I have always wondered about storage in gun soft cases or the foamed Hard cases, and humid or dry, heat and cold. Heres instructions from Mark Lee Supplies on using their Express Blue #1. For the process your metal should be nicely polished for the best results.The more shinier the polish the more your end result will glow. Also remember, by adjusting the heat you can get whatever color you want. I tried heating the barrel in sections (as Brownells says is ok) but did not get a very good result, being unable to get a uniform heat in any =thing approaching more than a few inches at a time. Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. I've never done anything like this but want to try. Thank you all who had a part in the production of this important information! Next comes the main part. % of people told us that this article helped them. I like 1.5 wide shop cloth myself). There's also blued hardware available, like nuts, bolts, screws, and hinges. This is how Colt made their rifles and pistols prior to Civil War you can read all about the process. Similarly, stainless steel parts may be immersed in a mixture of nitrates and chromates, similarly heated. Hi SteelJunkee Method is as follows: Fit rod into drill and set at constant speed Clean rods with acetone on clean rag Use butane and propane mix blow torch to achieve colour range Quench in water Dry The weird thing is that they look great for around 4-5 days then deteriorate. Did you make this project? Hot bluing is the current standard[6] in gun bluing, as both it and rust bluing provide the most permanent degree of rust-resistance and cosmetic protection of exposed gun metal, and hot bluing takes less time than rust bluing. But since this was my first project, with an inexpensive kit as a learning tool, and as I intend to do this again with a much more expensive kit, my trials and errors and your voice of experience will be very useful the next time around. You can blue heat-treated parts with no ill effects. You can use a heat gun, a blow dryer, or a torch for this. "@type": "Article", (meaning oxygen atoms are able to attach themselves to the outer layer of the steel)We did this with an electromagnet! Approved. }, The parts must be observed constantly for colour change. Its durable and wears well. Blue or Black rust is complete passivation of the steel surface Fe3O4. Just use distilled water. When youre using polishing paper, you think that 600 grit is very fine, and it is taking you hours to polish out something to 600. Add 5 lbs of regular table salt to the water. You are nitre blueing here. Im not responsible for marital discord as a result of gun projects attempted on the kitchen stove. 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. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. Turn the heat on and give a good regular stirring until it gets very hot and starts to steam. Theres nothing wrong with your method, but is is very hazardous, especially to people who have never done anything like it before. 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. "@type": "ImageObject", Last Updated: May 13, 2022 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. Do this outside, so you can do this next part: Just whip the steel wool at arms length to extract the excess acetone. You might be able to start at 320 grit. Degrease a pad of 0000 steel wool with acetone. When everything is set up, put on your protective gear and then get down to business. ")You're ABSOLUTELY right. Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. Not blessed with a climate controlled safe. WebHeat the blade for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven set on 325 Fahrenheit if the handle is metal. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. 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?). You can get a IR non-contact thermometer for less than $20 at Harbor Freight. This is as deadly as the lye-based hot salts, but more for the temperature of a large batch of salts. Technically speaking, bluing is more or less a conversion of red iron oxide (Fe2O3) to black iron oxide (Fe3O4). Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: Just take them from the comments he posts. 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). I am simply trying to learn anything and everything that there is to know about it. 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. "image": { Use hemostats to hold a cleaning patch wetted with the solution and apply in nice, long, even strokes. 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. BUT like so many power tools on guns, it is possible to create expensive screw-ups to fix on guns with power tools, and buffing wheels are no exception. 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. First, let us go through a couple of bluing concepts that you have to know in order to achieve the desired result. I have to finish my M76 and Galil first and buy the materials. "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. Also buffing wheels pre blue. If you have a wood or phenolic handle, use a propane torch to heat the blade only for about two minutes. In order to confirm the bank transfer, you will need to upload a receipt or take a screenshot of your transfer within 1 day from your payment date. You have a degreased gun, and now you need to get the metal hot enough that the reaction will oxidize the steel as much as possible. Then you can express blue it with a propane torch and a tank of boiling water. | 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. Oh mas oui.Express blueing, slow rust blueing, hot salt blueing, nitre blueing, carbona blueing all are better than cold blueing. The downsides are: the safety issue, which I laid out above, and which youve made clear. It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use. The robot gives the steel valve seat a quick blast with liquid nitrogen and drops the seat right in place. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. These include hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing, and so on. Premium fencing blades are often offered with a blued finish. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. gas coverage is another big one. When the liquid stops bubbling, remove the metal from the container and wipe off any excess liquid. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://shootingmystery.com/blue-stainless-steel-beginners/", 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. It can soften up some paints and plastics. Different colors can be achieved through variations of this method including quenching in oil instead of water. To shrink, I assumed you heated the steel plate only, to expand the hole in it. The process isnt intended for bronze. It greatly helped me to learn how to blue a gun perfectly at home. Examples of this finish are common on older pocket watches whose hands exhibit what is called 'peacock blue', a rich iridescent blue. Before operating your torch, read all instructions so you know how to handle it safely. Copyright 2023 Flixsterz. If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. It takes practice. 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. Safety notes: Dont use an aluminum pan. 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. It is slightly caustic, so be careful you dont leave it on the gun for long. Life is good. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. Be patient in the first few minutes as the metal needs to reach the temperatures where it changes colour! 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. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The parts are then boiled in distilled water, blown dry, then carded, as with rust bluing. We have all kinds of rifles and shotguns with recievers made from non-Fe alloys again we do not give it a second though or break out the hardness tester. Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. When heat treating a forged blade you get the whole knife glowing, then submerge just the blade in the oil for 8 seconds. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. Ive learned a LOT. You should note that the blue layer is rather delicate so dont treat it roughly. You can also heat the oil to create different effects. 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. Either that or the steel wool. For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! Hang the trigger group again, re-stock and you should be done. I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results. The rust then turns to black-blue Fe3O4. This will keep the bluing from adhering to the sharpened edge. of the steel than do not even try this on something that is anything other than artistic in nature! By using our site, you agree to our. Also Dont get the 275-300F bath on you. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. Think big scars. Brownells has steel tanks, and there are some steel/stainless long/thin tanks available from other sources. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. "https://www.pinterest.com/theshootingmystery/", Get it Feb 25 - 27. Enjoy! Always wear goggles and gloves when operating a propane blow torch. However, oil may spill and create a fire hazard if the steel is put into the oil too quickly. Black oxide provides minimal protection against corrosion, unless also treated with a water-displacing oil to reduce wetting and galvanic action. High temperatures and dangerous chemicals mean that a moment of carelessness can make you pay a heavy price. You can make your own desiccant packs with kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety).