Do all the prep you would for express or rust blueing, especially degreasing. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. 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. 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]. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. 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' Ill wait for and look forward to your article! 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! Ive cut and pasted this to my notes on the cloud. That said, heres the truth: The best blueing you can have on a gun is simple, safe to do, but takes a long time. 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. "description": "If you want to find out how to blue stainless steel, then you've come to the right place. You can also heat the oil to create different effects. 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. High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. If your barrel has heavier pitting, now were into filing to remove pitting, and thats something I cant teach people in mere text. Mea culpa. Oil and grease really are the enemy because youre trying to (literally) corrode the metal. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-Blue-Stainless-Steel-in-5-Easy-Steps.jpg" For this Instructable I'm using thread cutting oil. ], How do I harden a steel hammer so that is lasts longer and is more durable? One can generally use the same solution to brown as to blue. Free shipping for many products! When heat treating a forged blade you get the whole knife glowing, then submerge just the blade in the oil for 8 seconds. Black iron wire You will need black iron wire to tie around any object you It is vastly appreciated even by those of us who will probably never use it. These work by depositing a coating of copper selenide on the surface. 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. Cold blueing solutions usually just dont wear well. 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. For modern uses of black oxide, see, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "How To Remove Rust From A Gun Without Damaging Bluing? Red rust is Fe2O3, and is incomplete rust it will continue allowing the surface to corrode over time hence the oil or wax. Theres a reason I didnt pursue a career in chemistry. 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). You have entered an incorrect email address! This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. Now securely hold your piece with whatever you have chosen. A non-linear resistance property of the blued steel of razor blades, foreshadowing the same property later discovered in semiconductor diode junctions, along with the ready availability of blued steel razor blades, led to the use of razor blades as a detector in crystal set AM radios that were built by servicemen (as foxhole radios) or by prisoners of war during World War II.[8]. If you drop a piece of paper in there, or hydrocarbon compounds (like oil or grease on your part). For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? Excessive buffing on stainless steel could result in a grainy appearance so do it with care. After You dont want to affect the hardness of your steel in critical areas like actions, bolts, bolt lugs, barrels, chambers, etc. Gee, Im thinkin Duro or cero coat maybe even Krylon might be a good enough.. }, Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each Heating will make the metal better in absorbing the bluing liquid. Different colors can be achieved through variations of this method including quenching in oil instead of water. The rust then turns to black-blue Fe3O4. Many double-barreled shotguns are soft soldered (lead) or silver brazed together and many of the parts are attached by that method also. Thanks for always being so willing to share, Sir. How do I do this? ", not only fun, but also profitable. http://cdn.spectrumbrands.com/~/media/Spectracide/Files/MSDS/SpectracideStumpRemoverGranulesSDSApr15.ashx. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. 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. And then there is the difference between general care and storage vs available daily carried protection pistols living in a some sort of Holster (nylon or leather) , good, bad, take them out or leave them in? 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", Its the corrosive gift that just keeps on giving. I use kerosene to wet my paper from 500 on up. Note that it has to be a different tank from the one you used for Step 2. ")You're ABSOLUTELY right. You are a fantastic resource for all of us here. 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. Either of these two methods is called 'hot bluing'. Salts. At the end of this heating process the crucible is removed from the oven and positioned over a bath of water with air forced through a perforated coil in the bottom of the bath. Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. Next comes the main part. The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. I use a pickling paste. You should note that the blue layer is rather delicate so dont treat it roughly. (NaOH from Ebay soap supplies). You can not do this method with Aluminium because it won't reach the temperatures required for bluing, it will just melt. : Make sure it is made from Mild Steel or Titanium. Next, suspend the components in a cleaning solution tank to get rid of dirt, oil, grease, and crud. To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. 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. 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. this article statement I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results. This method was adopted by larger firearm companies for large scale, more economical bluing. 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 content is not meant to be a replacement for professional service advice. 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. I rarely use them. Its essential to keep stirring the tank to prevent the forming of hot and cold areas. Use a steel tool to stir (remember the fumes). Ive used this method in a pinch to make a tap from a cheap mild steel bolt to chase out galled female threads. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. The torch comes in when you first apply the Express Blue. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 13 in 1 Metal Shell Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering at the best online prices at eBay! Hes claiming that method is more durable than Blue alone. Prepare the components of the metal surface before you attempt to blue using your tools. Every true outdoorsmans dream! Alternatively. Excellent info. Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. 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. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. If you havent done it before, wait until I mention some items about it. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. It had been thoroughly degreased before my first attempt, but in trying to repair a poor result, I apparently contaminated it a bit. (You say the rod was heated, but it couldn't have been, as it was on the inside. It is not nice stuff. When youre using hot blueing salts, youd better be on top of your game, or you can seriously injure yourself. Its nice when something can be re-used a time or two, especially when used in diversified ways. What did you use for polishing your pieces and Im guessing you polished then added the chemicals after?Thanks, Joe, Question Central Texas. You have to apply the bluing fluid. 