What is gun bluing? What does it do and how to do it at home? Such questions are of interest to many who are beginning their path of improvement as a hunter. Initially, from a technologist’s point of view, steel blueing is a process of applying a thin coating to metal due to a chemical reaction.
Many people perceive this process only from one side - the blued barrel looks beautiful. However, there are at least two additional advantages: metal coated with a film is less susceptible to corrosion, in addition, the coating can have shades, which provides additional camouflage for weapons. Both of these factors are extremely important for a real hunter. For this reason, gun bluing is an important process.
Advantages of steel blueing
The final goal of the procedure is to form a thin oxide layer on the metal. The thickness of the formed film is determined by the chosen bluing technique and varies from 1 to 10 micrometers.
The use of this technology allows:
- give the product an interesting and aesthetic appearance;
- create a protective layer against rust.
Home bluing of steel allows you to make more durable and beautiful items from inexpensive material.
Technologies and safety requirements for home bluing
Simple and popular methods of decorating steel surfaces include:
- alkaline effect;
- acid treatment;
- thermal bluing.
Regardless of the type of exposure, it is necessary to follow safety precautions and acquire protective equipment: a mask (goggles), an apron and gloves. This is especially important during chemical processing.
In addition, it is important to equip the place of work with high-quality ventilation or a powerful exhaust hood, and purchase containers made of material that is resistant to strong reagents. These can be vessels made of porcelain, ceramics, earthenware, glass. For prolonged boiling, it is convenient to use stainless steel containers.
The container should be selected so that its volume is sufficient to completely cover the product with the working solution.
Recommendations
You yourself can choose a way to blacken metal at home, each of them can lead to a very high-quality result. A container is almost always needed. Best suited: porcelain, durable glass (if heating is not needed), galvanized stainless steel. Attach hooks to the edges of the tank: you will need them to secure the part.
Another tip: degrease not only the workpiece itself, but also the container for the procedure. This can be acetone, gasoline, kerosene or a special composition. The main thing is that they are inert towards steel, that is, they do not enter into a chemical reaction with it.
Be sure to be responsible when choosing a location; it should be a room with excellent ventilation. Otherwise, you may be exposed to dangerous, toxic fumes. Additional protection - a respirator, goggles to protect the mucous membrane of the eyes, gloves.
An important preliminary step when using any method is to remove rust and dirt before applying the metal blackening agent. It can be done using sandpaper or a grinder with a special attachment. In extreme cases, etching can be used.
We recommend carefully choosing which product can be used for a particular type of material. If you follow our tips correctly, you can get excellent results at home.
Preparing products for processing
Regardless of which method will be used for decorative processing of steel surfaces, a responsible approach to performing the work requires high-quality preliminary preparation.
The result of steel bluing directly depends on it. To obtain an even coating, the surface of the product must first be cleaned of any existing dirt, rust or old oxide layer.
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Sanding the product, as well as degreasing parts using a regular solvent, gasoline or acetone, will help cope with this task.
Acid treatment
Burnishing steel with acid requires high-quality preliminary preparation of the material. The surface of the product is properly treated with sandpaper, and then kept in kerosene for 15 minutes.
Procedure
After preparation, the part must be thoroughly dried.
You will need to make a solution for processing.
- A liter of water is poured into the container, then 2 grams of tannic acid and the same amount of tartaric acid are added.
- The components are mixed thoroughly.
- The mixture is heated to 140-150 degrees.
The product is immersed in a hot composition for 15-17 minutes, removed and rinsed with water. The most effective method of washing is rinsing with boiling water. Then the part is immersed in machine oil for an hour. After an hour, take it out and wipe it carefully. As a result, the product is ready for use.
Heat treatment
The technique was developed a long time ago and is therefore easy to use. It is based on heating the product to produce a reaction between steel and oxygen. Depending on the temperature, you can end up with different shades of coating.
- Heating to 220 degrees gives a yellowish tone.
- Reaching temperatures in the range of 230-250 degrees will give a reddish-yellow hue.
- 256-280 degrees will turn the steel purple.
- 280-295 degrees will give a bluish tint.
- You can achieve a dark blue color by heating to 300-320 degrees.
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Procedure
The steel becomes blued in oil. For this technology you will need:
- 0.5 liters of machine oil;
- utensils for work;
- pliers;
- gas hairdryer;
- rags or napkins.
For safety reasons, all manipulations must be carried out on a fire-resistant surface. It is convenient to hold the part with pliers.
- The product is heated with a hairdryer.
- Dip into machine oil.
- Take it out and rub it with rags or napkins.
The manipulation is repeated at least three times. You should know that black bluing of steel will not be achieved in this way. But the treatment protects the product from corrosion. Therefore, the method is in great demand for personal purposes.
There are other methods for oxidizing the surface of steel products.
Using machine oil
It is not necessary to prepare a complex composition for chemical bluing of steel at home. Sometimes an ordinary oil substance that is poured into a car engine is enough. The procedure is similar to the thermal method, but in reverse order. First, heat the steel element red-hot, then place it in a tank completely filled with oil (machine or linseed oil will do). The part itself should be held using pliers or pre-prepared hooks. It must be maintained for at least 15 minutes. After this, place it on a paper napkin, which will absorb the liquid. Then similar steps are repeated 4-5 times until a rich color is formed. It will likely be dark gray rather than black, but the surface will be good against rust.
Blackening with citric acid
The old technology is good for high-carbon steel to prevent the reaction of objects that are in demand in everyday life with air. If, for example, you treat a knife blade in this way, the coating will be erased during sharpening.
You need to prepare:
- a packet of citric acid;
- machine oil;
- water at 95 degrees.
Procedure
- Pour a glass of hot water and 20 grams of citric acid into a glass container.
- After the powder has dissolved, place the part there and leave for 50 minutes. In this case, it is periodically necessary to move the product in the solution so that the bubbles on its surface disappear.
- Take the product out, wipe it with a cloth, and carefully lubricate it with machine oil.
The technique is simple, safe, and therefore can be easily performed in an apartment or house.
Application of rust varnish
This bluing agent is often used to obtain a smooth and even surface. It contains steel shavings, but they can be replaced with cast iron shavings. In this case, financial investments will be minimal. In this case, the workpiece must be placed in a chemical agent. The result is red or black iron oxide. This instruction, as a means for cold bluing, gives a long-lasting and effective result.
To get rid of red deposits, use a brush with fairly stiff metal bristles. As a result, only black oxide remains.
First, the metal is machined and degreased. Then the product is placed in a special composition. The bluing agent is prepared in a porcelain container. It is important to wear gloves to protect your skin. The composition is made using hydrochloric acid. It is poured in a small amount into a container. It is mixed with metal filings, nitric acid and iron rust.
The mixture is stirred well until the chemical reaction, which is accompanied by the release of gas, stops. Add water and regular vodka to the mixture in equal proportions. Finally, it is left for a certain time until it settles. Then it is drained to remove scale and salts that have precipitated.
When the mixture is ready, the metal product being processed is placed in it. It is kept until it turns black. After this, it is washed under strong pressure of running water.
In the video: bluing with rusty varnish.
Other bluing methods
It is easy to achieve a noble blue tint by heating the part for a long time. During processing, the steel surface turns white, then turns yellow and acquires a purple tint. But at the end of the procedure, a blue coating is formed.
Method 1
For work you need a forge and a metal box.
- Birch coals are placed in the box, leaving space for the product. The box itself is placed in the forge and heated until the coals begin to smolder.
- The part is lubricated with ordinary vinegar and placed in a box.
- When the steel surface turns blue, the product is removed, cooled and placed back in the box.
The procedure is repeated 3-4 times to achieve the desired shade.
Method 2
If necessary, you can do without heat treatment.
- Iron sesquichloride and 3 gamma “red salt” (hexacyanoferrate) are added to 0.5 liters of water using separate containers.
- Then combine and stir.
- The part is immersed in the working solution and held until the desired shade of the surface film is obtained.
Use of saltpeter
Excellent results can be achieved by using saltpeter. To do this, the product is boiled in sodium nitrate at 130-150 degrees.
Required:
- liter of water (distilled);
- 500 grams of caustic soda;
- 500 grams of sodium nitrate.
It is noteworthy that it is not difficult to find ready-made preparations with saltpeter for specialized purposes.
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