uses for bluing

Hot Bluing. Keep them in the tank for about 10 minutes. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. Bluing steel is the process of oxidizing the surface to protect it from rust. This natural product has been used for centuries and it still works today. After completing his service in 2010, he earned AAS degrees in Machining as well as Welding & Fabrication, and a Gunsmithing Technician Certificate from Trinidad State Junior College. However, for touching-up exposed areas, or bare metal exposed from milling, filing, or cutting, I use cold blue. This is where Express Rust Bluing gets a bit repetitive. BLUESTONE AND BLUEING. The name of the process actually comes from the blue-black appearance of the black iron oxide. The coloring action happens instantly and the color penetrates deep into the metal for a long-lasting finish. Depending upon what you’re specifically trying to blue, you may be able to just thoroughly clean the part with acetone. Additionally, how do you make laundry bluing? Until next time, Happy Building! You’ll need a sander, alcohol wipes, wax and grease remover, bluing solution, cotton balls, sandpaper, a soft cloth, and gun oil. Turkey fryer heat source can be used for cooking as well as bluing. Stewart's® Bluing (MSB) allows the consumer to re-blue their white fabrics, restoring that just-bought brightness. Hot but not boiling. A baking soda bath is often recommended to soothe itchy skin. Basically, a chemical rusting agent is applied to the steel, time passes, and rust forms. In comparison, rust, the red oxide of iron(Fe2O3), undergoes an extremely large volume change upon hydration; as a result, the oxide easily fla… Express Rust Bluing is actually preferable on some types of firearms due to their construction because you have control where the bluing formula goes (and hence make sure it all comes back out again). My favorite way to blacken steel, iron or even zinc-plated hardware is to brush on a thin coat of liquid “gun blue” – typically a combination of selenious acid, nitric acid and cupric sulfate. The chemical used is also fairly safe, especially in comparison to bluing salts. Then polish the parts with the carding wheel and/or brush. I’ll give this a try. Note: As long as professional gun bluing, a number of other gun bluing liquid and gun bluing paste will be required. This treatment can also be called black oxidizing. If you only have one tank, you’ll obviously have to do this to proceed anyway. Laundry bluing helps trick the eye to make white clothes look brighter and whiter. Bluing liquid, also called laundry bluing (or just bluing) is a substance used in the rinse cycle to make white clothes appear whiter. The steel has changed color slightly in this process, and the process is repeated until the steel is the desired color. While there are some stainless steels that are magnetic, the worst they will do is not blue. There are several different techniques, and each one has its own particular uses. If you brush on a thin coat it will blacken a ferrous metal almost instantly, including zinc-plated hardware. You cautioned against plugging the bore. First, I detail stripped the gun and bagged the small parts together with other parts of their operating group. Then boil the parts for 2-3 minutes again, and so on until after the 3rd time you apply the bluing formula. So you probably can’t just throw one on your bench grinder. Chris enjoys repairing, customizing, building & assembling firearms, as well as different disciplines of competition shooting. Next comes degreasing. FREE Shipping on … I use WD-40 for this because it’s readily available, but there are obviously other options for this if you prefer something else. The rust is “polished off”. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The best-known bluing product is Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing Liquid, made of a fine blue iron powder suspended in water mixed with small amounts of pH balancer and a biocide to prevent the buildup of algae and bacteria. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. All items … Since its creation bluing liquid has found other uses including personal care and science projects. About the author: By using our site, you agree to our. The bluing process is often accelerated and intensified with the utility of heat. Bluing is somewhat less common in areas where products that keep white clothing very white exist, but it is still used by some people to refresh white clothing. Read on for more.... Home / Uncategorized / … I use a heated solution of plain Dawn dish soap-which I will describe later. You’ll need a carding wheel or brush, both being preferable. You must be able to completely disassemble (not just field strip) the firearm you want to blue. It is sometimes mentioned in old recipes for floor wash used by spiritualists to purify the home in the interest of keeping out evil spirits. So it doesn’t go anywhere you don’t directly put it. Laundry bluing is a product used to wash white fabric items that have become slightly off-white over time. This process requires a lot of equipment that takes up a lot of space, and the process itself can be somewhat hazardous. Lastly, any welded areas or spots will probably not blue evenly with the rest of the surface. DIY, Fire bluing or Nitre bluing is a traditional finish that gunsmiths and major firearms manufactures, used during the later part of the nineteenth century, and is an visually pleasing side effect of the heat treating process. And then for the REALLY tight spots, have some extra fine grade steel wool (make sure you degrease it) on hand. Using Laundry Bluing in a Top-Load Washer. $19.99 $ 19. So really the process is pretty inexpensive. Lastly, you’ll