500F-600F is often all that is needed and the parts can be done over and over again you just have to clean between each attempt. It is hazardous. You turn up your nose at crap guns? Very helpful! 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. There are many simple ways to achieve good bluing. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The salts will be a gooey caustic mess while theyre cold, and you MUST have covers on the tank when youre not using them, or the salts will climb over the edges of the tank and make a mess on the floor. DG should receive a stipend for his valuable contributions to TTAG. Heat the gun parts. The de-greasing you do directly affects the uniformity of the browning or blueing. How to colour steel with heat (hot oil finish) is a simple but effective way of achieving a desired colour of choice.The colours are fantastic and often come out in a beautiful two-tone shine. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience :) ). Also remember, by adjusting the heat you can get whatever color you want. "@type": "ImageObject", 1. polish it very well 2. clean very well 3. quick dip in dilute FeCl (4:1) is what I use 4. rinse in cold running water and pat Dont drop or try to bend the steel once its removed. Can a softly tempered piece be re-tempered harder without going through the hardening procedure again? For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! 2 years ago wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. 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). In colloquial use, thin coatings of black oxide are often termed 'gun bluing', while heavier coatings are termed 'black oxide'. If you have a wood or phenolic handle, use a propane torch to heat the blade only for about two minutes. For larger pieces of steel, you need to use a. 1. Usually, you can find the manufacturers recommended ratio in the product manual. These include hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing, and so on. Again, dont mess around with these chemicals and only handle them with extreme attention. I plan on doing this on a couple of older beaters first. 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. Dang it all. Theres nothing wrong with your method, but is is very hazardous, especially to people who have never done anything like it before. NaOH will quickly and completely dissolve aluminum. Spilling salts at this temperature will instantly result in fire, because the KNO3 is a powerful oxidizer all on its own, and the added thermal energy will light anything on fire all alone. For this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts. To remove them, you put the action/barrel into a sturdy vise (padded with soft jaws) and you use a piece of brass rod to drift the sights out. Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. Itll evaporate rather rapidly, but still, dont whip it at cars or house finishes. Did you make this project? 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. Keep heating the steel until you notice a blue color form on the metal. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Haha. In fact most guides no matter their material cast iron to bronze and often bearing races are installed the same way. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. Wait for 10 15 minutes and then take out the components. There can be different layers you have to apply. 3.3k. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. I want to add rainbow color to safety razor blades that would be used again, how can I do this? If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. "I have very limited knowledge as to how metal can be manipulated for different applications. Itll take perhaps 20 minutes to really dry down. on Step 1. 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. Because so many people are trying to do this sort of thing on the cheap, thats when I start thundering in my warnings about safety. The color is not oxides, when steel is heated at relatively low heats (300-600 degrees Fahrenheit) it changes colors from light yellow to a deep blue, after 600 it turns back to a steel color. Just use distilled water. There are also methods of cold bluing, which do not require heat. $3.59. 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. So you will get a shinier finish. I handed a buddy my wallet and cell phone, and stepped under the safety shower and got wet. pliers, mole grips, -An old metal container (I know, a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one) filled high enough with oil to completely submerge your steel object would be ideal. It is caused by a layer of oxide that forms when the steel is heated. At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 914,567 times. And I work alone in my shop, and lack the required (IMO) safety facilities that are needed. Most knives, rifle receivers and barrels are heated to at least 1200F and cooled and drawn at 490F-700F. 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. Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. WHERE or when would the torch get used? 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. The colours range through straw, gold, brown, purple, blue, teal, then black. So you said the polishing is key for the coloring process. Hunter Rising is a wikiHow Staff Writer based in Los Angeles. 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! 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. To temper the steel so it isn't brittle, place it in an oven heated to 375 F for 3 hours, and then it let it cool overnight. Your 700F temp is too high, IMO. Go on and start bluing! After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. Enjoy! The practice of bluing steel takes time and an exquisite eye for detail. 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. You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. If you are referring to torch bluing, the You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). The reason why blued guns rust is that something was allowed to attack the surface blueing and get through it to new steel or the blueing job wasnt deep enough to complete passivate the surface from red rust. Next wash your piece in your chosen degreaser for a minute or so to get rid of all grease/fingerprints that was on the metal. 8 years ago Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Its a good process for processing lots of guns, but I simply cannot recommend it for people who just want to do a gun here or a gun there.. "Cold" bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. "https://www.facebook.com/Shooting-Mystery-110244180901951", Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. Ill be saving this for the future. You'll probably be fine following these instructions - you'll probably be OK driving home a little drunk, too. On another thread, we can go into nitre blueing, which is basically heating pins/screws/bits/bobs to 600F in a molten salt bath. The parts are then oiled and allowed to stand overnight. Whats the difference between Brown Express and Blue Express? "logo": { For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! The plate turned blue just like you ible and I was told this was an effect of compression fitting.the rod didn't change colour even though it had the heat applied to it so was it actually the compression fit that changed the plates colour. I had to sand and restain the stock, and sanded the barrel from 120 down to 400 grit the pitting was so bad. } Youre just using stump remover to do it. Alternitavely you can leave it in the oil bath to stabilize. 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.
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