All blued parts still require oiling to prevent rust. 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]. Large scale industrial hot bluing is often performed using a bluing furnace. I use it, oh so cautiously in making my biodiesel. I use a pickling paste. Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. WebHeat the blade for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven set on 325 Fahrenheit if the handle is metal. Metal parts that look black or blue-black are usually blued (rather than painted). ")You're ABSOLUTELY right. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. 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. Keep heating the steel until you notice a blue color form on the metal. Isn't the point of the acetone to degrease, why would i grease? However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using Hydrochloric Acid). A couple bottles of aged bourbon minimum. {"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":"

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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Brownells has steel tanks, and there are some steel/stainless long/thin tanks available from other sources. Use a smaller toaster oven if your piece of steel fits inside. 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. In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust. If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. Ive cut and pasted this to my notes on the cloud. Spray down the whole barreled action with copious amounts of WD-40, inside and out. YouTube - Nitre bluing a few gun parts. 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. It is slow rust blueing. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. "Bluing" is the process of oxidizing steel to create a durable, corrosion-resistant layer. 1/16-inch pivot wire has a circumference of ~0.2in. The usual mistake on buffing wheels is using too coarse a compound, and then the wheel becomes quite aggressive in removing material. Are you sure you want to heat the steel to 700F in that early step? "description": "If you want to find out how to blue stainless steel, then you've come to the right place. Be careful since considerable heat might be generated in the process. I believe the change of color is due to a growing thickness of an oxide layer. Glad that there are folks like you around. Enjoy! While the rod may heat some by conduction, it wouldn't get hot enough to start the color-forming process. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. 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. 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. Holy crap, did that reaction hurt like hell. An ideal temperature is 180 degrees Fahrenheit but it also depends on the manual. 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?). this article statement A few safety items: Brilliant blues. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. Can a softly tempered piece be re-tempered harder without going through the hardening procedure again? This is a great source that you can learn lots of information from and I'll advise it to to a handfuls of others. Most knives, rifle receivers and barrels are heated to at least 1200F and cooled and drawn at 490F-700F. 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. Repeat 3 times. 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. 3.3k. ", the wrong quality steel. When the liquid stops bubbling, remove the metal from the container and wipe off any excess liquid. All those materials the leather and bone the coal where sources of carbon and other trace elements. 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? WHERE or when would the torch get used? Thoroughly degrease the area to be reblued with acetone. You will get it. This crucible was heated to 730C (1,350F) for up to 6hours (the longer the heat was applied the thicker the case hardening). Posted December 21, 2009. Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. Its much cheaper anyways. I dont have that much blueing to do in my shop, so I dont use hot salts. This answer was tested with a utility knife blade and it drilled through with ease. Thanks for the lesson, DG. If you tempered the steel with a blow torch, set the metal on an anvil or another large steel surface to conduct the heat. Safety notes: Dont use an aluminum pan. 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. Just dont do it. Every true outdoorsmans dream! 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. Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. Ill wait for and look forward to your article! It also looks good on AK type weapons of which I have three to park. Never know when it will come in handy. If the sights need to be stripped & blued, follow the same procedure, but dont polish on them. Some people might not have a tank long enough to contain a barreled action to boil out. I think DGs method is a lot safer than mine. 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. it washes off with water. 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. Pour in Last Updated: May 13, 2022 Just let any residual matter evaporate/dry. In colloquial use, thin coatings of black oxide are often termed 'gun bluing', while heavier coatings are termed 'black oxide'. This is not necessary as long as you can hold your item appropriately and not cover where it is to be heated. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. Its a good process, but it isnt a 1:1 replacement for blueing. Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? If there is any finish left on the metal, it will interfere with the bluing pr on Introduction, Hello my name is Joe and Im doing a project where Im trying to achieve the same outcome. }, 2 years ago 2023 All Rights Reserved by Shooting Mystery. A Garden Gun Cultivates a Newfound Fascination, AZ Judge Dan Slayton Refuses to Reduce $2m Bail in Flagstaff Campus Self Defense Case, State Judge Issues Order Blocking Enforcement of Illinois Firearms Ban Act Statewide, Protecting and Serving: Springfield, IL Police Seized Homeowners Gun After Investigating Her Report of a Prowler UPDATED, Chicagos Failed Mayor Lori Lightfoot Loses in Reelection EffortBadly, http://www.lowes.com/pd_188198-316-HG-66420_0__?productId=4764059, http://cdn.spectrumbrands.com/~/media/Spectracide/Files/MSDS/SpectracideStumpRemoverGranulesSDSApr15.ashx. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over the flame to equally disburse the heat. It was left in a flannel gun case in the back of a moist closet for 25+ years. Black iron wire You will need black iron wire to tie around any object you on Introduction. Youll get a dark spot right there. 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. It does provide good rust resistance, which is improved with oil. DG thank you. "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dwEQfHK1tk_ZeaA4PniOA/", I just had my first experience rust browning a barrel. I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results. 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. Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. Have proper ventilation and use proper modern safety gear! -2x containers (one of them preferably being metal for the oil), -unleaded petrol/Acetone/Terpentine/Rubbing alcohol or any good degreaser, -metal object/s (I used mild steel, Please note this method should NOT be used on tempered/hardened steel as you will effect the properties of the metal). "dateModified": "2022-03-27", When youre using hot blueing salts, youd better be on top of your game, or you can seriously injure yourself. LOGIX 20910 Butane Torch, Cooking Torch, Torch for Creme Brulee, Refillable, 9.6 oz, Blue Steel . 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! It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. 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. Then you can express blue it with a propane torch and a tank of boiling water. The object on the left is a custom mild steel potentiometer knob! The actual temperature of the steel depends on the carbon content inside. You have to apply the bluing fluid. You are a fantastic resource for all of us here. Bluing is a process usually used by gun owners and firearms manufacturers to improve the aesthetic value of their weapons. 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. Reply One can generally use the same solution to brown as to blue. } Always wear goggles and gloves when operating a propane blow torch. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. Similarly, stainless steel parts may be immersed in a mixture of nitrates and chromates, similarly heated. What did you use for polishing your pieces and Im guessing you polished then added the chemicals after?Thanks, Joe, Question Sorry for the misunderstanding. The differing rate of cooling for each area produced a different color creating that rainbow effect. -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. Usually, you can find the manufacturers recommended ratio in the product manual. Hot bluing should never be attempted on aluminium, as it reacts it usually dissolves in the caustic salt bath. To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. 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! Hot blueing is a good process, especially if you have a lot of iron to shove through the blueing process quickly. This method must not be used on critically heat-treated parts such as receivers, slides or springs.