconsin - Stout and a Minor in English Writing. Either that or the steel wool. [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.
Blued Pivot Steel Bluing (steel) - Wikipedia Picture Information. 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 . Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I used Brownells Plum Brown, a product that requires that the barrel be heated to 275 degrees to activate the reaction. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. The mixture is heated to 310 to 321C (590 to 610F) and the parts are suspended in this solution with wire. Sorry for the misunderstanding. . Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. You can also heat the oil to create different effects. The de-greasing you do directly affects the uniformity of the browning or blueing. 2. You can reassemble the gun after. Fe3O4 requires chemicals and/or heat to push the iron to full oxidation. 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. 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! Brand: Logix. 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. 2. My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. 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. You can improve your results by doing two things: 1. "dateModified": "2022-03-27", I now want to reverse the process so I can drill and tap the metal tip. 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. The wire is extremely small in diameter, so you have to take that into consideration. (Its Crystalline Potassium Nitrate 100%) $6.18 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. However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using Hydrochloric Acid). There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Also Dont get the 275-300F bath on you. Go on and start bluing! Oil binds with the metal and prevent it from getting air/chemicals to corrode. DG should receive a stipend for his valuable contributions to TTAG. 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. The thickness of the oxide is a function of how hot you heat the steel (The color is due to interference of light reflecting from the surface of the oxide coating, and light reflecting from the oxide-steel interface). The color is oxide, but I believe you can scrape it off.
DIY Gun Bluing gas coverage is another big one. When youre done and have neutralized & washed off the Express Blue #1 solution, you then should spray down the barrel with water-displacing oil. Your tanks better be tight, your stands for the tanks better be rigid, youd better have top-of-the-line fire extinguishers (NB the plural) available to you. 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 melting point for KNO3 is 633F. Also thanks DG! - Ballachy", "Bluing of Steel by Heat Treatment: Why and How it Happens? Its much cheaper anyways. Have proper ventilation and use proper modern safety gear! You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. Metal parts that look black or blue-black are usually blued (rather than painted). 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. The rust then turns to black-blue Fe3O4. 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. Its durable and wears well. This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. -An old container filled with your chosen degreaser (unleaded petrol), -Your desired polished metal object/s (very important! Cold blueing is OK for touchups, at best. 99. 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. That surface rust on the barrel could be polished off easily. 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. Degrease a pad of 0000 steel wool with acetone. "description": "If you want to find out how to blue stainless steel, then you've come to the right place. "width": "1500", 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 Heat the gun parts. 5 years ago, I found that heating will turn steel silver ~> gold ~> violet ~> blue. You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). 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. List Price: $18.64 $18.64. Thats one way to get dyspeptic to write articles! How do I do this? Dont leave cold blue solutions around anywhere pets or kids could get at them. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each JUST DONT.
Steel 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. 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. "https://www.facebook.com/Shooting-Mystery-110244180901951", Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. Another good test for determining when the steel is ready is seeing if a magnet sticks to its surface. Brilliant blues. 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. If you are new to the subject and are in need of detailed instructions, then youve come to the right place. Approved. Shooting Mystery is an independent website that provides content for informational purposes only. You are a fantastic resource for all of us here. Also, the results you indicate are typical of still having some oil on the gun. Hot NaOH is so alkaline it is great as dissolving organic materials. Heat the area you'd like to drill just until it starts to glow red, then allow it to cool slowly. Before operating your torch, read all instructions so you know how to handle it safely. I use it, oh so cautiously in making my biodiesel. Ive dealt with strong acids and strong bases in lab work, and I fear the strong bases more. I have cut and polished 4 pieces of mild steel to demonstrate different colour stages. Alternatively, You could store them in a hard case (like a pelican with a purge) and throw some desiccant packs in there as well. If there is any finish left on the metal, it will interfere with the bluing pr The usual mistake on buffing wheels is using too coarse a compound, and then the wheel becomes quite aggressive in removing material. 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. Aluminium (Al) and polymer parts cannot be blued, and no corrosion protection is provided. Spray down the whole barreled action with copious amounts of WD-40, inside and out. Ive used this method in a pinch to make a tap from a cheap mild steel bolt to chase out galled female threads. Safety notes: Dont use an aluminum pan. Salts. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? I have at least three cold blue solutions in my shop including Oxpho-blue, 44-40 and others.
Blue Bluing Steel Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. 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!). Both ingredients are super cheap. This is one of the reasons rust and fume bluing are generally more rust-resistant than other methods. The parts are then oiled and allowed to stand overnight. That way, you can still use your oven for the rest of the evening. 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. Remove any previous finish. 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. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! Old school smiths use something called washing soda to strip oil off guns. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 Flixsterz. Excessive buffing on stainless steel could result in a grainy appearance so do it with care. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. When heat treating a forged blade you get the whole knife glowing, then submerge just the blade in the oil for 8 seconds. ")You're ABSOLUTELY right. 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. Ill be saving this for the future. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process.
Bluing Stainless Steel: What You Can and Cant Do - Forging World With a simple heating and quenching process, you can make your steel last for much longer! Great column, and thanks for all the responses to various questions and comments. Ill detail why. 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. $36.73. Work on a metal or steel surface, such as an anvil, to avoid any fire hazards. I'm a professional knifemaker and use many very high-temp methods including quenching 1,600F steel in pre-heated oil - I know what I'm talking about, 'cause I still have 10 fingers and my eyesight. For larger pieces of steel, you need to use a. Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). I thought there was something that could help improve the colors but wasnt sure until I came across this. 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. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over the flame to equally disburse the heat. -A heat source. Large scale industrial hot bluing is often performed using a bluing furnace. You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. 2mm wire has a circumference of ~0.25in. I don't understand why you are submerging it in oil? 8 years ago You have entered an incorrect email address! This article has been viewed 914,567 times. Central Texas. Be careful since considerable heat might be generated in the process. Stainless steel can only tolerate hot bluing and a limited amount of chemicals. I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. Colour case hardening occurs when soft steels were packed in a reasonably airtight crucible in a mixture of charred leather, bone charcoal and wood charcoal. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. Mess. 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. Hopefully these concepts suggest caution and diligence for what you are doing. on Introduction. 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