The rust then turns to black-blue Fe3O4. "width": "1500", You turn up your nose at crap guns? "Cold" bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. 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. Another good test for determining when the steel is ready is seeing if a magnet sticks to its surface. Color case hardening is the predecessor of all metal coloring typically employed in the firearms industry. The loose oxide was then carded (scrubbed) off, using a carding brush - a wire brush with soft, thin (usually about 0.002in (0.051mm) thick) wires - or wheel. WebStep 1: Preparing Your Materials You will need: -2x containers (one of them preferably being metal for the oil) -oil -unleaded petrol/Acetone/Terpentine/Rubbing alcohol or any good Some people might not have a tank long enough to contain a barreled action to boil out. fascinated with blacksmithing, but have not had an income to even get it started. It had been thoroughly degreased before my first attempt, but in trying to repair a poor result, I apparently contaminated it a bit. I have done a cold blue on a very rusted .22 for a friend. 8 years ago The ideal setup is a pair of long sleeve gloves along with splash goggles and a face mask. 4 years ago it takes a long time to heat up a long (ie barreled action length) tank that is, oh, three barrels wide. After spending most of his career as a firearms expert and enthusiast, he retreated to the great outdoors to raise his family in peace and quiet. To heat this, I use a Coleman camp stove and a 15# jug of LPG gas. | 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. For the final step, we let the components cool down in water displacing oil. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! Then you pull it out and scrape off the oil along the blade edge. Just let any residual matter evaporate/dry. Picture Information. Before operating your torch, read all instructions so you know how to handle it safely. Again, dont mess around with these chemicals and only handle them with extreme attention. Rinse them in a cold water tank after. You are nitre blueing here. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process. Always wear goggles and gloves when operating a propane blow torch. You can use a heat gun, a blow dryer, or a torch for this. Next comes the main part. JUST DONT. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. If you have a wood or phenolic handle, use a propane torch to heat the blade only for about two minutes. All blued parts still require oiling to prevent rust. Here is a video by Clevinger Customs illustrating it: I use the Brownells nitre blueing salts, which are a combination of sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, and potassium nitrate. Put all the components into the tank and wait for 5 15 minutes. I used Express Blue #1 on lots of guns, where I want something less labor intensive than slow rust blueing (which I wont describe here): most steel wool isnt oil-free. Add in the 250F+ temperatures of the salts when they hit your skin, and youre both burned thermally and chemically in seconds. Its durable and wears well. I really appreciate you taking the time to share it DG. Robert Farago is the former publisher of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). 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. It's worth noting that there can be some additives in motor oil that release hydrocarbons when burnt which is a known carcinogens to the body (in other words: Bad Stuff!). Next, suspend the components in a cleaning solution tank to get rid of dirt, oil, grease, and crud. Ill wait for and look forward to your article! 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. "logo": { Thoroughly degrease the area to be reblued with acetone. As I'm bluing round pieces I slowly and evenly rotate the piece over the flame to equally disburse the heat. That would be a hot salt blueing mix. 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. 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. The mixture is heated to 310 to 321C (590 to 610F) and the parts are suspended in this solution with wire. Please be careful with the cold bluing solutions. Never know when it will come in handy. This method must not be used on critically heat-treated parts such as receivers, slides or springs. Shooting Mystery is an independent website that provides content for informational purposes only. 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 ? Also buffing wheels pre blue. What I forgot to mention in all of this is a detail that seems mundane, but it critically important: Wear cotton gloves. Thanks for the lesson, DG. Submerge in water and scrape edge. 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]. The robot gives the steel valve seat a quick blast with liquid nitrogen and drops the seat right in place. This is not advisable. You can also heat the oil to create different effects. RF: Expect a write-up from me on Rust blueing and parkerizing in the next couple of weeks. Ferrari installs valve seats in their aluminum cylinder heads via robot. 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. If you havent done it before, wait until I mention some items about it. Dont want to get any of the liquid on you its 700F. This article received 28 testimonials and 92% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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. Haha. Examples of this finish are common on older pocket watches whose hands exhibit what is called 'peacock blue', a rich iridescent blue. Cold bluing is not particularly resistant to holster wear, nor does it provide a large degree of rust resistance. Once the solution reaches its boiling point, turn down the burner to about one-third of the boiling temperature and let it stay there. Every true outdoorsmans dream! Rinse them in a cold water tank after. Youre a gunsmith who has a lot of nice guns! kitty litter (I would recommend the unused variety). 