I saw a restoration video on a winchester model 1906, I just got one. They heated the parts with a hair dryer before bluing. I guess the metal expanda with heat and soaks in the solution better.
Bluing is a form a oxidation so heat will increase the speed of the reaction. The same reason why the hotter you heat steel before quenching in oil the better results you have. This is the case for any chemical reaction more heat will increase the amount of reactions taking place.
@@dougie1110 yes but so do regular bluing i think, the rust prevention is not so good as regular bluing, but its only a Air rifle kept in a holster and only used as family intertainment, and i keep it Well oiled
I just had my first experience re-blueing my firing pin and some retaining pins inside the bolt of my rifle so I can see the wear pattern better in the future. Your tip of letting it soak in oil for a bit made a huge difference, thank you!
I use this method and have been fortunate to match factory bluing on most firearms with this product. The best discovery I have found is the use of Denatured Alcohol over/instead of Acetone. Initially I use Acetone, followed with a concentrated Simple Green mix, with the Denatured Alcohol for final cleaning shortly before the bluing. Use of Denatured Alcohol would eliminate those light spots on this metal. Thanks for the nice, well explained video.
Nice video, I heat the parts before bluing at 185 for an hour to cook all the moisture out before oiling and I tend to use 90 w oil or grease then heat with a torch to melt the grease into any pits or pores. Wipe off when cool then coat with regular oil
You are the best I've seen, instructional speaking. Explaining along the way, the simple, straight forward method, including the oil at the end. I've used this stuff before, I've never wire-wheeled it. Later today, I'm going to try it on a Taurus G2C. Wire wheel to oil. It certainly appears that this will bring this archaic relic into the 21st century.
How did the G2C turn out with the cold blueing? I'm currently in SDI and we're in the Firearms Finishing semester, and I'm wanting to re-blue my Colt National Match 1911. Right now I'm trying to decide which process to use because it's a family heirloom and I want it to look like brand new again.
@paulis7319 Well, I took the slide down to bare metal. I did it as carefully as I was able. After getting down to the bare metal, I coated the slide several times. It came back to life, and all the signs of holster-ware were gone. That Saud, it left an uneven shading despite my best efforts to apply the solution evenly. After another couple of coats, I was able to somewhat smoothe the dull black, so thst it looked evenly applied. I will say that I had new night sights, and when the solution made contact with the sites, the black color ran onto the glow dots. Retrospectively, I'd remove sites; but to me, it seemed to defeat the purpose of fast, removing holster-ware. Next, I soaked the slide in vegetable oil a few hours, and sure enough, most of the dullness brightened up. Certainly, nowhere near factory original. I also noted a week out that where the stamping on the slide is, began to turn brown, as if rust was beginning to develop, kind of a brownish haze. I then reapplied the solution to that area (after being mortified). It solved the issue for now, at least. At the end of the day, I wasn't then, nor am I impressed with the outcome. I'm not sure repeating the process would be anything else but futile. This G2C has some personal meaning to me. Ordinarily, I'd just have salvaged it for parts. I may go all out, and either cammo cover or just have it restored to factory by a gunsmith, which I am not. (Lol). Congrats on SDI, I've considered it, as has one of my sons. Please, let me know how that's going, the quality of lessons, etc. Thanks!
I have a Taurus g2c I love mine I'm also going to redo mine as well I'm going heat treated on this one though, I bought my used had a hell of a time sighting in after about 3 hours and 130 rounds later I finally got it.
@@paulis7319I would not go cold blueing on that I would hot, it's a hell of a process but in the end the finish there's nothing like it, I've never done it before but I've seen it done and it's amazing especially with what you said you're getting ready to work on any idiot can cold blue but not a lot of people can hot blue that's what I'd do go online and look at pictures of some of them it's amazing the difference is incredible
@@ardevenuta37my God I wish you lived close to me cuz I do it for nothing I'm really good at blueing I've been doing it my entire life and I'm 53 first gun I ever did I was 8 years old 1978. And the fact that we both have the G2C I think it's pretty cool
One thing not mentioned is the FACT that the biggest contributor to the finish is the surface prep. The better you prep, the better your results will be. Buff that part!
