bluing steel with a torch

First, let us go through a couple of bluing concepts that you have to know in order to achieve the desired result. Both refer to the same chemical process for providing true gun bluing.[1]. 4 years ago "https://www.facebook.com/Shooting-Mystery-110244180901951", The torch comes in when you first apply the Express Blue. "url": "https://shootingmystery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Shootinglogo.png" If you tempered the steel with a blow torch, set the metal on an anvil or another large steel surface to conduct the heat. You might be able to start at 320 grit. This article has been viewed 914,567 times. You wouldnt need salts. 1. ", https://mgs.edu/making-chisels-skips-newsletter/, http://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/heat1.htm. "https://twitter.com/Shoot1ngMystery", 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. Its a good process, but it isnt a 1:1 replacement for blueing. You can then use a soft brush to gently remove all the residue of the cleaning solution on the components. 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. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over the flame to equally disburse the heat. My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. 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. If you look at the temps that Tenifur(SP) and Melonite(sp) and early Pakerizing processes used this is nothing. 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. I now want to reverse the process so I can drill and tap the metal tip. journeyman. Usually, you can find the manufacturers recommended ratio in the product manual. Dont want to get any of the liquid on you its 700F. RF: Expect a write-up from me on Rust blueing and parkerizing in the next couple of weeks. it would appear these sights are drifted into dovetails. on Step 1. Great column, and thanks for all the responses to various questions and comments. Excellent info. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. That would be a hot salt blueing mix. Hopefully these concepts suggest caution and diligence for what you are doing. -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). 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. http://www.lowes.com/pd_188198-316-HG-66420_0__?productId=4764059 (And taking, out of *your* hide). 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. Your container should be relatively larger than your object. Copyright 2023 Flixsterz. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. I have to finish my M76 and Galil first and buy the materials. Also buffing wheels pre blue. (NaOH from Ebay soap supplies). With HSS you're looking for 2500-3000rpm, M35 or M42 cobalt bits 3000-3600rpm, and carbide 10k-12krpm. Oil-free steel wool is also sold by woodworking shops. The process was to coat the gun parts in an acid solution, let the parts rust uniformly, then immerse the parts in boiling water to convert the red oxide Fe2O3 to black oxide Fe3O4, which forms a more protective, stable coating than the red oxide; the boiling water also removes any remaining residue from the applied acid solution (often nitric acid and hydrochloric acid diluted in water). You heat the outside member only when you do a shrink fit.). Drill bits and gun barrels are common examples. You can blue heat-treated parts with no ill effects. The robot gives the steel valve seat a quick blast with liquid nitrogen and drops the seat right in place. Whats the difference between Brown Express and Blue Express? For this Instructable I'm using thread cutting oil. The use of stainless steel alloy varies a lot from one manufacturer to the other and thats why the bluing effect wont always be consistent. Glad that there are folks like you around. The use of stainless steel alloy varies a lot from one manufacturer to the other and thats why the bluing effect wont always be consistent. 1. polish it very well 2. clean very well 3. quick dip in dilute FeCl (4:1) is what I use 4. rinse in cold running water and pat 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. Heat the gun parts. There are also methods of cold bluing, which do not require heat. I have at least three cold blue solutions in my shop including Oxpho-blue, 44-40 and others. 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. you may benefit from the use of a gas lense as well. 2 years ago The steel was mild steel and had very little carbon content. The downsides are: the safety issue, which I laid out above, and which youve made clear. Wear thick gloves and a face mask before you quench your steel so the water or oil doesnt splash onto your hands. I can then get the temp to be 600F spot-on in a lead melting pot. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. DG thank you. 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. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. You'll probably be fine following these instructions - you'll probably be OK driving home a little drunk, too. 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? Below is a link to a video I found on YouTube that shows the process. "datePublished": "2022-03-27", This signifies that the steel is tempered. The mixture is heated to 310 to 321C (590 to 610F) and the parts are suspended in this solution with wire. Be patient in the first few minutes as the metal needs to reach the temperatures where it changes colour! Again, dont mess around with these chemicals and only handle them with extreme attention. With a simple heating and quenching process, you can make your steel last for much longer! highfour, case hardening is a bit different from what you describe.. Usually, the steel needs some time in a medium that will allow carbon to penetrate the surface, and we are talking 15 minutes to several hours. Nowadays, even mild steel does have a certain amount of carbon in the alloy, which can explain your observations, if you google "super quench," you should find a waterbased quench that is rumoured to do the same, but in my humble opinion, water can do just that as well. Ok you gotta help me out herewhen I was studying mechanical engineering a good few years back a project I done involved using a compression fit of 1/4" thick plate steel into 1" thick steel rod, both mild steel. 