need some kind of water displacing oil. He has been collecting & shooting military firearms, old and new since he was 18. Rust Bluing Polish the parts to be blued. Express Rust Bluing offers hobbyists a way to finish firearms that all three terms apply to. If you want a dull blue finish (like military arms have when they’re blued) then you can just sandblast with aluminum oxide and proceed. When satisfied, you can apply oil, wax, lacquer or boiled linseed oil to seal the metal pores. Again, steel wool or 600 to 1200-grit sandpaper will work … Rinse, dry, repeat. The What & the Why – Rack It – Methods of Closing the Slide, Shooter Rughi: The Right Guy, The Right Place & the Glock 19. Some of the more astute of you reading this probably read the previous paragraph and went, “Wait, I’m supposed to allow it to rust? It calls for heating the part up to about 270 degrees, applying the product, then rinsing and washing in soap and water. I’m imagining horrible things—tell me I’m wrong! 99. Also be sure to keep copper away from your process, it will lend a brown finish instead of blue black color. Bluing products improve the brightness of white fabrics by adding a blue pigment that counteracts the natural yellowing that occurs during regular laundering. The eye perceives the nearly undetectable amount of blue and sees the fabric as whiter. Express Rust Bluing is a good way for a hobbyist to blue their firearms at home. Also, keep in mind that bluing (or any finish for that matter) will not hide flaws in the metal surface. A lot of these are suitable for us DIY types. A typical laundry set up consisted of three (3) tubs: the wash tub, the rinse tub and the bluing tub. Feature Articles, Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. Previously, I wrote an article on Parkerizing. There's no need to soak or rub for long periods. So if you are unsure of what metal your part is made from, check it with a magnet. But, there are some guns that the modern spray-on finishes just do not look right on. The cleaner the better. Obviously the part will hang out of the tank. If you’re doing smaller parts, you can even use old pots or pans for tanks. For fun I compared the finish from two Brownell’s cold bluing products: If you don’t put bluing agent in your bore, it won’t get in there. The blue dye in the product gives fabric the appearance of regaining a pure white color. Make your blue solution first If you think you’re done washing the parts, do it one more time. There are various solvents that you can use for this. In fact, trying to blue aluminum WILL result in disaster. Finally, cover your steel in a protective oil like gun oil. Boil the parts for 2-3 minutes. Last Updated: November 16, 2020 Buzz, What does this process do to the bore? Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. I have found that I could blue parts longer than would fit in my “tanks” with Express Rust Bluing as well-barrels for example. Then let the parts sit for a day. You end up with a very durable, high quality, blued finish. I use Dawn dish soap and water because it’s cheap and readily available. Keep It Simple Stupid: Everything You Need (And…, Everytown on Gun Industry Being 'Essential': Guns…, O’Rourke Expects You to Turn Over You AR — Or It…, Know Your Rights: If You Disclose You Are Carrying…, Fresno Home Targeted by Burglars, Homeowner Shoots…. They’ll be nice and rusty at this point. For more tips, including how to blue your steel using heat, read on! If you wish to use a carding wheel, they are typically not rated for more than 2000 RPM. Learn more... Bluing steel is the process of oxidizing the surface of the metal to protect it from rust. Follow the instructions regarding the handling of the bluing formula. But I think you can get the gist. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. That’s where this process is really nice. But there is a trade off here: the more dull the finish, the more durable… the shinier, the less durable. Also, this may come as a surprise but you should NOT plug your barrel when doing any kind of hot bluing. Obviously, boiling the parts means you’ll be dealing with hot things. Gunsmithing. After that, clean it with wax and grease remover, then wipe it with a soft dry cloth. In case you’re interested in commercial-grade products, here goes the best hot gun bluing kit: G96 1069 Liquid Gun Bluing. Cold Bluing Apply bluing solution. We literally are talking days or even weeks to complete. He served in the 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions, with four deployments to Afghanistan & Iraq. Obviously, this is not agreeable with it submerged in a tank full of hot liquid! Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 73,478 times. Now, with Oxynate No. If you just want to blue handguns, you can even use an old pot (so long as it’s not aluminum). Birchwood Casey, Westlake Market Super Blue Gun Blue Bottle - Double Strength Bluing Plus 25 Quality Cotton Swabs and 3" Cotton Patches for Restoring Guns and Other Metal Items. As I mentioned, you don’t need very much for equipment relatively speaking. The treatment turns the red iron oxide into black iron oxide. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The heat from boiling will cause the air trapped in the bore to blow out the plugs. There are some that you can realistically do a bit more than just touch up work with. It does not require a whole lot of equipment and isn’t very difficult to do. Used during laundering, it adds a trace of blue dye (often synthetic ultramarine, sometimes Prussian blue) to the fabric. 84, we have a superior formulation for stainless bluing that has met and passed all of our demands and requirements. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Bluing is FeO3 or rust with an extra oxygen molecule. Technically speaking, bluing is more or less a conversion of red iron oxide (Fe2O3) to black iron oxide (Fe3O4). Chris started hobby gunsmithing in 2005. Fortunately, there is a similar but much faster process-Express Rust Bluing. If you’re doing smaller parts, you can even use old pots or pans for tanks. But as long as you can re-orient the part to where it covers all of what was hanging out before, then this process will allow you to blue it. Common sense needs to apply here. This is a common way to add some protection to areas where the bluing has worn off This article has been viewed 73,478 times. The cleaning cycle is to remove every bit of oil on the part, as even just the skin oils from your bare hands will ruin the finish. Once you’ve cleaned the blade, you’ll need to apply your bluing solution with a cotton ball, then wipe the metal dry with a soft cloth, and polish the metal with fine-grit sandpaper. You also can’t substitute a carding wheel for a regular wire wheel, it’ll just take the bluing completely off-ruining your work. If anything, it’ll make them stand out more. Get it as soon as Tue, Feb 16. Rust, properly referred to as Iron Oxide, is FeO2. The first, and arguably most important, step to getting a nice blued finish is the prep work. Then put the parts in the tank to boil. Then if you want to go REALLY old fashioned, get some Plum Brown, used in the muzzleloader days of yore. Then, clean the bare metal with an alcohol wipe. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Then apply the bluing formula. First, you’ll need to grind and sand your steel down to remove any finish and make it smooth. “Cold” bluing: Uses a selenium dioxide-based compound that turns the steel black or dark grey. There is a number of methods of hot bluing. As its name implies, Express Rust Bluing speeds up this whole process significantly. Bluing is a method many gun users use to treat the metal of their gun so that it has a protective shell around it. Again, I use WD-40 for this because it’s cheap and available. What you do for prep work really depends on what kind of finish you’re after. How to Use Bluing in a Front Load Washer . Obviously, you also need water and a heat source capable of boiling the water in whatever size container you want to use. Cheap, minimal equipment, and simple are three terms that homebuilders like to hear. Because all you have to do is go through cleaning, and a bluing cycle or two, and you’ll clean those areas right up. So do your prep work accordingly. References. With this kind of bluing, you apply the bluing agent by hand. Laundry bluing is an age-old washing practice whereby whites are rinsed with a bit of diluted, nontoxic, biodegradable blue powder. I’ve only used the touch up product. Express Rust Bluing is faster than rust bluing because rather than allowing the chemical reaction to happen “naturally” the process is expedited by boiling the parts. It worked really well the one time I’ve tried it, the hard part being that the whole barrel did not fit inside the oven. Here’s a hint: you cannot get the metal too clean. Before any bluing process, the metal must be prepared. Dip a cotton ball into the … You need some kind of degreaser for the cleaning cycle. You’ll need to apply and polish a few coats until you reach your desired color. When we refer to bluing, we typically think of the hot salt bluing that is usually done. They’re very easy to apply, requiring only a thorough degreasing before application. A brush helps reach those. Next post: The What & the Why – Rack It – Methods of Closing the Slide, Previous post: Shooter Rughi: The Right Guy, The Right Place & the Glock 19. Gun Finishing, It has worked on all the popular guns (S&W’s, Rugers, and virtually every type of stainless we could find), and even does a mighty good job on Cast Irons. It offers less rust protection than other methods, so it’s typically used for touch-ups. We've been helping billions of people around the world continue to learn, adapt, grow, and thrive for over a decade. There are cold bluing solutions available as well. You may want to do more to reach the color you want, and that’s perfectly fine. I should mention a few things about carding to be aware of. Heat bluing is a process often used for finishing small parts, such as pins, screws, triggers and hammers. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a large tupperware container and a gallon of distilled white vinegar, totaling about $5. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, bluing was used by everyone who wanted to have (and keep) their laundry white. It also doesn’t subject the parts to as much heat as hot salt bluing does. Larger parts such as barrels can be boiled in special tanks available from Brownells or you can make a steam pipe apparatus** from PVC pipe and fittings obtained from a local home improvement store. Bluing, laundry blue, dolly blue or washing blue is a household product used to improve the appearance of textiles, especially white fabrics. Damage or destruction of your part and your bluing “tank” will be ruined. !” You would be correct. One bottle of the solution will last you through a bunch of bluing sessions. This takes the process down to something you can do in an afternoon (as long as the parts are already prepped). Cold bluing uses acids to put an oxidized finish on steel at room temperatures, or close to it. Stewart's Bluing as the bluing agent used in the kit and many facilities purchase MSB directly for this purpose. wikiHow's. True gun bluing is an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface selectively forming magnetite (Fe 3 O 4), the black oxide of iron. You need to do at least 3 