Thanks for this helpful, clear video! I used it to darken and dull the finish of a couple of shiny steel gate latches, because the glare off of them was giving my wife migraines whenever she looked at them. I decided to skip the last step with oil, since the dull finish was preferred.
I find that if you clean the part with acetone, heat in a 350° oven for 45min, clean with acetone again, heat to around 250°, apply 1 coat of bluing, let dry, reheat to 250° reapply bluing then heat once again and apply a thin coat of oil such as WD40 or gun oil, you will get a heavier and more durable finnish that will last for years with regulat coats of light oil
I really don't know about this process, but he said that the blueing was not painting the surface, instead was creating a reaction on the metal surface. If that is true, how can it get better by adding more layers? For starters, the metal would be sealed with the first layer and the reaction would have already happened. It sounds to me like the oxidation of aluminum. Please enlighten me. I really don't understand.
@@jtcmlt1 The original commenter was referring to “hot” bluing and it is different from “cold” bluing, which is the method used in the video. You can learn more about bluing in its corresponding Wikipedia page: “Bluing (steel)”
I finally got to cold blueing the top of my double coocker who has an exposed steel surface on half of the surface with the possibility of placing a wok on an intense burner. I was sick and tired of having rust and residual rust black speckles on that surface. So I just sanded the surface, applied the acetone and cold blued it. Now I will keep the oil on until this evening. Happy with this tutorial. Thanks.
Pro tip: heat cleaned part no more that 135 degrees fahrenheit, apply cold blue to sit no more than 60 seconds. Neutralized with water immediately then dry completely. Card with decreased 0000 steel wool. Repeat steps again for a uniform deep blue/black.
Nice and thanks, I tried it decades ago when haste was a close friend! I now realise and have been aware for a while any surface finish is very dependent on preparation. I got similar results but definitely a bit more ‘blotchy’
I acquired an Ontario M9 bayonet from a flea market that needs a bit of fixin' up!!! Already ran the parts through the ultrasonic cleaner and now soaking them in some Evapo-Rust overnight. Probably will scrub really well with a nylon toothbrush afterwards as I don't want to damage the original finish too much!!! Then probably wipe down with acetone & dry. Gun Blue will go on after that...maybe do a pre-heat. After the Gun Blue application, my final oil of choice will be Lanolin aka "Wool Wax" which is super tenacious and protects really well!!! I just wipe down with a piece of suede leather that has been impregnated with Lanolin. Wiped a Morakniv Garberg down with Lanolin as a test, and it looks *AMAZING!!!*
Cold blue is amazing. I built a shoulder strap jig for one of my 15s, and for a brief second thought about using paint on one of the chrome looking links. I caught myself and went to the cold blue and INSTANTLY got the results I was needing and wanting. Don't have to worry about it rusting or paint wearing off now. Also had a rifle suffering some minor barrel rust, and I sanded the spots down and re-blued them. They havnt re-rusted since.
@@stevenbaker8184I just did a buddy of mine's Remington 1912 or 1917 one of those two years I forget but it's a model pump-action 22 replace the trigger pin plunger, slide, the bolt, I put an antique finish on it. Took me a month I did it in my spare time.
Right I think it depends on how dark you want it. Some weapons I do are antiques so less is more as I'm trying to match the patina of age. I do fire arms exclusively
I would like to take the time to say the bench grinder with the gloveless hands with a really night face shield is what we like to say, zero precaution while using high end tool, you are now in the master tech club welcome sir ✊🏽
I'm curious what would happen if you lightly ran some 0000 steel wool over the bluing. I also wonder if a few coats of bluing with steel wool between coats would look any differently. I guess I'll have to find out for myself.
Fine video thanks. Do you think this would work on the reeds of an accordion. They were rusty. Ive taken the rust off but theres still some staining and microscopic pitting you might call it. Please type in accordion reed plates and you should get some good inages for you to guide me on if its possible. Basically the reeds get moisture on them over the years by air being drawn into the instrument via the bellows. Im thinking that bluing them might slow the next rusting process down or even prevent it altogether. I dont think the bluing would alter the tuning of the reed. What do you think? Many thanks
Thanks for the video. I have a knife that was blued by the maker and it looks fantastic. The problem is that the kydex sheath it came with has worn the bluing badly. Arizona Customs suggested this video. I want to try to re-blue it but I am not sure what to do with the pinned handles and prior coating. The last thing I want is some sort of mess. It is a nice Fred Perrin custom Street Beat and it was reasonably (not insanely) expensive. I also love Fred Perrin knives and I don't want to ruin its beauty.