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. Use your torch to bring up ", not only fun, but also profitable. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. Any more advice is welcome SteelJunkee Joined May 6, 2018 Messages 891 Alternatively. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). While the rod may heat some by conduction, it wouldn't get hot enough to start the color-forming process. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Thoroughly degrease the area to be reblued with acetone. Battery acid is childs play compared to blueing salts. 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 I wore latex gloves, as Brownells recommended, but used a pot holder to handle the hot barrel, and that may have been the source. -something to hold your object with i.e. Any gun. The difference is immersion in boiling water for bluing. Different colors can be achieved through variations of this method including quenching in oil instead of water. Cold blueing solutions usually just dont wear well. Very true. . Answer Heat the gun parts. So unless you have sufficient equipment and skill, its advised to let a professional perform the bluing for you. ", informative and did not use technical language and concepts that would have left me floundering and none the wiser. I think DGs method is a lot safer than mine. Safety notes: Dont use an aluminum pan. Friction, as from holster wear, quickly removes cold bluing, and also removes hot bluing, rust, or fume bluing over long periods of use. Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. On another thread, we can go into nitre blueing, which is basically heating pins/screws/bits/bobs to 600F in a molten salt bath. But the article was very informative. Do NOT wipe/touch your metal with anything after degreasing as the whole purpose of cleaning was then for nothing. When everything is set up, put on your protective gear and then get down to business. Always back your paper when youre polishing over edges and up against features. The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. ", Central Texas. By using our site, you agree to our. After the Civil War they switched to another process. Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. Itll evaporate rather rapidly, but still, dont whip it at cars or house finishes. Pour in Do this outside, so you can do this next part: Just whip the steel wool at arms length to extract the excess acetone. Now you slide the cold rod in, and the plate cools, gripping the rod. The wire is extremely small in diameter, so you have to take that into consideration. Its easy enough to color metal with a torch, but it has always been a hit-or-miss process for me, and when it was a big hit, I was rarely able to re-create how it got that way. Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). Dont pour water in to your bath! How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. 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. You turn up your nose at crap guns? 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 learned something slightly different than what you are teaching and that is I am willing to pay people like you to do this kind of stuff for me. How to Blue (Bluing) Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method OOMAN 2.28K subscribers Subscribe 872 112K views 4 years ago My apologies for the background You have entered an incorrect email address! With. Once the solution reaches its boiling point, turn down the burner to about one-third of the boiling temperature and let it stay there. Use hemostats to hold a cleaning patch wetted with the solution and apply in nice, long, even strokes. This crucible was heated to 730C (1,350F) for up to 6hours (the longer the heat was applied the thicker the case hardening). However, if the bluing effect isnt satisfactory, then you can try giving the components an acid bath (using Hydrochloric Acid). Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? Trust me, I'm speaking from experience :) ). My apologies for the background noise in the first half of the video We had compressors running where I Gas burners can usually do the job for this. 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. It is not nice stuff. I can keep a Krylon can always handy for touch-ups. Free shipping. Also thanks DG! I didnt drop outta my mommas womb being able to do this stuff. 2 years ago, For the record The gentleman said multiple times that the plastic container shown in the pictures was just for the instructional photos and to be sure that the container is made of metal for this process, (Homer Simpson smacking his forehead: "DOH! So you said the polishing is key for the coloring process. Just use distilled water. Heat the Steel. 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. Rust bluing was developed between hot and cold bluing processes, and was originally used by gunsmiths in the 19th century to blue firearms prior to the development of hot bluing processes. I am simply trying to learn anything and everything that there is to know about it. Ill detail why. : Make sure it is made from Mild Steel or Titanium. For this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts. "image": { Ill go into parkerization later this week. Its essential to keep stirring the tank to prevent the forming of hot and cold areas. "https://theshootingmystery.tumblr.com/", Metal Finishing Guru. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer. Add in the 250F+ temperatures of the salts when they hit your skin, and youre both burned thermally and chemically in seconds. When youre using hot blueing salts, youd better be on top of your game, or you can seriously injure yourself. [4], Bluing can also be done in a furnace, for example for a sword or other item traditionally made by a blacksmith or specialist such as a weapon-smith. Your 700F temp is too high, IMO. An ideal temperature is 180 degrees Fahrenheit but it also depends on the manual. When Im polishing on barrels, I polish lengthwise. Just dont do it. Next comes the main part. Color case hardening is the predecessor of all metal coloring typically employed in the firearms industry. Theres a reason why I buy up clapped-out guns and stuff where people look at me with a WTF?! *700F is very close to the heat treatment temperature of some steels. