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gun metal blueing
- Thread starter cjd1980
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
- Messages
- 3,375
What steel?
Simple carbon steel will darken by simply placing it in some ferric chloride for a 5 minutes then scrubbing lightly with fine steel wool. repeat 3-5 times and then boil in water for a hour to fix it. This will be very dark grey almost black. Simple and easy. I get my ferric chloride from the electronic supply store on the corner. Some Radio shacks have it.
I have set up a small roasting pan to fit over a double element hot plate. I mixed 6 lbs of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) to 1 gallon of water. This will boil just below 300f and a 20-30 min soak will blue steel. It comes out a bit silvery but when you hit it with fine steel wool it is blue. Can be repeated to get better. It takes a good double hot plate or propane burner to get this much to this temp. The solution is very very corrosive. Wear googles and rubber gloves and a heavy hard finished (Carhart type) long sleeve shirt. Have lots of water handy. No aluminum. It will take you skin off in a hurry, extreme caution is needed. I think I am going to change my mix to 4# of sodium hydroxide and 2# of ammonia nitrate. Smaller would be 2# and 1# and 1/2 gallon water. This stuff needs to done be with excellent ventilation and you upwind. Metal must be very clean and oil free, use good soap then acetone and don't even touch it. Use rubber gloves, and wipe them with acetone before handling the piece. They sell commercial chemicals at gunsmith supply's. Sodium hydroxide is available at some hardware stores as a drain opener. No not Drano, read the labels. Ammonia nitrate is available at commercial fertilizer supply's. It is also very handy dandy for explosives so be ready for questions and answers now days, maybe even a no.
I have only done 6 pieces with the hot method, but, the have come out excellent so far. It isn't rocket science, but it is hazardous.
Simple carbon steel will darken by simply placing it in some ferric chloride for a 5 minutes then scrubbing lightly with fine steel wool. repeat 3-5 times and then boil in water for a hour to fix it. This will be very dark grey almost black. Simple and easy. I get my ferric chloride from the electronic supply store on the corner. Some Radio shacks have it.
I have set up a small roasting pan to fit over a double element hot plate. I mixed 6 lbs of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) to 1 gallon of water. This will boil just below 300f and a 20-30 min soak will blue steel. It comes out a bit silvery but when you hit it with fine steel wool it is blue. Can be repeated to get better. It takes a good double hot plate or propane burner to get this much to this temp. The solution is very very corrosive. Wear googles and rubber gloves and a heavy hard finished (Carhart type) long sleeve shirt. Have lots of water handy. No aluminum. It will take you skin off in a hurry, extreme caution is needed. I think I am going to change my mix to 4# of sodium hydroxide and 2# of ammonia nitrate. Smaller would be 2# and 1# and 1/2 gallon water. This stuff needs to done be with excellent ventilation and you upwind. Metal must be very clean and oil free, use good soap then acetone and don't even touch it. Use rubber gloves, and wipe them with acetone before handling the piece. They sell commercial chemicals at gunsmith supply's. Sodium hydroxide is available at some hardware stores as a drain opener. No not Drano, read the labels. Ammonia nitrate is available at commercial fertilizer supply's. It is also very handy dandy for explosives so be ready for questions and answers now days, maybe even a no.
I have only done 6 pieces with the hot method, but, the have come out excellent so far. It isn't rocket science, but it is hazardous.
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2007
- Messages
- 1,380
I have used a product called "Tool Black", which you can get through MSC and some other industrial supply companies:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=1659093&PMT4NO=49016373
Caswell sells a similar product (possibly an identical product, based on the MSDS):
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm
Anyway, its ok; nothing to get exited about. It's easy to use, but is apparently pretty toxic in the liquid form. (supposedly it's safe once it has reacted with the steel, and is rinsed off). The finish is a nice even black. It doesn't seem as durable as a true (hot) black-oxide coating like you would see on allen wrenches.
My biggest complaint: the treated steel smells like chemicals. I use it on throwers, and my hands smell like chemicals after I throw. On the other hand, I don't use the "protective sealant" that is recommended.
You can see some pieces on my website that are treated with the Tool Black; I call it "black etch" for lack of a better description.
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=1659093&PMT4NO=49016373
Caswell sells a similar product (possibly an identical product, based on the MSDS):
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm
Anyway, its ok; nothing to get exited about. It's easy to use, but is apparently pretty toxic in the liquid form. (supposedly it's safe once it has reacted with the steel, and is rinsed off). The finish is a nice even black. It doesn't seem as durable as a true (hot) black-oxide coating like you would see on allen wrenches.
My biggest complaint: the treated steel smells like chemicals. I use it on throwers, and my hands smell like chemicals after I throw. On the other hand, I don't use the "protective sealant" that is recommended.
You can see some pieces on my website that are treated with the Tool Black; I call it "black etch" for lack of a better description.