bluing steel with a torch

Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. 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 you cant, just get them out of the case and allow air to circulate around them. ", informative and did not use technical language and concepts that would have left me floundering and none the wiser. 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. tighter your arc, the less the heat input will be. DG thank you. However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using Hydrochloric Acid). I think DGs method is a lot safer than mine. 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! }. Hang the trigger group again, re-stock and you should be done. If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. Thanks, 8 years ago 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. You will get it. Oil-free steel wool is also sold by woodworking shops. But the article was very informative. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. My dad keeps his in a big safe with large desiccant packs that he threw in there. I really appreciate you taking the time to share it DG. The mixed fumes of the acids produce a uniform rust on the surface of the parts (inside and out) in about 12 hours. Treating with an oiled coating enhances the protection offered by the bluing. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer. Theres a reason why I buy up clapped-out guns and stuff where people look at me with a WTF?! Larger flames produce less heat while smaller flames produce a higher heat. Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. The parts must be observed constantly for colour change. If you need to use a blow torch, focus the flame tip on the area you want hardened. Heat the Steel. 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. 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. gas coverage is another big one. The usual mistake on buffing wheels is using too coarse a compound, and then the wheel becomes quite aggressive in removing material. You MUST plug your barrels, gas cylinders, remove your pistons, etc. If you do not get crazy and over heat the steel there is no reason to be fearful of the process. You turn up your nose at crap guns? 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?). I have cut and polished 4 pieces of mild steel to demonstrate different colour stages. Once the solution reaches its boiling point, turn down the burner to about one-third of the boiling temperature and let it stay there. On another thread, we can go into nitre blueing, which is basically heating pins/screws/bits/bobs to 600F in a molten salt bath. You can improve your results by doing two things: 1. What did you use for polishing your pieces and Im guessing you polished then added the chemicals after?Thanks, Joe, Question When youre using hot blueing salts, youd better be on top of your game, or you can seriously injure yourself. 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. 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. If you want to blue something fast I have a cheap hot blue method: Lowes stump remover: Dont drop or try to bend the steel once its removed. A few safety items: Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. You can get a IR non-contact thermometer for less than $20 at Harbor Freight. Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! 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. Thermal Bluing - The Process of Heat Treating Watch Hands Cold blues will react with steel at room temperature, but you get more aggressive reactions when you heat the gun to, oh, 150 to 200F. You can experiment ultimately what oils to use. That way, you can still use your oven for the rest of the evening. Get it Feb 25 - 27. It cannot rust any further. 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. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. In literally 10 seconds on a buffing wheel incorrectly applied, I could screw that up to a point where it might take be eight+ hours of hand polishing to recover my prior results. 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. YouTube - Nitre bluing a few gun parts. The wire is extremely small in diameter, so you have to take that into consideration. Cold bluing is not particularly resistant to holster wear, nor does it provide a large degree of rust resistance. The cotton gloves insulate your fingers from the heated barrel, and they prevent oils from your skin from getting on the raw steel. How to Colour Steel With HEAT : 5 Steps (with Pictures) 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. The steel will pull some of the carbon out of the oil while quenching and harden the outer portion of the metal. Brand: Logix. All those materials the leather and bone the coal where sources of carbon and other trace elements. How to Blue (Bluing) Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil 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. If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. to blue / heat anodize stainless steel Once the steel is clean, you can begin heating it up. So you said the polishing is key for the coloring process. Black iron wire You will need black iron wire to tie around any object you It will first turn gold, then orange, then red, purple, blue and then dark grey! Also buffing wheels pre blue. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. 35% Potassium nitrate (aka saltpeter), http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-36054.html. Add in the 250F+ temperatures of the salts when they hit your skin, and youre both burned thermally and chemically in seconds. 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 was mild steel and had very little carbon content. 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. You wouldnt need salts. 2 years ago I like parkerization on some of my milsurps. How to remove discoloration from heat? - Forums - Miller Welding By using our site, you agree to our. When putting water in your boil-out tank, use distilled water if you have water with high mineral content. They melt at, oh, somewhere about 280F. Battery acid is childs play compared to blueing salts. You dont want to affect the hardness of your steel in critical areas like actions, bolts, bolt lugs, barrels, chambers, etc. Besides those, you must also have water displacing oil and cleaning solution (Dicro-Clean 909). It also looks good on AK type weapons of which I have three to park. "image": { *700F is very close to the heat treatment temperature of some steels. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. However, oil may spill and create a fire hazard if the steel is put into the oil too quickly. Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques. I've never done anything like this but want to try. 5 years ago, I found that heating will turn steel silver ~> gold ~> violet ~> blue. 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. This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. The practice of bluing steel takes time and an exquisite eye for detail. How to Harden Steel: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow It had been thoroughly degreased before my first attempt, but in trying to repair a poor result, I apparently contaminated it a bit. "datePublished": "2022-03-27", Either of these two methods is called 'hot bluing'. And I work alone in my shop, and lack the required (IMO) safety facilities that are needed. WebHeat the blade for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven set on 325 Fahrenheit if the handle is metal. Keep a fire extinguisher near your workstation in case of a fire. Wipe them down with WD-40 on a regular basis. "height": "800", There are also methods of cold bluing, which do not require heat. 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. You are a fantastic resource for all of us here. Pour in Just let any residual matter evaporate/dry. This works well for me. 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]. In my case I drilled/threaded the metal piece and made a holder with a threaded end. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. Its essential to keep stirring the tank to prevent the forming of hot and cold areas. 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. How to Blue/Re-Blue a Gun - The Truth About Guns Once you get the colour you want, go outside to your oil container and fully quench your object into the oil! 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. Hot blueing salts attack soft solders on guns, so it isnt to be done on old shotguns and some older rifles. Approved. These minerals (often calcium and magnesium compounds) tend to result in blotchy and uneven results. The content is not meant to be a replacement for professional service advice. Dont mess with hot salts. Thats one way to get dyspeptic to write articles! What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. 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! 3 years ago | 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. 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. Hunter Rising is a wikiHow Staff Writer based in Los Angeles. For the color change to be uniform you have to remove the grease, oil, paint etc or it looks blotchy. When youre done and have neutralized & washed off the Express Blue #1 solution, you then should spray down the barrel with water-displacing oil. I have always wondered about storage in gun soft cases or the foamed Hard cases, and humid or dry, heat and cold. There is something really rewarding about this technique. Please note: As you are working with heat, please be smart, use your common sense, do the bluing process in a well ventilated area and keep a wet towel to hand. To harden steel, start by heating the metal directly with a blow torch until it turns a cherry red color. You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. Repeat 3 times. It greatly helped me to learn how to blue a gun perfectly at home. In the hot salt process, you will need, oh, four to six tanks, only one of which will be the heated blueing salts. Bluing is also used in seasoning cast-iron cookware, to render it relatively rust-proof and non-stick. You might need two applications to clean up more deeply rusted spots. Not only does it give you an alchemical feeling of satisfactionbut it also gives the metal a finish to stop corrosion. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-Blue-Stainless-Steel-in-5-Easy-Steps.jpg" Use a coffee can or similarly shaped container as your quenching chamber. However, the chemicals from the bluing process can accomplish uneven staining on aluminium and polymer parts. That doesnt happen easily or by accident. Enjoy! Its a good process, but it isnt a 1:1 replacement for blueing. Dont. Fortunately, this is easily had at any hardware store: WD-40 is a water displacing product, not a lubricant (contrary to widespread advertising). Youre just using stump remover to do it. 1. Ive cut and pasted this to my notes on the cloud. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. Add the two together and you have what is akin to rocket fuel in your face a way of oxidizing almost any organic material with insufficient water for cooling into a furious flame. Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. While I am certain that I could do it myself, you already have all the bits and parts and stuff so it is worth my dollars to buy a gunsmiths time to have this done for me. *Potassium Nitrate is an oxidizer. Its durable and wears well. Use Hot Bluing And Cold Bluing To Give Your Steel That Cold blues will react with steel at room temperature, but you get more aggressive reactions when you heat the gun to, oh, 150 to 200F. 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. Friction, as from holster wear, quickly removes cold bluing, and also removes hot bluing, rust, or fume bluing over long periods of use. 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. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. ", https://mgs.edu/making-chisels-skips-newsletter/, http://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/heat1.htm. Higher carbon contents will take longer to heat. He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns. Youll need some shop rolls, ranging from 180 to 400 grit (typical 4-packs are 180, 240, 320 and 400 grit, in 1, 1.5 or 2. 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. Heres instructions from Mark Lee Supplies on using their Express Blue #1. His enthusiasm for handling firearms and hunting gear inspired him to create the Shooting Mystery blog. Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). And for the next (after the next) installment, how to do hard case coloring. If you drop a piece of paper in there, or hydrocarbon compounds (like oil or grease on your part). My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. Hot bluing should never be attempted on aluminium, as it reacts it usually dissolves in the caustic salt bath. Blue Bluing Steel FigureLLC. 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.. I use kerosene to wet my paper from 500 on up. {"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":"