Question Polish to at least 400 grit. So As one newish to refined firearms ownership, what is the best way to store and protect a pistol or rifle from rusting, especially in areas like Oregon or Washington, Silicon socks, or ? -A heat source. 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). ", not only fun, but also profitable. Alternatively. 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. Bluing is a process usually used by gun owners and firearms manufacturers to improve the aesthetic value of their weapons. 2 years ago Bluing also helps to maintain the metal finish by resisting superficial scratching, and also helps to reduce glare to the eyes of the shooter when looking down the barrel of the gun. Not only does it give you an alchemical feeling of satisfactionbut it also gives the metal a finish to stop corrosion. Dont scrub the solution onto the gun, just run a patch that is not dripping wet down one complete run on the barrel/action in one smooth stroke. 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. 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]. Drift the sights back in from the right side of the barrel. This article received 28 testimonials and 92% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. The actual temperature of the steel depends on the carbon content inside. They are still sometimes used by gunsmiths to obtain an authentic finish for a period gun of the time that rust bluing was in vogue, analogous to the use of browning on earlier representative firearm replicas. 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. Thermometers and stirring tools are also needed, as well as something to heat up the tanks. 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. THANKS DG. Your container should be relatively larger than your object. 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. Use your torch to bring up In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust. You need to adjust the boiling point of the salts for your altitude. 'Browning' is controlled red rust Fe2O3, and is also known as 'pluming' or 'plum brown'. Ill be saving this for the future. If youre interested, just ask and I can provide more details. 1. 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. Pour in 3. Now you can start.Apply heat to your object and heat up gently and equally. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over If you dont drain the barrel or action recesses properly before putting a barrel or action into a hot salt tank, then you will find out in a hell of a hurry as the water flashes to steam under the surface and again, splatters hot, highly caustic lye/nitrite salts all over you and your shop. Now, using the information above, you should have little problem bluing your firearms on your own. SO, DG; unless I missed it, I am assuming the torch is used separate from heating the tank/ container with the boiling solution. That doesnt happen easily or by accident. 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. Turn the heat on and give a good regular stirring until it gets very hot and starts to steam. I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). (Its Crystalline Potassium Nitrate 100%) $6.18 Youll want to clamp on the barrel directly under the sight youre about to drift out. The torch comes in when you first apply the Express Blue. tighter your arc, the less the heat input will be. Browning a gun gives you a nice, even brown patina finish of red rust on a gun. DG should receive a stipend for his valuable contributions to TTAG. 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. 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.. At the end of this heating process the crucible is removed from the oven and positioned over a bath of water with air forced through a perforated coil in the bottom of the bath. Make sure the piece is chemically clean, sandblasting followed by power wire brushing is good then stop heating when you hit purple because the heat will travel. 5. Above you can see some example pictures of the colour shades that can be achieved with this techniques.Have fun doing it! You have to apply the bluing fluid. it washes off with water. I am simply trying to learn anything and everything that there is to know about it. 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 NaOH is so alkaline it is great as dissolving organic materials. The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. 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. This heating forms the blue on the plate. 3.3k. Its essential to keep stirring the tank to prevent the forming of hot and cold areas. There are many methods you can use to blue the steel. Youll get a dark spot right there. It also looks good on AK type weapons of which I have three to park. WebHeat the blade for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven set on 325 Fahrenheit if the handle is metal. 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! After the Civil War they switched to another process. You want 0000 steel wool for carding between coats. What is your opinion of the 2 to 1 lye and potassium nitrate bluing solution? For this Instructable I'm using thread cutting oil. ", https://mgs.edu/making-chisels-skips-newsletter/, http://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/heat1.htm. The inside barrel was saved by the fact it was so full of lead fouling. Interesting and informative as always. Also: Do not allow the solution to run, drip or sag. Although the steel parts, such as anOrdains watch hands, are near enough miniscule, each { Note: I know a plastic container is pictured but always use a metal one! This signifies that the steel is tempered. This is a great source that you can learn lots of information from and I'll advise it to to a handfuls of others. I had to sand and restain the stock, and sanded the barrel from 120 down to 400 grit the pitting was so bad. You MUST plug your barrels, gas cylinders, remove your pistons, etc. I hope to someday have good knowledge to pass on to people, heh. To harden steel, start by heating the metal directly with a blow torch until it turns a cherry red color. 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. 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. 6 years ago. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. Central Texas. "dateModified": "2022-03-27", On another thread, we can go into nitre blueing, which is basically heating pins/screws/bits/bobs to 600F in a molten salt bath. Most waters in the Rockies clear out to the west coast will have high(er) dissolved solids in them. 2. But the article was very informative. Follow the instructions. "@type": "ImageObject", Its a good process, but it isnt a 1:1 replacement for blueing. Higher carbon contents will take longer to heat. The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. Thank you so much for sharing such a great article. Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. The steel is also used for producing great police flashlights with awesome durability. Wait for a day to let the bluing properly cure before you do anything else to it. Check out the video:https://hackaday.io/project/21947-makers-vise/log/60914-coloring-steel-with-magnetism. Also remember, by adjusting the heat you can get whatever color you want. For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! If you look at the temps that Tenifur(SP) and Melonite(sp) and early Pakerizing processes used this is nothing. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. Accidental exposure to the chemicals could result in serious injuries. After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. 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. You are nitre blueing here. Be careful since considerable heat might be generated in the process. The mixed fumes of the acids produce a uniform rust on the surface of the parts (inside and out) in about 12 hours. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 13 in 1 Metal Shell Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering at the best online prices at eBay! $3.59. However, the chemicals from the bluing process can accomplish uneven staining on aluminium and polymer parts. of the steel than do not even try this on something that is anything other than artistic in nature! Shooting Mystery is an independent website that provides content for informational purposes only. Never know when it will come in handy. These minerals (often calcium and magnesium compounds) tend to result in blotchy and uneven results. Remove any previous finish. }, 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. You need to constantly be adding in a bit of water to bring the boiling point back down into the range you need. Participated in the Explore Science Contest. (meaning oxygen atoms are able to attach themselves to the outer layer of the steel)We did this with an electromagnet! "mainEntityOfPage": "https://shootingmystery.com/blue-stainless-steel-beginners/", 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. There are also methods of cold bluing, which do not require heat. These include hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing, and so on. Drill bits and gun barrels are common examples. Once you strip the blue & rust, then you can see what youre dealing with. Degrease and heat the items to be blued in a steel pan to about 700F. Is the torch used to heat metal ..ONLY.with Cold bluing? Theres a reason I didnt pursue a career in chemistry. For the chemical, the bluing solution should be either Oxynate No. 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. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.