bluing steel with a torch

"@type": "ImageObject", When polishing something like the above rifle/shotgun, youve got a pretty light coat of rust, without severe pitting. 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. This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. You MUST plug your barrels, gas cylinders, remove your pistons, etc. 6 years ago. Wipe them down with WD-40 on a regular basis. OK, Buffing wheels, which Im making their own break-out response from the blueing salt issue: Buffing wheels are useful things in a gun shop. I've never done anything like this but want to try. I have done a cold blue on a very rusted .22 for a friend. Heating white, degreased steel to 550 to 600F results in brilliant colors. 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! Never know when it will come in handy. 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. The bottom of the crucible is opened allowing the contents to drop into the rapidly bubbling water. 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). it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. WebBluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. Its essential to keep stirring the tank to prevent the forming of hot and cold areas. Process that partially protects steel against rust, This article is about the historical uses of black oxide. How to Harden Steel: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow Its a pretty straightforward process. This heating forms the blue on the plate. Mix equal parts of cream and liquid Brownells Oxpho Blue. Ill wait for and look forward to your article! 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?). 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. 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. It is usually sold in a 1lb bottle for $3, you'll need 3 or 4 pounds probably. 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. Any more advice is welcome SteelJunkee Joined May 6, 2018 Messages 891 That said, heres the truth: The best blueing you can have on a gun is simple, safe to do, but takes a long time. That seems wasteful. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Many older browning and bluing formulas are based on corrosive solutions (necessary to cause metal to rust), and often contain cyanide or mercury salts solutions that are especially toxic to humans. Blue Metal Shell 13 in 1 Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering. Battery acid is childs play compared to blueing salts. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. http://cdn.spectrumbrands.com/~/media/Spectracide/Files/MSDS/SpectracideStumpRemoverGranulesSDSApr15.ashx. Best Gun Bluing This is how Colt made their rifles and pistols prior to Civil War you can read all about the process. blue steel I wore latex gloves, as Brownells recommended, but used a pot holder to handle the hot barrel, and that may have been the source. 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. 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. Higher carbon contents will take longer to heat. Enjoy! You have entered an incorrect email address! 99. That surface rust on the barrel could be polished off easily. Your tanks better be tight, your stands for the tanks better be rigid, youd better have top-of-the-line fire extinguishers (NB the plural) available to you. Steel In my case I drilled/threaded the metal piece and made a holder with a threaded end. Christopher Graham writes all the content and reviews on this site with the help of his team of hunters and shooters. The steel will pull some of the carbon out of the oil while quenching and harden the outer portion of the metal. 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. I can't stress how important the degreasing step is! He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns. Repeat 3 times. You are nitre blueing here. 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. the cost of all the tanks you need for rinse & boil-out Use hemostats to hold a cleaning patch wetted with the solution and apply in nice, long, even strokes. 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. At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. THANKS DG. They melt at, oh, somewhere about 280F. This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. Bluing (steel) - Wikipedia 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. By using our site, you agree to our. Oil binds with the metal and prevent it from getting air/chemicals to corrode. 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. Heat the gun parts. A couple bottles of aged bourbon minimum. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. Depending on what solution you use, the tank temperature must be maintained somewhere between 240 and 310 degrees Fahrenheit. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. 35% Potassium nitrate (aka saltpeter), http://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-36054.html. Different colors can be achieved through variations of this method including quenching in oil instead of water. I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. Color case hardening is the predecessor of all metal coloring typically employed in the firearms industry. Dont. It also looks good on AK type weapons of which I have three to park. Cold blueing is OK for touchups, at best. 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. Hang the trigger group again, re-stock and you should be done. 2. Isn't the point of the acetone to degrease, why would i grease? Hot. 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]. Use a backing block of wood or even a Pink Pearl rubber eraser. "author": "Christopher Graham", "mainEntityOfPage": "https://shootingmystery.com/blue-stainless-steel-beginners/", Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! Either that or the steel wool. 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 need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. It is slightly caustic, so be careful you dont leave it on the gun for long. Contemporary heat-treatable steels did not exist or were in their infancy. 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 you have very light, fine pitting, you can polish this out. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-Blue-Stainless-Steel-in-5-Easy-Steps.jpg" His enthusiasm for handling firearms and hunting gear inspired him to create the Shooting Mystery blog. 2mm wire has a circumference of ~0.25in. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. The tank of distilled water you heat with a camp stove, the kitchen stove (Im not responsible for marital discord and disruptions of conjugal relations) or some other much larger heat source to a boil. Fume bluing is another process similar to rust bluing. Work on a metal or steel surface, such as an anvil, to avoid any fire hazards. The blue appearance of the oxide film is also used as an indication of temperature when tempering carbon steel after hardening, indicating a state of temper suitable for springs. 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. The wire is extremely small in diameter, so you have to take that into consideration. Now you slide the cold rod in, and the plate cools, gripping the rod. | 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. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. Pull it out of the tank and place on a drain rack. You can not do this method with Aluminium because it won't reach the temperatures required for bluing, it will just melt. Hopefully these concepts suggest caution and diligence for what you are doing. Rust bluing is also used on shotgun barrels that are soldered to the rib between the barrels, as hot bluing solutions melt the solder during the bluing process. The steel is also used for producing great police flashlights with awesome durability. When the first patch gets really funky, then drop that in your plastic garbage container (remember, these patches have been soaked in acid solutions! 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.