Can Stainless Steel be Blued ?

[Timstools]

I have a couple of Schrades with highly polished gun blue blades. I think they are both stainless steel.
Can stainless be blued???

 

[338375]

I believe any steel can be blued. I know that there are stainless guns that have been blued.

 

[Barry E Harris]

I don't know if stainless can be blued; but, it can receive a similar treatment (like a bake on coating). The only reason that I am not sure stainless can be blued is that my understanding of true bluing is that it is a controlled rust process and I don't know if stainless steel's resistance to rust would make true bluing impossible or difficult. I'm not an expert; but, I'll ask my gunsmith, he is.

 

[Bartleby]

Perhaps the question sould be rephrased. Which models do you have that you believe are stainless with a blued finish? Perhaps, as has been suggested, they have a treatment other than traditional bluing that looks like bluing. On the other hand, most carbon steel reacts well to oxidizing treatments like bluing.

 

[Timstools]

The blued knives are a WW2 Stag Bowie made at or after 1992, and a 153 UH Ducks Unlimited special edition with blued blade gold etch and black handle. Neither have Schrade plus tang stamps.
Regards Tim