Hum, unless you exactly match the existing finish it probably won't turn out great. Are you absolutely sure the original was blued? You might want to know if it was hot or cold blued. I looked up the knife and it appears to have a ceramic coating, which isn't the same as bluing. I would contact spyderco (they made it right?) and see what they say.
Thanks for making & posting this. Nicely produced. I have an old (not $valuable except to me) Daisy BB gun. With Acetone & multiple grades of sandpaper it is now brite steel. Cost wise I'm thinking of doing your process. Except I don't have a trough, nor want to waste that much oil to cover it. Birchwood casey mentions something called Barricade rust prevention. Have you had experience with that ? Or are other means of oiling ? The everything kit is $22.50.
Any oil works. I like to use a mixture of motor oil and transmission fluid personally. You don't have to go nuts with it, just put a decent coat on the metal and let it sit. It also helps to warm it up with a heat gun or blow dryer first. That will allow the oil to penetrate deeper.
Great video! Gonna do this to an old 6lb sledge head. Then i was thinking ill have a bottle left over so why not do a few knives i have lol. Would you happen to know if this will work on D2 tool steel?
Hi. Have have had a steel fan custom made. The shape of the fan is perfect, but for some reason, when the contractor did the blackening process, it turned very rusty. I have a few questions. Can I start over? Get the rust out and then blacken it again? How long do I leave the product on and because it is a large surface how do I rub it off? Wiping up and down or circular. Thanks
Interesting that in other videos they recommend rubbing with steel wool. You didn't even mention that step and went straight to oil. I like that better. Thanks.
nice video thanks. im going to try to cold blue my ccw firearm, its starting to rust alittle bit in the front. i carry appendix. seems like the front, hits my t shirt where i sweat alittle. the little bit of rust, is bugging the heck outta me ha. never did this but i bought this stuff this morning and thought i'd watch a few videos.. thanks again.
Great Video...I actually did a German Mauser K-98 a few years back and the result was amazing. The process is very easy. Good job on the parts. Thanks for the reminder fresh up course.
How good of a idea would cold blueing be for raw steel parts to a coleman 502 single burner stove? Does heat affect it just want to know if I'm better off doing nickel plating
Do people find that it keeps smelling after application and rinsing? FYI I have not used baking soda as an extra neutralizing agent, like I have seen people do. I did some googling and some say that the smell doesn't go away. What is your experience?
Does this work for 'potmetal'? Zinc alloys, usually used in airsoft guns. I have sourced Philip's Gun Blueing which is the best you can get for potmetal blueing. My main concern is that a lot of videos use linseed oil and they heat the parts, which is a problem for me I would much rather not have to try that out.
I just tried it out on an old buttplate from a model1928 Thompson Submachine Gun that unfortunately had sat and rusted over the years. I am very impressed with the results! Shout out to the person who suggested coating-rinsing-drying then lightly buffing with 0000 steel wool to smooth out the finish, then after wiping, repeat coating-rinsing-drying until you have the desired shade before oiling. NOTE: The final oiling step will darken and smooth out the finish a little bit more - so don't go too crazy on the bluing coats. QUESTION: after wiping off the oil, it looks like there is some brownish discoloration in some areas? I was going to buff it a little, clean with acetone then recoat. Thoughts?
I also just used it to re-blue a WWII era Model 1928 Thompson Submachine Gun buttstock slide which turned out great. One personal observation: this cold bluing process seems to produce better results in warmer temperatures.
@@boathemian7694 one more caveat; before you purchase a TSMG or any machinegun, you need to make sure owning and possessing it is legal in the state you live.
It's not a matter of timing. As soon as the reaction is done and it doesn't blacken any further, you can rinse it off. It doesn't need to 'soak', it's a chemical reaction.
The oil will absorb into the steel within a few seconds, residual oil will still be on the part even after you "wipe it off" or even rinse it off. So long as you don't grind it off or chemically remove it it'll be there for a long time. You do have to occasionally re dip the tools or parts in oil. But leaving them for a long time is in my opinion not necessary. But to each their own. Great video.
