"width": "1500", "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Shootinglogo.png" If you cant, just get them out of the case and allow air to circulate around them. 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. He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns. Brownells has steel tanks, and there are some steel/stainless long/thin tanks available from other sources. 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. However, oil may spill and create a fire hazard if the steel is put into the oil too quickly. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. It will instantly vaporize into steam and splash all over you. Any more advice is welcome SteelJunkee Joined May 6, 2018 Messages 891 Pour in some acetone, and while wearing rubber gloves (dishwashing gloves are OK), put in a pad of 0000 steel wool, swish it around and pull it out. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. How to Hot Blue Steel with a Torch- A Step-by-Step Guide Rinse them in a cold water tank after. 4 years ago Blue Bluing Steel You want to be in the range of 600 to 650F. How to remove discoloration from heat? - Forums - Miller Welding 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. It is caused by a layer of oxide that forms when the steel is heated. I don't understand why you are submerging it in oil? When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heat the area with a torch until it stops sweating. Hardened steel prevents knife blades from dulling and tools from bending and breaking. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Mix equal parts of cream and liquid Brownells Oxpho Blue. Holy crap, did that reaction hurt like hell. 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. 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. Blued Pivot Steel As mentioned, cold bluing can be done at room temperature with decent results. Question You have to apply the bluing fluid. Copyright 2023 Flixsterz. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. 4.3 out of 5 stars 242 ratings-30% $12.99 $ 12. Theres nothing wrong with your method, but is is very hazardous, especially to people who have never done anything like it before. The loose oxide was then carded (scrubbed) off, using a carding brush - a wire brush with soft, thin (usually about 0.002in (0.051mm) thick) wires - or wheel. You turn up your nose at crap guns? This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. Thanks for always being so willing to share, Sir. 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.. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. This process was repeated until the desired depth of color was achieved or the metal simply did not color further. Thanks a lot for sharing. You heat the outside member only when you do a shrink fit.). You work on nice guns! If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. Heres instructions from Mark Lee Supplies on using their Express Blue #1. the cost of the burners or heaters to heat up all these tanks really only practical if you have natural gas available Participated in the Explore Science Contest. For this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts. 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. This is an alternative method for creating the black oxide coating. Note: I know a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one! You MUST plug your barrels, gas cylinders, remove your pistons, etc. If a bank transfer is made but no receipt is uploaded within this period, your order will be cancelled. That said, heres the truth: The best blueing you can have on a gun is simple, safe to do, but takes a long time. Just let any residual matter evaporate/dry. 2. [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. Whats the difference between Brown Express and Blue Express? Premium fencing blades are often offered with a blued finish. Thanks for the lesson, DG. 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. Usually they would pack the parts in crucibles and surround them with leather, wood, coal,bone etcThey would heat them up to 1200F to 1500F and hold them at this temp. Wait for a day to let the bluing properly cure before you do anything else to it. 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. 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. JUST DONT. | Alpha Detroit", "NRA Family | Gun Manufacturing: Browning vs. Bluing", http://mypeculiarnature.blogspot.com/2014/08/quick-rust-bluing-back-in-black.html, "Radio Kits and Designs for Old and New Styles", "Coating, Oxide, Black, for Ferrous Metals (MIL-DTL-13924D)", "Phosphate and black oxide coating of ferrous metals (MIL-HDBK-205A)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bluing_(steel)&oldid=1142351288, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles that may contain original research from October 2020, All articles that may contain original research, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles lacking in-text citations from September 2014, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 22:58. It is a difficult product to apply evenly, offers minimal protection and is generally best used for small fast repair jobs and touch-ups.[2][3]. You can then use a soft brush to gently remove all the residue of the cleaning solution on the components. Even at room temperature, the salts are highly caustic and will eat into your eyes or skin in seconds not minutes. Never know when it will come in handy. Most knives, rifle receivers and barrels are heated to at least 1200F and cooled and drawn at 490F-700F. February 20, 2016 at 16:12. It cannot rust any further. "https://www.pinterest.com/theshootingmystery/", 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. Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. Contemporary heat-treatable steels did not exist or were in their infancy. It is one smoooooth profile, from one end to the other. What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. Most cold blueing agents contain some selenium dioxide in them to enable to them to react at room temps. I have to finish my M76 and Galil first and buy the materials. 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. They should start gassing up approximately 2 to 3 minutes after exposure. 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. Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. 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. You can blue heat-treated parts with no ill effects. % of people told us that this article helped them. This is often achieved without chemicals by simply heating the steel until a blue oxide film appears. WD-40, as mentioned earlier, is a water-displacing oil compound not a penetrating lube, and for preventing rust, WD-40 actually works pretty well, but it doesnt last like cosmoline or waxy oils used for long-term rust prevention. Use hemostats to hold a cleaning patch wetted with the solution and apply in nice, long, even strokes. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. 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! on Introduction. There can be different layers you have to apply. My apologies for the background noise in the first half of the video We had compressors running where I 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. Black iron wire You will need black iron wire to tie around any object you "name": "Shooting Mystery", 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 Oil-free steel wool is also sold by woodworking shops. 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. 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 steel was mild steel and had very little carbon content. My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. 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. Also thanks DG! Its oiled in production to keep it from rusting on store shelves. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Note that it has to be a different tank from the one you used for Step 2. 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. 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. 2 years ago His enthusiasm for handling firearms and hunting gear inspired him to create the Shooting Mystery blog. RF: Expect a write-up from me on Rust blueing and parkerizing in the next couple of weeks. 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. Vegetable oil has a higher boiling point, so the hot steel will take longer to cool and reduce the chance of it cracking. 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. 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. "publisher": { Excessive buffing on stainless steel could result in a grainy appearance so do it with care. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. the cost of all the tanks you need for rinse & boil-out By the time I was done it looked like it was a beat up 5 year old gun rather than a 1930s bolt .22 that came from a scrap yard. Drift the sights back in from the right side of the barrel. This works well for me. 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. Great column, and thanks for all the responses to various questions and comments. I pulled the temp off the top of my head. 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. 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. How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide The parts are then boiled in distilled water, blown dry, then carded, as with rust bluing. Keep a fire extinguisher near your workstation in case of a fire. If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. 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. Best Gun Bluing Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. This answer was tested with a utility knife blade and it drilled through with ease. 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. You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. Very true. -A heat source. If you do not get crazy and over heat the steel there is no reason to be fearful of the process. These include hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing, and so on. Also remember, by adjusting the heat you can get whatever color you want. "@context": "http://schema.org/", Bluing, being a chemical conversion coating, is not as robust against wear and corrosion resistance as plated coatings, and is typically no thicker than 2.5 micrometres (0.0001 inches). The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. Its much cheaper anyways. Thoroughly degrease the area to be reblued with acetone. That doesnt happen easily or by accident. How to Harden Steel: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow . I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results. 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. In the automotive world this is a common practice.