cycles. With some practice you’ll find out little tricks that work. Detect Plumbing Leaks Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is useful when checking for leaks in drain systems, automotive cooling systems and toilet tanks. A bluing agent is used for restoring the whiteness of clothes and making them extra bright. Obviously, this doesn’t easily lend itself to the hobbyist homebuilder or “kitchen table gunsmith”. Basically, you want the cleaning cycle to be somewhere around 150-180 degrees. The colors usually range from a straw yellow, to dark purples or robins egg blues. Obviously, this process (though these rules apply to bluing in general) only works on metal parts. Chris has taken several armorers courses on different firearms, and has built several different types of firearms. I recommend practicing on a few cheap guns before taking on grandad’s old 1873. I’m not a chemist by any means, so I’m sure there’s a lot more to it than that. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. All Local Sales are FREE! Hot caustic bluing cannot be used on non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, magnesium and zinc, as they will dissolve and contaminate the bluing salts. That brings us to rust bluing. After that, you can typically re-assemble your firearm. For more tips, including how to blue your steel using heat, read on! But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. This is both to get any remaining moisture out and to protect the now-completely-oil-free part. This conversion happens as part of the chemical reaction to the rusting agent in the boiling tank. Also, Express Rust Bluing only works on steel. At this time, my “tanks” are metal serving trays from a restaurant supply store. Unless the parts you’re wanting to blue are pretty clean already, then you should clean them before the actual cleaning cycle. Great product. Great article, Chris!! Always wear eye protection when performing the tasks described. You can buy bluing solutions premixed. It does not require a whole lot of equipment and isn’t very difficult to do. You’ll need the bluing formula itself. You can also “repair” damaged areas in already blued parts with this method as well. After the cleaning cycle, rinse the parts off to remove any residual soap. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. The most commonly used are cold bluing and hot bluing, but rust bluing was the standard for many years. I find that there are some little spots that you just can’t reach with a carding wheel. I say typically because if you’re like me, the next day you’ll find a spot that you missed or something will look splotchy. Like anything, there are some limitations to this process. After you have completed enough bluing cycles to get the color you’re after, then coat (or preferably dunk) your parts in water displacing oil. When bluing was first invented, this was how firearms were blued. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Christopher Mace Christopher Mace enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman in 2001. One bottle of the solution will last you through a … As long as you apply the water displacing oil and clean your bore afterwards, it doesn’t do anything to it. Do you want to know the right way to use a bluing agent? With that said, on to bluing! If you have parts with a bunch of nooks and crannies, you should heat the parts with a propane torch to 212 degrees after the final boil to ensure that all of the water is completely out. Heat Bluing. If you want something shinier, you’ll need to do some polishing. The steel is also used for producing great police flashlights with awesome durability. Now before we proceed, I should say a few words on safety. Manufacturers use bluing in the finishing process of … It’s the blue-black color that gives the treatment its name of bluing. Also, I recommend having a carding brush as well. You need a steel container big enough to hold the parts you want to blue-though you can work around that to a degree. As homebuilders, we all eventually come to the same point in a build, no matter what the build is; “Ok, it works. restoration of a firearm would involve hot bluing, something that I, as a home hobbyist gunsmith, am not set up to perform. Why doesn’t the bore get rusty, through all the cleaning and bluing cycles? 44/40's familiar bluing action is almost magic; simply dampen a patch with 44/40, wipe it on and wipe it off immediately with a dry one. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Hot bluing is among the best types of bluing, properly protects the steel on the firearm, and giving the most lasting level of imperviousness to rust and corrective security of exposed gunmetal. The only other tool I used was a stainless steel carding brush I bought from Brownell’s for rust bluing. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. But again, there are some guns that Parkerizing wouldn’t be an appropriate finish for either. Express Rust Bluing is a good way for a hobbyist to blue their firearms at home. A lot of the bluing done on high end firearms is Express Rust Bluing. If you have a top load HE washer, mix the bluing as directed on the packaging with at least one quart water and add to the wash cycle. Or maybe you just like the look of a nice blued finish on your firearms. There are many methods you can use to blue the steel. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. That’s one bluing cycle. Read the safety portions of that BEFORE you begin, so if you have an accident you’ll already know what to do. 1. https://www.brownells.com/aspx/learn/learndetail.aspx?lid=11044, Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow.

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