Anyone know what actual color does perma blue, super blue and aluminum black after several application? I'm looking for something that could produce a really dark green or like a seaweed color..
Can I blue like this over my factory blue finish Wich I assume is a hot blue they called it black oxide ? It’s for my pistol also any idea if it’s okay to use down the barrel and on internal parts ?
Black oxide is most likely manganese phosphate, which is different than cold blueing. It's also more durable. Cold blueing is ok for small touchups on a phosphated finish, but large touchups will stick out and look pretty obvious. There's no need to do this to the inside of a barrel. It will wear off with a few shots. Same with internal parts. Just use oil to prevent rust. Also the rust can be removed with 0000 steel wool dabbed in oil. Just rub gently.
is this the same concept as patina? what i mean is if this the same way as patina a carbon steel (ppl mostly do it on knives) just another way of doing it? thanks 🙏🏻
Kinda. Patina is usually naturally forming and less consistent. This is mimicking the same process that happens when steels are hardened (and blackened in the process). This is just another way to alter the surface finish of steels. It certainly COULD be used on knives, but I think most knife steels might not react as they're usually a stainless or something similar? I haven't seen many people try this for knives, it probably wouldn't be durable enough. Usually knifes use DLC.
I'm not 100% sure, but it's not all THAT durable. Actual bluing will be more durable, it's about on the level of anodizing. If you need a harder coat, you will need to go to a cerakote or something similar. But it should be fine in most applications. It's easy and cheap to try though. And if it doesn't work out, you can just sand it away and try something else. It can't be much worse than the missing finish!
@@RobertCowanDIY it's 420 high carbon stainless idk if that would cold blu or not or if that would make it rust. I don't understand how bluing prevents rust because my only experience is gun bluing and it rusts without oil
I like a mixture of motor oil and transmission fluid. It's super cheap when you consider price per ounce and is good enough for your vehicles engine to reduce wear and fouling.
Thank you sir for your time and making this video from time to time I always like to go on and see if anybody comes up with any new tips I've been blueing my whole life, only cold I am just recently getting ready to do the hot for the first time, the process is a little intimidating but I'm sure I'll pull it off hopefully it won't be one of those trial and error sort of things. Also I'd like to add I think your video by far is the most descriptive.THANK YOU SIR!!!
So I want my 19x Glock slide cut for an optic but I do not want a cerakote job as I want to keep the oem 19x finish. I believe this product will allow me to brush a coat only the bare metal that was milled (under the red dot and iron sites) preventing the steel from rusting and allowing me to keep a oem slide finish?
Yep, bluing is primarily used for guns, for this purpose. The actual finish might vary, unless it's the exact same process that was used previously. Most guns are blued by heat-quenching, but this will get very close. But you can always try it and sand off that area if it doesn't work out. Just mask everything off.
Just curious about why an overly polished piece of steel would not be recommended ? I have just started making knives and was looking for a nearly mirror polish using 1000 grit sandpaper on a belt sander and would really be interested if I could get a blued or black polished knife blade (if at all possible ). Or would the Super Blue finish not 'stick' as well to highly polished steel ? Thanks for any advice or thoughts.
The problem is when people use a polishing compound. Its hard to remove it all before coating with blueing to get a consistent coat that isn't blotchy.
I have some old tools I'm fixing up, a saw in particular.... a tenon saw with a steel "spine". I want to blue the spine but not the saw plate, it's a lot of effort to remove the spine and fit it again and have the saw stay straight and true....... Can the blueing be masked off? Or is there something I can use on the saw plate to resist the blue? Might be a stupid question, but I wont find out if I dont ask someone 🤷♂️😂
It can be masked off, but unless you mask it perfectly, it might bleed through. I've seen people use nail polish to mask it off, since it will absorb into tape or other materials. You can then just use acetone to clean off the nail polish. It will only blue where it touches, so if you can control where it goes you should be fine!
I'm not sure what those parts are. There are many options, depending on the part, surface finish, geometry, etc. Wire wheel, sandblast, soak in paint or rust remover. It depends a LOT on what the part looks like and the shape.
@@RobertCowanDIY yeah that’s why I said don’t use it. I used straight oil many times and then one time I tried wd40 and it did ok and did the same job but made it a weird color and finish.
