Bluing Steel question

Yup! Put it on, wait for it to dry. Brush lightly with fine steel wool. Do it all again. And again, if necessary, until water will bead up on it, or until you achieve the finish you like.
 
Please understand that cold bluing is not the same as real gun bluing.
Cold bluing does not hold up well, and is basically plating the item with copper sulphate.
It can actually promote rust, too.
 
Thanks for the replies! I've used cold bluing on 1095 and noticed that it did rust a bit. I'll think about what I do with this knife.
 
Yes it is. It is more work but no other blue finish looks as good or holds up as well.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Rust bluing is absolutely the best bluing method.
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Is the final finish nontoxic? The Safety page statement on rustblue.com doesn't seem to address this.
We do not use old formulas containing toxins such as mercury salts or arsenic for safety reasons. Our preparations are composed of inorganic salts and acids plus alcohols in low concentrations. Rustblue is a hazardous material. Obviously, no one should breathe or ingest these products. The use of rubber gloves and eye protection is a must.
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The final finish is converted rust. Red iron oxide converted to black iron oxide. So yes, it's non-toxic. Unless you plan on eating blued steel for lunch every day maybe... :D

The chemicals used to induce the steel to rapidly rust are certainly toxic, but they don't absorb into the steel.
 
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