bluing steel with a torch

It's easy to get it too hot, too quickly - especially with an O/A or oxy-propane torch. When everything is set up, put on your protective gear and then get down to business. You can blue heat-treated parts with no ill effects. Do all the prep you would for express or rust blueing, especially degreasing. This step should be done before heating the steel, as the steel should be quenched immediately after removing from heat. Any gun. Alternatively, You could store them in a hard case (like a pelican with a purge) and throw some desiccant packs in there as well. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. I have always wondered about storage in gun soft cases or the foamed Hard cases, and humid or dry, heat and cold. The steel is also used for producing great police flashlights with awesome durability. The differential cooling causes patterns of colors to appear as well as hardening the part. Dont mess with hot salts. "keywords": ["how to blue stainless steel"], To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. 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. Theres nothing wrong with your method, but is is very hazardous, especially to people who have never done anything like it before. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. This works well for me. No one can even tell you what the heat treat is on a 1895 Mauser for instance yet we do not wet ourselves before we shoot one! SO, DG; unless I missed it, I am assuming the torch is used separate from heating the tank/ container with the boiling solution. Think big scars. 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. Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. -A heat source. "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dwEQfHK1tk_ZeaA4PniOA/", Use a backing block of wood or even a Pink Pearl rubber eraser. 1. Picture Information. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. -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. }, Brilliant blues. 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. These minerals (often calcium and magnesium compounds) tend to result in blotchy and uneven results. While the rod may heat some by conduction, it wouldn't get hot enough to start the color-forming process. Reply It is slow rust blueing. Wear safety glasses and gloves while working with hot metal. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. "name": "Shooting Mystery", 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 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. Go on and start bluing! I thought there was something that could help improve the colors but wasnt sure until I came across this. 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. Process that partially protects steel against rust, This article is about the historical uses of black oxide. 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. And for the next (after the next) installment, how to do hard case coloring. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over the flame to equally disburse the heat. (You say the rod was heated, but it couldn't have been, as it was on the inside. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process. Ill go into parkerization later this week. After that, slowly and steadily stir the solution in the tank to dissolve the salt. This will keep the bluing from adhering to the sharpened edge. Use your torch to bring up ", steel". If youre using acetone to de-oil, dont be afraid to do it more than once. Take them out after a couple of minutes and then wipe them clean to remove excess oil. 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. On another thread, we can go into nitre blueing, which is basically heating pins/screws/bits/bobs to 600F in a molten salt bath. Keep posting like this. It, too, must be oiled to provide any significant rust resistance. Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. Participated in the Explore Science Contest. Heating will make the metal better in absorbing the bluing liquid. Craig, torch bluing is a real thing that has been use a lot in the custom gun world, mostly for screw heads but even for complete muzzle loader creations ( the vendor will be quite proud of his work it seems as cost increases considerably to a finished item). Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? You should keep guns in a safe, if you can. Before operating your torch, read all instructions so you know how to handle it safely. The part you want to place in the receiving part is cold often just placed in a freezer for a few hours. Last Updated: May 13, 2022 If your barrel has heavier pitting, now were into filing to remove pitting, and thats something I cant teach people in mere text. Blue Metal Shell 13 in 1 Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner For Welder Soldering. Always back your paper when youre polishing over edges and up against features. 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. A couple bottles of aged bourbon minimum. This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. : Make sure it is made from Mild Steel or Titanium. The difference is immersion in boiling water for bluing. DG thank you. Following the treatment in the bluing tank, relocate the components to a cold water tank. The object on the left is a custom mild steel potentiometer knob! You work on nice guns! When youre done and have neutralized & washed off the Express Blue #1 solution, you then should spray down the barrel with water-displacing oil. *Potassium Nitrate is an oxidizer. In comparison, rust, the red oxide of iron (Fe2O3), undergoes an extremely large volume change upon hydration; as a result, the oxide easily flakes off, causing the typical reddish rusting away of iron. I wouldnt use this bluing method for these items. While still hot and while wearing rubber gloves rub the bluing compound Into the steel with the steel wool. Besides those, you must also have water displacing oil and cleaning solution (Dicro-Clean 909). 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 You might also want to read our article on how to easily darken stainless steel or blacken stainless steel for more ways to personalize your gear. I saw you reference a coleman stove and propane tank for heating solution. If cold bluing is the only practical option, the area should be kept oiled to extend the life of the coating as much as possible. Can a softly tempered piece be re-tempered harder without going through the hardening procedure again? Its a pretty straightforward process. "mainEntityOfPage": "https://shootingmystery.com/blue-stainless-steel-beginners/", (meaning oxygen atoms are able to attach themselves to the outer layer of the steel)We did this with an electromagnet! The parts are then oiled and allowed to stand overnight. 3 years ago After three coats, washing and drying, the finish was not too bad, considering I was (and am) a rank amateur. 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]. 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. Whats the difference between Brown Express and Blue Express? For more information on using a blowtorch and protecting the steel, scroll down! By using our site, you agree to our. Acetone is also useful for de-greasing the barreled action. Use a steel tool to stir (remember the fumes). 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 pulled the temp off the top of my head. Youll get a dark spot right there. "publisher": { After the Civil War they switched to another process. ", the wrong quality steel. Let them cool down as you take a closer look at the bluing effect. It is hazardous. It can soften up some paints and plastics. 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. However, oil may spill and create a fire hazard if the steel is put into the oil too quickly. In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust. Isn't the point of the acetone to degrease, why would i grease? Youll have a hot caustic degreaser tank (about 10 minutes), then a cold rinse tank, then into the hot salts for, oh, 15 to 20 minutes, then out into the hot rinse, then into a cold running rinse tank, then into a water displacing oil tank for 20 minutes or so. 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. Also thanks DG! Drop a piece of hot charcoal in it and it will burn in the absence of any atmosphere as the nitrate provides the oxygen for the reaction. Then wipe off all excess oil and look at your beautiful finished object! However, there are certain characteristics differences between the materials so knowing clearly how to blue stainless steel is really important. This heating forms the blue on the plate. With HSS you're looking for 2500-3000rpm, M35 or M42 cobalt bits 3000-3600rpm, and carbide 10k-12krpm. Technically speaking, bluing is more or less a conversion of red iron oxide (Fe2O3) to black iron oxide (Fe3O4). 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. Use ice cubes. It is generally employed on smaller parts such as pins, screws, sights, etc. For most of the time, guns that utilize carbon steel components are the prime candidates for bluing but its totally possible to color stainless steel blue as well. If you look at the temps that Tenifur(SP) and Melonite(sp) and early Pakerizing processes used this is nothing. So basically, youll want the rifle in the vise with the muzzle pointed to your left. Think big scars. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I think DGs method is a lot safer than mine. 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. You need to adjust the boiling point of the salts for your altitude. Dont drop or try to bend the steel once its removed. Steps to Hot Blue Steel with a Torch Fortunately, this is easily had at any hardware store: WD-40 is a water displacing product, not a lubricant (contrary to widespread advertising). The robot gives the steel valve seat a quick blast with liquid nitrogen and drops the seat right in place. Work on a metal or steel surface, such as an anvil, to avoid any fire hazards. Reply You have entered an incorrect email address! All those materials the leather and bone the coal where sources of carbon and other trace elements. Wear thick gloves and a face mask before you quench your steel so the water or oil doesnt splash onto your hands. 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. 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). Very true. This process leaves a deep blue-black finish. } Wait for 10 15 minutes and then take out the components. Its for mild steel, which must be greased, oiled or otherwise coated with something to stop it from rusting almost immediately.