@@fordhuguley8699 WD40 is a water dispersant (WD), not really a lubricating or a penetrating oil. It's great for removing moisture from things like locks, thus preventing freezing, but for the steel (guns and the like) you should stick to gun oil or some type of petroleum based oil. FYI, I believe that WD40 is made primarily from fish oils.
Engine hardware? Most bolt heads are surface corroded but threads are like new (galv coated) after removal. If I treat the heads of the bolts in the way demonstrated, will they be able to put up with future abuse of being installed and removed without losing the surface bluing?
If you're just touching up an area, it might not match perfectly, so it's up to you. If the area is very small, maybe you can just touch it up. There are touch-ups out there though, that might be the better way to go.
A couple of things need to be mentioned here as a warning. Birchwood Casey cold bluing solution will likely create a nasty metallic rotten egg smell on the treated metal that doesn't seem go away although will lessen over time to some extent. Even though it's listed as odorless, when applying the solution a respirator in a well-ventilated area should be used as selenium dioxide is extremely toxic (inc. eye protection etc). Apparently Oxpho Blue doesn't have the smell problem, but I have not used it. I have looked high and low for a way to rid the metal of the odor with no luck other than sanding it back to bare metal. Wax and oiling help to some extent but the smell will linger on which most people find hideous. From what I've read it's likely caused by the copper sulfate derived in the application process.
Went another way and acid copper coated (which was really weak). So I clear coated that in the end it instead. It's on my channel if you are interested. Cheers for the replies, I continue to love the TH-cam community.
After i wiped off the oil, i left the test pieces outside to see how they would do. 2 days later they oxidized orange but transferred to my hands when i touched them and it wiped off easily but it still like stained the metal. One piece i blued is a handle to a vintage portable air compressor. If oil keeps it from rusting but no oil still oxidizes it, and since i dont want either all over my hand when i grab the handle, what do i do?
Did you properly prep the metal beforehand? You really need to get the surface clean and potentially sanded down prior to bluing. It shouldn't rub off afterwards, it should be dry and not oily.
@@RobertCowanDIY the bluing didnt rub off, the orange oxidation did. prep. Yes and no. I was bluing small pieces, nuts washers and bolts as a test since this was my first time trying it. The sides of these small hex nuts and and square bolts were indented so sandpaper couldnt get down in there. But the washers, which were like an inch inch diameter, came out shiny after sanding with 80 grit but they still had orange oxidation after a just a couple days . I used acetone nail polish remover and even used rubbing alcohol after to remove the minute traces of oils the nail polish remover had. I let everything soak in shallow tub of vegetable oil for about 5 or 6 hours. I have since blued all the other pieces to the air compressor im restoring after getting some coarse wire drill brushes to get in the hard to reach areas including threads. I wiped the oil off all that today. I let them sit overnight and until the afternoon coated in oil rather than submerged. Curious to see how they hold up.
For a vintage parts that are small, check out “rust blueing” or “blackening”. It’s a hardier finish that can be done repeatedly over steel if it gets rusted (as it will eventually) but it was used for prior 2 centuries on military arms to stop the rust from getting deep. Mark Novak / Anvil YT channel has several videos, very cheap, easy and fast with great results. Cold bluing is great but it’s a “plating” vs rust bluing which takes rust and adds an electron making it a different, very slow magnetite that doesn’t rust as there isn’t a surface for it to bind on. Good luck, hope this helps
@@tuckerT48 I also did that with an old axe head. Heated Peroxide & Salt in old fry pan. Cooked for a few minutes, rinsed with cold water. Did it several times until axe was completely black.
I have found that if you heat the parts up with a blow-dryer BEFORE applying the bluing solution, a more uniform, deep finish is acquired.
Huh, interesting. I'll have to try that!
A heat gun would work to
I saw a restoration video on a winchester model 1906, I just got one. They heated the parts with a hair dryer before bluing. I guess the metal expanda with heat and soaks in the solution better.
Thank you Jim for the info!
Bluing is a form a oxidation so heat will increase the speed of the reaction. The same reason why the hotter you heat steel before quenching in oil the better results you have. This is the case for any chemical reaction more heat will increase the amount of reactions taking place.
Thank you for this. I've watched several other cold-bluing videos and they really don't explain anything as easily and clearly as you do.