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. 4.3 out of 5 stars 242 ratings-30% $12.99 $ 12. Reply If everything appears good, then you can transfer the components into a hot water tank. The de-greasing you do directly affects the uniformity of the browning or blueing. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. The bottom of the crucible is opened allowing the contents to drop into the rapidly bubbling water. Life is good. To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. Youll get a dark spot right there. I use it, oh so cautiously in making my biodiesel. 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. I've never done anything like this but want to try. I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. Ferrari installs valve seats in their aluminum cylinder heads via robot. That means 50-60 revolutions to make a foot. Hopefully these concepts suggest caution and diligence for what you are doing. If you cant, just get them out of the case and allow air to circulate around them. . ", the wrong quality steel. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process. Depending on what solution you use, the tank temperature must be maintained somewhere between 240 and 310 degrees Fahrenheit. In my case I drilled/threaded the metal piece and made a holder with a threaded end. It provides the stainless steel surface with a layer of protection, giving rust and corrosion resistance while reducing potential glare as well. Hes claiming that method is more durable than Blue alone. Its durable and wears well. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. "author": "Christopher Graham", occasionally I'll buff it afterwards. WHERE or when would the torch get used? There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Ive learned a LOT. This answer was tested with a utility knife blade and it drilled through with ease. Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: Bluing may be applied by immersing steel parts in a solution of potassium nitrate, sodium hydroxide, and water heated to the boiling point, 275310F (135154C) depending on the recipe. Excessive buffing on stainless steel could result in a grainy appearance so do it with care. 6 years ago. Itll take perhaps 20 minutes to really dry down. Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. It will first turn gold, then orange, then red, purple, blue and then dark grey! "headline": "How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide", "https://www.reddit.com/user/theshootingmystery" I like parkerization on some of my milsurps. 2. These include hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing, and so on. on Introduction. Wipe them down with WD-40 on a regular basis. for 6-8 hours. Polish to at least 400 grit. Also remember, by adjusting the heat you can get whatever color you want. There are many simple ways to achieve good bluing. If there is any finish left on the metal, it will interfere with the bluing pr 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. 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. Hot. It is usually inadvisable to use cold bluing as a touch-up where friction is present. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Did you ever find out what oil they were using? Dont just leave them on a surface that could corrode or burn), get a new patch into the hemostats, soak, wring out, and keep going. The color is oxide, but I believe you can scrape it off. 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. Ive dealt with strong acids and strong bases in lab work, and I fear the strong bases more. Its a good process for processing lots of guns, but I simply cannot recommend it for people who just want to do a gun here or a gun there.. Degrease and heat the items to be blued in a steel pan to about 700F. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. Metal parts that look black or blue-black are usually blued (rather than painted). The thickness of the oxide is a function of how hot you heat the steel (The color is due to interference of light reflecting from the surface of the oxide coating, and light reflecting from the oxide-steel interface). It is one smoooooth profile, from one end to the other. In the nitre bluing process, polished and cleaned steel parts are immersed in a bath of molten saltstypically potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate (sometimes with 9.4 grams (0.33oz) of manganese dioxide per pound of total nitrate). tighter your arc, the less the heat input will be. They melt at, oh, somewhere about 280F. Keep a grade B fire extinguisher nearby in case of a fire. When the liquid stops bubbling, remove the metal from the container and wipe off any excess liquid. At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. What is your opinion of the 2 to 1 lye and potassium nitrate bluing solution? Let them cool down as you take a closer look at the bluing effect. Its nice when something can be re-used a time or two, especially when used in diversified ways. Vegetable oil has a higher boiling point, so the hot steel will take longer to cool and reduce the chance of it cracking. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. 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. Free shipping for many products! The plate turned blue just like you ible and I was told this was an effect of compression fitting.the rod didn't change colour even though it had the heat applied to it so was it actually the compression fit that changed the plates colour. The process isnt intended for bronze. Alternatively, You could store them in a hard case (like a pelican with a purge) and throw some desiccant packs in there as well.

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