bluing steel with a torch bluing steel with a torch

Premium fencing blades are often offered with a blued finish. You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. Hot blueing salts attack soft solders on guns, so it isnt to be done on old shotguns and some older rifles. For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! 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. February 20, 2016 at 16:12. 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.. This item: Special Blue Full Metal Butane Torch (Gold) - Refillable Flame Lighter- Culinary Torch - Welding Torch - Adjustable Dual Flame for Desserts, Creme Brulee, BBQ and Baking. Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! http://cdn.spectrumbrands.com/~/media/Spectracide/Files/MSDS/SpectracideStumpRemoverGranulesSDSApr15.ashx. Free shipping. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. Cold bluing is not particularly resistant to holster wear, nor does it provide a large degree of rust resistance. Once you see it turn golden, the process has started and colours will change fairly quickly! Your container should be relatively larger than your object. Heating up a tank on the kitchen stove. There are many methods you can use to blue the steel. 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. on Introduction, looks nice but you are using what is known as heat treatment which will darken steel, not using bluing salts as in gun bluing of rifle barrels all in all very nice instructable, Reply Ill go into parkerization later this week. I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Just let any residual matter evaporate/dry. There's also blued hardware available, like nuts, bolts, screws, and hinges. Alternatively, You could store them in a hard case (like a pelican with a purge) and throw some desiccant packs in there as well. In the hot salt process, you will need, oh, four to six tanks, only one of which will be the heated blueing salts. The only way to do that is to heat it until the metal de-magnetises, quench it again, and then temper to the desired hardness. Ill be buying the stainless tubs and chemicals to do it and go for as close to black as I can get. If you look at the temps that Tenifur(SP) and Melonite(sp) and early Pakerizing processes used this is nothing. Quenching the steel rapidly cools it so the alloys inside harden together. WebHeat the blade for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven set on 325 Fahrenheit if the handle is metal. I am using bronze, is it for a polish? Theres a reason why I buy up clapped-out guns and stuff where people look at me with a WTF?! Thanks, 8 years ago -An old container filled with your chosen degreaser (unleaded petrol), -Your desired polished metal object/s (very important! To remove pitting and keep the barrel profile intact requires skill with a file, and that requires hands-on training. 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. Brand: Logix. Its the corrosive gift that just keeps on giving. I dont have that much blueing to do in my shop, so I dont use hot salts. Keep a grade B fire extinguisher nearby in case of a fire. "name": "Shooting Mystery", Any gun. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-Blue-Stainless-Steel-in-5-Easy-Steps.jpg" Isn't the point of the acetone to degrease, why would i grease? Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? Add in the 250F+ temperatures of the salts when they hit your skin, and youre both burned thermally and chemically in seconds. One can generally use the same solution to brown as to blue. JUST DONT. Next you hold it in front of your heat source until a blue oxide layer covers the whole blade edge. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. The differing rate of cooling for each area produced a different color creating that rainbow effect. 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. 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. Here is a simple way to get a blued finish on steel. It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. . Seriously, this is interesting and thank you for posting it, but I hope to never be in a position where I need to use either of these techniques! It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use. You dont want to affect the hardness of your steel in critical areas like actions, bolts, bolt lugs, barrels, chambers, etc. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. 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. He has more than three years of experience writing for and working with wikiHow. : Make sure it is made from Mild Steel or Titanium. 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. $36.73. Cold blueing is OK for touchups, at best. Ive dealt with strong acids and strong bases in lab work, and I fear the strong bases more. 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. Sorry for the misunderstanding. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. The process isnt intended for bronze. Soft, low-carbon steel was used, but strong materials were needed for the receivers of firearms. The book claims they used wait for it "boiling gasoline" not making this up to clean them. Did you make this project? Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. It, too, must be oiled to provide any significant rust resistance. 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 this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts. Heat the gun parts. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Shootinglogo.png" 500F-600F is often all that is needed and the parts can be done over and over again you just have to clean between each attempt. Are you sure you want to heat the steel to 700F in that early step? For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. 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. 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. Before operating your torch, read all instructions so you know how to handle it safely. This is not necessary as long as you can hold your item appropriately and not cover where it is to be heated. I really appreciate you taking the time to share it DG. And for the next (after the next) installment, how to do hard case coloring. Oxides come after its been heated to a red heat and cooled. You have entered an incorrect email address! 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. This article was very, "I've been working with steel since I was a child, and reviewing these proper methods and skills makes my projects, "It surely educated me on several points. Theres nothing I see as super-dangerous about blueing other than trying to do hot salt blueing without all the correct safety equipment and precautions. Blow torches only heat a small concentrated area. In my case I drilled/threaded the metal piece and made a holder with a threaded end. Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. 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. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. The actual temperature of the steel depends on the carbon content inside. -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. Add 5 lbs of regular table salt to the water. In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust. The parts must be observed constantly for colour change. "https://theshootingmystery.tumblr.com/", Then you pull it out and scrape off the oil along the blade edge. Its oiled in production to keep it from rusting on store shelves. I pulled the temp off the top of my head. There are many simple ways to achieve good bluing. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. Ferrari installs valve seats in their aluminum cylinder heads via robot. Being prepared is important if you can not measure the temp. The practice of bluing steel takes time and an exquisite eye for detail. If you cant, just get them out of the case and allow air to circulate around them. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over the flame to equally disburse the heat. Next, suspend the components in a cleaning solution tank to get rid of dirt, oil, grease, and crud. "@context": "http://schema.org/", "sameAs": After You should note that the blue layer is rather delicate so dont treat it roughly. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. "@type": "ImageObject", Put 600 grit compound on a wheel, use a little too much pressure and youll be gob-smacked at how fast it can cut material off the gun. Colour case hardening occurs when soft steels were packed in a reasonably airtight crucible in a mixture of charred leather, bone charcoal and wood charcoal. For the color change to be uniform you have to remove the grease, oil, paint etc or it looks blotchy. 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. 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. COPYRIGHT 2021, THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. THANKS DG. The parts are then boiled in distilled water, blown dry, then carded, as with rust bluing. Heat the area with a torch until it stops sweating. 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). -something to hold your object with i.e. Steps to Hot Blue Steel with a Torch You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). Use ice cubes. gas coverage is another big one. Heat the gun parts. You can not do this method with Aluminium because it won't reach the temperatures required for bluing, it will just melt. 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. For modern uses of black oxide, see, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "How To Remove Rust From A Gun Without Damaging Bluing? Dont pour water in to your bath! So I buffed down the barrel with steel wool and started over heating the barrel in the oven before taking it outside to add the solution (which is nitric acid). By using our site, you agree to our. My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. 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 This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. Brownells has a product that will strip blueing and rust (Fe3O4 and Fe3O2, respectively) and not corrode the underlying steel.Remove the barrel & action from the stock. Just dont. *700F is very close to the heat treatment temperature of some steels. this produces better, less turbulant gas flow, which will reduce heat traces. (And taking, out of *your* hide). just fyi, the old school method of case hardening steel is to get the piece so hot that a magnet will no longet stick to it and quickly quench it in used motor oil. Cooking off the more volatile hydrocarbons leaving the heavier ones produces a different effect yet again. Picture Information. Before you start, it might do you well to mark the sight base on each side of the dovetail with a Sharpie marker, so you can see when the sight begins to move. The "hot" process is an alkali salt solution using potassium nitrite or sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide, referred to as "traditional caustic black", that is typically done at an elevated temperature, 135 to 155C (275 to 311F). 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 This works well for me. I'm trying to be positive and constructive, and think this is: for an amateur to stick a very hot torch-heated metal object into a plastic container filled with oil is simply dumb (ok, more polite: "irresponsible") at best, highly dangerous at worst. The "turning blue" process has nothing to do with hardening of the steel, or its compression. I can see my wife walking in and shaking her headabout as vigorously as when I asked if I could use the dishwasher to clean some tools. "Bluing" is the process of oxidizing steel to create a durable, corrosion-resistant layer. Be patient in the first few minutes as the metal needs to reach the temperatures where it changes colour! However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process. 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. 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. Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each Fill a heat-safe container with water or oil deep enough to submerge your steel. Bluing is a process usually used by gun owners and firearms manufacturers to improve the aesthetic value of their weapons. You heat the outside member only when you do a shrink fit.). Thank you, DG! Use a backing block of wood or even a Pink Pearl rubber eraser. Always back your paper when youre polishing over edges and up against features. Friction, as from holster wear, quickly removes cold bluing, and also removes hot bluing, rust, or fume bluing over long periods of use. Following the treatment in the bluing tank, relocate the components to a cold water tank. Let them cool down as you take a closer look at the bluing effect. That said, heres the truth: The best blueing you can have on a gun is simple, safe to do, but takes a long time. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Also, the results you indicate are typical of still having some oil on the gun. "keywords": ["how to blue stainless steel"], I now want to reverse the process so I can drill and tap the metal tip. Use your torch to bring up 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. Then you sight down the barrel and you see dips and waves in the barrel profile. It cannot rust any further. I use it, oh so cautiously in making my biodiesel.