Firebluing screws, guards, blades

L

longline charlie

Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Messages
28
Hello Pards I am Longline Charlie and have been dabbing in knifemaking for 40 years on and off. I usually used files to make my knives out of but have now decided to try damascus and something other than 440C. I am currently building a Bowie out of ATS 34 and would like to Fireblue the guard.
I have been reading about Firebluing small articles and would like to know if it is possible to melt the salts in a glass bowl or cast iron pot or am I likely to get killed trying to do this. Seems like everyone I check with wants $100 to do 8 screws. What do you think?
I know most of you like I would rather do it yourself than have to mail it all over the country and such.

Charlie Glackman Fairland, Indiana
 
I don't see why you would have any trouble fireblueing a guard and some screw heads with a torch.

The one problem area might be if you have to solder that guard on, or if it's already soldered on.
The former would be getting solder all over the blued guard, the latter, melting the solder if the unblued guard was already installed.

I don't know what the reference to salts is about so I'll not comment on it.

You could fireblue the guard and affix it to the blade with JB weld if it was a good fit. You can just wipe off excess with acetone, vinegar, or WD40 on cotton swabs. That way no marring of the blue.
 
Charlie I am also interested in the fire blue process. What do you know about it already? What materials are you bluing? Tell me more about the salts you mentioned. Most people simply warm the parts with a torch and quench in water when the color is right. Are you by chance talking about Carbona Blue?
 
Some of the tricks I have learned with Fireblueing
For materials I use plain old 1018 from Home Depot
I use my kiln, Suppose a Torch would work if kept moving.
Mirror polish works well
The part MUST be squeaky clean use Windex as the final cleaner while
wearing clean cotton gloves to handle it
Nothing can be touching the parts you want to take the blueing.
In other words like the guard. I suspend the guard using a scrap piece of steel and hang it thru the slot
Screws could be partially threaded into a piece of scrap steel
Watch the temp/color closely as soon as it gets where you want STOP
I just turn off the kiln and remove the parts, never have dunked in water.
Wipe with a clean soft cloth and after installing them wipe down with your oil of choice, I use WD40
Finish is suprisingly durable but scratches easily
 
The salt reference may be nitre blue salts. I use the nitre blue salts from Brownells and you can get colors ranging from pale straw, browns, purples, blue, electric blue and into greys. Granted I am colorblind so the colors I am seeing may not be exactely the same as you are seeing.
The salt setup that I have is a turkey fryer burner with a SS pot from Wally world. I heat the salts up on the burner and use a thermomoeter to check the temerature. I usually run my salts at about 575 degrees for the purples and blues. I hang the dry pieces in the salts via wire and check the color often. When the color is to my liking I remove the parts from the salts and quench them in a pot of water. Then I coat the parts in a water dispersing oil.
standard.jpg
 
Hello Camerer

Thanks that was the things I was wanting to know. I had read several posts that stated you were only one substance away from Gunpowder and if you entered that other substance, you were history. Ha
There seems to be a lot of reference to bluing it with a flame. I tried that and the colors arent there that I want. It is the ROBIN EGG Blue that I am looking for not the darker navy blue or black. I guess I will get some salts and try it myself. Thanks for the information and pictures.
Longline Charlie
 
Sorry Bruce I did not answer your questions. The guards on my knives will be damascus or tool steel and the fire blue color is bright blue like in this mans ad. click on the example
http://www.walker47.com/w47/services/gun screws.htm

I just hate to have someone else do something that I could learn to do myself. I will not attempt to blue a complete firearm but the screws and guards, sure would like to be able to do that.
Longline Charlie
 
Nitre salts will get you that color by experimenting with temp, Charlie.
 
When I blue screws I chuck them in the Foredom and spin them at full throttle while heating with a torch. as soon as I get the color I want I take away the heat and the screw cools instantly. I can get very even coloring this way.
 
Here's a few examples of the nite bluing as described by C-Camerer. He taught my his set-up as shown in about 10 minutes.
I use the same thing.
Turkey fryer and the nitre bluing salts from Brownells.
You need to be able to maintain constant and consistant temp.
 
Have you thought of the low temp bluing salts, from Jantz Supply. Works around 260-270 F. To me this would be ideal for your needs, but I do not know the longevity of the process.

Ken Beatty
 
Jason, I tried the torch method and could not get the color I was looking for. Did I do something wrong. I used a small propane torch and tried to heat it slowly but when I noticed color it was immediately too dark blue and I could not get the Robin Egg Blue I was looking for.

Also Craig, could you use a glass bowl like pyrodex for the Nitre Salts with an electric heater.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top