on Introduction. Wait for a day to let the bluing properly cure before you do anything else to it. *Potassium Nitrate is an oxidizer. Should something happen, seek medical help right away. That doesnt happen easily or by accident. WebThe gun bluing process Start with 1 gallon of water and add it to a deep fryer that has been thoroughly cleaned. 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. Keep posting like this. This finish allows them to be stored in high-moisture conditions, like sports bags, without rusting. You have entered an incorrect email address! 5. Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques.Have fun doing it! I am using bronze, is it for a polish? 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. It is vastly appreciated even by those of us who will probably never use it. : Make sure it is made from Mild Steel or Titanium. You are a fantastic resource for all of us here. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. Whats the difference between Brown Express and Blue Express? 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. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. The blueing salt bath will be at about 286 to 292F, and as it is bubbling away, it is losing water, and the boiling point of the solution keeps climbing. Heres instructions from Mark Lee Supplies on using their Express Blue #1. this produces better, less turbulant gas flow, which will reduce heat traces. I think I was drinking heavily (and likely doing stupid things in my shop with high heat and flammables at the time, possibly while juggling chainsaws) at the time I made that comment - without reading carefully. Fortunately, this is easily had at any hardware store: WD-40 is a water displacing product, not a lubricant (contrary to widespread advertising). Oh mas oui.Express blueing, slow rust blueing, hot salt blueing, nitre blueing, carbona blueing all are better than cold blueing. Brownells has steel tanks, and there are some steel/stainless long/thin tanks available from other sources. 8 years ago "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", Then, you can put the components back into the bluing tank and increase the temperature until you see the blued steel. Examples of this finish are common on older pocket watches whose hands exhibit what is called 'peacock blue', a rich iridescent blue. Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. What is your opinion of the 2 to 1 lye and potassium nitrate bluing solution? Learn more Steel is a common durable alloy, and while most steel used in tools is already tough, you can harden it even more to prevent wear and tear. 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. 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?). Then, use a pair of tongs to carry the steel to a container filled with water or vegetable, and submerge the hot metal in the liquid. When heat treating a forged blade you get the whole knife glowing, then submerge just the blade in the oil for 8 seconds. Last Updated: May 13, 2022 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. Use ice cubes. 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. 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. I guess Ill have to just be happy drying toilet paper. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-Blue-Stainless-Steel-in-5-Easy-Steps.jpg" 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. Most knives, rifle receivers and barrels are heated to at least 1200F and cooled and drawn at 490F-700F. on Step 1. Next you hold it in front of your heat source until a blue oxide layer covers the whole blade edge. 99. It had been thoroughly degreased before my first attempt, but in trying to repair a poor result, I apparently contaminated it a bit. Heat the area with a torch until it stops sweating. Just take them from the comments he posts. If you are new to the subject and are in need of detailed instructions, then youve come to the right place. Bluing is also used in seasoning cast-iron cookware, to render it relatively rust-proof and non-stick. 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. 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). 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. "height": "800", Your container should be relatively larger than your object. The salts here will be slightly less corrosive (ie, just the pure KNO3, no lye), but at 600F, you have a big physical risk right in front of you. Posted December 21, 2009. Once the steel is clean, you can begin heating it up. Thats one way to get dyspeptic to write articles! An iron wire, stainless dipper, and part basket are required to handle the guns components and adjust the bluing solution as well. Remember the oil is probably gonna release some smoke/fumes once the piece is quenched so as said before: please do this step in a well ventilated area. Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. The parts are then oiled and allowed to stand overnight. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. the cost of all the tanks you need for rinse & boil-out (meaning oxygen atoms are able to attach themselves to the outer layer of the steel)We did this with an electromagnet! I believe the change of color is due to a growing thickness of an oxide layer. 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). Repeat 3 times. Dont. "I have very limited knowledge as to how metal can be manipulated for different applications. Do this outside, so you can do this next part: Just whip the steel wool at arms length to extract the excess acetone. If you want it smoother/shinier, you can polish up to 600 grit, with wet-or-dry paper. 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. 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. I thought there was something that could help improve the colors but wasnt sure until I came across this. 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! If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. 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. If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. Dont pour water in to your bath! Once you see it turn golden, the process has started and colours will change fairly quickly! 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. However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using Hydrochloric Acid). Wear thick gloves so you dont burn yourself. However, oil may spill and create a fire hazard if the steel is put into the oil too quickly. So, you start with a clean gun, in the white, you play a propane torch over the gun to get it to the point where the blueing solution just will readily steam, but barely sizzle, and then you brush on the blueing compound. . This signifies that the steel is tempered. "Cold" bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. Im talking like 90+ minutes to heat the salt bath to 285F. Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. Answer Both ingredients are super cheap. After Process that partially protects steel against rust, This article is about the historical uses of black oxide. 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. Go on and start bluing! 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. I have at least three cold blue solutions in my shop including Oxpho-blue, 44-40 and others. 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. 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. I want to add rainbow color to safety razor blades that would be used again, how can I do this? Bear in mind not to touch the walls of your container as you don't want to disturb the process of what's happening! "@type": "Organization", 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. Mess. Bluing also helps to maintain the metal finish by resisting superficial scratching, and also helps to reduce glare to the eyes of the shooter when looking down the barrel of the gun. This is as deadly as the lye-based hot salts, but more for the temperature of a large batch of salts. Often it does provide an adequate cosmetic touch-up of a gun's finish when applied and additionally oiled on a regular basis.