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. The "turning blue" process has nothing to do with hardening of the steel, or its compression. Fortunately, this is easily had at any hardware store: WD-40 is a water displacing product, not a lubricant (contrary to widespread advertising). Heat the gun parts. { NaOH will quickly and completely dissolve aluminum. The parts are then boiled in distilled water, blown dry, then carded, as with rust bluing. Safety is the number one priority so protect your body as much as possible. When putting water in your boil-out tank, use distilled water if you have water with high mineral content. It costs an arm and a leg, and you can buy 0000 so cheaply at Wally World that it makes the acetone method worth your while. }. Learn more Steel is a common durable alloy, and while most steel used in tools is already tough, you can harden it even more to prevent wear and tear. After Red rust is Fe2O3, and is incomplete rust it will continue allowing the surface to corrode over time hence the oil or wax. Safety is the number one priority so protect your body as much as possible. Still, you will find that cold blues dont last. When polishing something like the above rifle/shotgun, youve got a pretty light coat of rust, without severe pitting. For larger pieces of steel, you need to use a. Heat the gun parts. I wish this article had come out sooner, since I did not know that 0000 steel wool may have oil in it. A couple bottles of aged bourbon minimum. We will verify and confirm your receipt within 3 working days from the date you upload it. In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust. There is something really rewarding about this technique. Where/how did you think I got to the point I could make nice guns? 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. Tenifer get's up to (1077F) last I checked and was the 5th step in Glock heat treating after that they Pakerize it. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. It is vastly appreciated even by those of us who will probably never use it. Turn the heat on and give a good regular stirring until it gets very hot and starts to steam. On another thread, we can go into nitre blueing, which is basically heating pins/screws/bits/bobs to 600F in a molten salt bath. The steel will pull some of the carbon out of the oil while quenching and harden the outer portion of the metal. And thats about everything you need to know about stainless steel bluing. (NaOH from Ebay soap supplies). 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). Even a fingerprint will affect the consistency of the colour. (meaning oxygen atoms are able to attach themselves to the outer layer of the steel)We did this with an electromagnet! The head is fixtured and and an arm holding the valve seat moves the the proper location. Ive learned a LOT. Because so many people are trying to do this sort of thing on the cheap, thats when I start thundering in my warnings about safety. I found through my bluing adventure that different oils do act slighty different but ultimately everything I've used has done the job. To remove pitting and keep the barrel profile intact requires skill with a file, and that requires hands-on training. 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. Isn't the point of the acetone to degrease, why would i grease? The cotton gloves insulate your fingers from the heated barrel, and they prevent oils from your skin from getting on the raw steel. Alternatively. % of people told us that this article helped them. Once you see it turn golden, the process has started and colours will change fairly quickly! THANKS DG. Referring to the post that started all of this; Dyspeptic Gunsmith says: For this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts. It can soften up some paints and plastics. 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. Work on a metal or steel surface, such as an anvil, to avoid any fire hazards. In the hot salt process, you will need, oh, four to six tanks, only one of which will be the heated blueing salts. 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. My current rifle builds are going to be parkerzied. Very true. Wear disposable nitrile gloves, work in adequate ventilation, bag and dispose of all rags/towels used in the process in their own bags, and quickly. Central Texas. Following the treatment in the bluing tank, relocate the components to a cold water tank. "Bluing" is the process of oxidizing steel to create a durable, corrosion-resistant layer. What did you use for polishing your pieces and Im guessing you polished then added the chemicals after?Thanks, Joe, Question For this Instructable I'm using thread cutting oil. WebThe gun bluing process Start with 1 gallon of water and add it to a deep fryer that has been thoroughly cleaned. You can get a IR non-contact thermometer for less than $20 at Harbor Freight. Heres instructions from Mark Lee Supplies on using their Express Blue #1. You can reassemble the gun after. How to Blue Bluing Steel Using Oven Or Torch and Oil Method. Do NOT wipe/touch your metal with anything after degreasing as the whole purpose of cleaning was then for nothing. This will keep the bluing from adhering to the sharpened edge. The higher temperatures of the other processes as well as their caustic nature could weaken the soldered joints and make the gun hazardous to use. This is a great time to point out that leaving guns in gun cases, especially the woolen/fleece cases, in the back of a closet, is one of the most sure-fire ways to rust the value completely out of a gun. This will remove all the traces of the bluing solution and other chemicals. Ive gotten hot blue salts on me splashed into my hair. You have entered an incorrect email address! I agree used oil works better and adding some copper and graphite seems to deepen the color and add more purple or plum to it. "https://theshootingmystery.tumblr.com/", 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. Wear thick gloves and a face mask before you quench your steel so the water or oil doesnt splash onto your hands. The mixed fumes of the acids produce a uniform rust on the surface of the parts (inside and out) in about 12 hours. 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. What is your opinion of the 2 to 1 lye and potassium nitrate bluing solution?
Bighorn Executive Safe,
What Is Mild Dependent Atelectasis,
Do Probation Officers Carry Guns,
Quaker Baked Flats Discontinued,
Polar Bear Attack Bronx Zoo,
Articles B