tighter your arc, the less the heat input will be. Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. Central Texas. "@type": "ImageObject", -2x containers (one of them preferably being metal for the oil), -unleaded petrol/Acetone/Terpentine/Rubbing alcohol or any good degreaser, -metal object/s (I used mild steel, Please note this method should NOT be used on tempered/hardened steel as you will effect the properties of the metal). Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. Friction, as from holster wear, quickly removes cold bluing, and also removes hot bluing, rust, or fume bluing over long periods of use. That seems wasteful. Its durable and wears well. Then you sight down the barrel and you see dips and waves in the barrel profile. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. 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. Any gun. No. Metal Finishing Guru. Heres instructions from Mark Lee Supplies on using their Express Blue #1. To harden steel, start by heating the metal directly with a blow torch until it turns a cherry red color. Wear thick gloves so you dont burn yourself. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. This process leaves a deep blue-black finish. Note that it has to be a different tank from the one you used for Step 2. The salts here will be slightly less corrosive (ie, just the pure KNO3, no lye), but at 600F, you have a big physical risk right in front of you. If you do not get crazy and over heat the steel there is no reason to be fearful of the process. 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. It will instantly vaporize into steam and splash all over you. 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.. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://shootingmystery.com/blue-stainless-steel-beginners/", Right now I'm working on excavator replacement pins! Various processes are used for the oxidizing process. I don't understand why you are submerging it in oil? it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. Excellent info. The reason why blued guns rust is that something was allowed to attack the surface blueing and get through it to new steel or the blueing job wasnt deep enough to complete passivate the surface from red rust. It is not nice stuff. 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. 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. An ideal temperature is 180 degrees Fahrenheit but it also depends on the manual. If you want it smoother/shinier, you can polish up to 600 grit, with wet-or-dry paper. The practice of bluing steel takes time and an exquisite eye for detail. Commercial products are widely sold in small bottles for cold bluing firearms, and these products are primarily used by individual gun owners for implementing small touch-ups to a gun's finish, to prevent a small scratch from becoming a major source of rust on a gun over time. This is as deadly as the lye-based hot salts, but more for the temperature of a large batch of salts. The melting point for KNO3 is 633F. If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. -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. How do I do this? The book claims they used wait for it "boiling gasoline" not making this up to clean them. The mixed fumes of the acids produce a uniform rust on the surface of the parts (inside and out) in about 12 hours. DG should receive a stipend for his valuable contributions to TTAG. A non-linear resistance property of the blued steel of razor blades, foreshadowing the same property later discovered in semiconductor diode junctions, along with the ready availability of blued steel razor blades, led to the use of razor blades as a detector in crystal set AM radios that were built by servicemen (as foxhole radios) or by prisoners of war during World War II.[8]. I hope to someday have good knowledge to pass on to people, heh. Prepare the components of the metal surface before you attempt to blue using your tools. "https://www.reddit.com/user/theshootingmystery" Cold blueing solutions usually just dont wear well. Its oiled in production to keep it from rusting on store shelves. Youre a gunsmith who has a lot of nice guns! Theres a reason I didnt pursue a career in chemistry. Ventilation is important. You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. When youre done, attach the thermometer to the tank and fire up the burner. The parts must be observed constantly for colour change. Besides those, you must also have water displacing oil and cleaning solution (Dicro-Clean 909). 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. { FigureLLC. This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. I have done a cold blue on a very rusted .22 for a friend. The actual temperature of the steel depends on the carbon content inside. 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]. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Knowledge is the power and fear is the opposite of power it cripples the mind and the body and almost always guarantee's a poor decision will be made. 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. 2. Heating it again to a lower temperature will not introduce additional martensite. So basically, youll want the rifle in the vise with the muzzle pointed to your left. I have also had good results with 5w/30 motor oil, I've also used two-stroke oil with good results. 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. Youll get a dark spot right there. 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? Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: This crucible was heated to 730C (1,350F) for up to 6hours (the longer the heat was applied the thicker the case hardening). A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! The difference is immersion in boiling water for bluing. "@type": "Organization", The parts can often be put together with little or no forces need and friction lock together and the one parts shrinks and the other part expands. If the solution is still boiling vigorously, then you can expect the bluing to happen naturally. 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. Did you ever find out what oil they were using? When Im polishing on barrels, I polish lengthwise. Keep a grade B fire extinguisher nearby in case of a fire. Bluing only works on steel, cast iron, or stainless steel parts for protecting against corrosion because it changes iron into Fe3O4; it does not work on non-ferrous material. After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. You heat the outside member only when you do a shrink fit.). {"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":"