'Blueing ' carbon steel...

Mundele

Mundele

Joined
Aug 5, 2000
Messages
403
Alright... I have an opinel folder, and I'd like to 'blue' it's blade. Can this be done with ordinary household acids like lemon juice, vinegar, etc, or do I need something a little more potent? Should I rough up the surface of the blade before trying it? I'd like to do it without having to purchase any chemicals if possible...

Anyone try this?

--Matt
 
I did the same thing to one of my Opinel knives. But I used a cold blue that I had bought to use on my guns. While I guess it did the job,it was not pretty, looked patchy and smelled unpleasent for a long time even after cleaning.
I don't think you can get a really deep rich blue unless you hot blue it, but that might not be too easy.
I'd like to re-do mine if I could find something that worked well, but I'm not going to use the cold blue again.
 
with niter salts from Brownell's. You have to heat them to 320-325 degrees F (as I recall)and you get a peacock blue. They sell instuctions for it. For a single knife if its decent, I'd have my local gunsmith do it. Ed
 
Hi There!

Cold Blued mine. Didn't sand over the blade but did use some ultra fine copper wire rolled into a ball to run over the surface. This left a fine layer of copper on the surface. Next applied gun blue paste. Worked like a charm. However skill in application varies from person to person. Try a few quick blows from a hot hair drier first before application of paste/liquid.

Important to note that you should not use this blued blade on food. And yeah mine still smells funny to this day.

Krizzard. out.

"...Whoever kills with the sword must be killed by the sword... "
- The New Testament, Revelation 13 :10
 
Howdy There ..Mundele..!
I have used some blueing on some of my knives. I have gotten the best results by heat the blade with a propane torch. Heat just enough to open the metal not to get the blade red hot. Then apply the blueing solution. It may take a few coats to get the desired color, then neturalize and apply some oil. Good Luck......!

"Possum"
 
I've used Birchwood "Super Blue" with good results. Most gun stores sell their line. To start, clean/degrease the blade and dry it well (Birchwood sells a degreaser that works). Heat the blade until it is just warm. Rub on the blueing solution going over areas until they become somewhat even in color. Use 0000 steel wool to lightly buff the blade. You want to even out the color without removing too much of the blue. Wipe the blade off and repeat the above steps until you get a nice even finish. I've gotten good results on most steels after three applications. When you get the color you want, rinse the blade well and coat with a light oil.
 
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