Just cold blued an Old Air rifle and it went Perfect, this tutorial is just good and simple, and it worked just like magic
does it scratch easily?
@@dougie1110 yes but so do regular bluing i think, the rust prevention is not so good as regular bluing, but its only a Air rifle kept in a holster and only used as family intertainment, and i keep it Well oiled
@@thegrassyknoll7792entertainment*
I just had my first experience re-blueing my firing pin and some retaining pins inside the bolt of my rifle so I can see the wear pattern better in the future. Your tip of letting it soak in oil for a bit made a huge difference, thank you!
You're welcome!
I use this method and have been fortunate to match factory bluing on most firearms with this product. The best discovery I have found is the use of Denatured Alcohol over/instead of Acetone. Initially I use Acetone, followed with a concentrated Simple Green mix, with the Denatured Alcohol for final cleaning shortly before the bluing. Use of Denatured Alcohol would eliminate those light spots on this metal. Thanks for the nice, well explained video.
Nice video, I heat the parts before bluing at 185 for an hour to cook all the moisture out before oiling and I tend to use 90 w oil or grease then heat with a torch to melt the grease into any pits or pores. Wipe off when cool then coat with regular oil
Ah nice. I'm sure that gives a more consistent finish.
You are the best I've seen, instructional speaking. Explaining along the way, the simple, straight forward method, including the oil at the end. I've used this stuff before, I've never wire-wheeled it. Later today, I'm going to try it on a Taurus G2C. Wire wheel to oil. It certainly appears that this will bring this archaic relic into the 21st century.
How did the G2C turn out with the cold blueing? I'm currently in SDI and we're in the Firearms Finishing semester, and I'm wanting to re-blue my Colt National Match 1911. Right now I'm trying to decide which process to use because it's a family heirloom and I want it to look like brand new again.
@paulis7319 Well, I took the slide down to bare metal. I did it as carefully as I was able. After getting down to the bare metal, I coated the slide several times. It came back to life, and all the signs of holster-ware were gone. That Saud, it left an uneven shading despite my best efforts to apply the solution evenly. After another couple of coats, I was able to somewhat smoothe the dull black, so thst it looked evenly applied. I will say that I had new night sights, and when the solution made contact with the sites, the black color ran onto the glow dots. Retrospectively, I'd remove sites; but to me, it seemed to defeat the purpose of fast, removing holster-ware. Next, I soaked the slide in vegetable oil a few hours, and sure enough, most of the dullness brightened up. Certainly, nowhere near factory original. I also noted a week out that where the stamping on the slide is, began to turn brown, as if rust was beginning to develop, kind of a brownish haze. I then reapplied the solution to that area (after being mortified). It solved the issue for now, at least. At the end of the day, I wasn't then, nor am I impressed with the outcome. I'm not sure repeating the process would be anything else but futile. This G2C has some personal meaning to me. Ordinarily, I'd just have salvaged it for parts. I may go all out, and either cammo cover or just have it restored to factory by a gunsmith, which I am not. (Lol). Congrats on SDI, I've considered it, as has one of my sons. Please, let me know how that's going, the quality of lessons, etc. Thanks!
I have a Taurus g2c I love mine I'm also going to redo mine as well I'm going heat treated on this one though, I bought my used had a hell of a time sighting in after about 3 hours and 130 rounds later I finally got it.
@@paulis7319I would not go cold blueing on that I would hot, it's a hell of a process but in the end the finish there's nothing like it, I've never done it before but I've seen it done and it's amazing especially with what you said you're getting ready to work on any idiot can cold blue but not a lot of people can hot blue that's what I'd do go online and look at pictures of some of them it's amazing the difference is incredible
@@ardevenuta37my God I wish you lived close to me cuz I do it for nothing I'm really good at blueing I've been doing it my entire life and I'm 53 first gun I ever did I was 8 years old 1978. And the fact that we both have the G2C I think it's pretty cool
I just did this on a Ruger 1022 I am restoring and it looks amazing! Thank you for the tutorial!
Nice!
One thing not mentioned is the FACT that the biggest contributor to the finish is the surface prep. The better you prep, the better your results will be. Buff that part!
DEGREASE that part!
@@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649 that comes with surface prep
I've used cold blue for decades, and am very satisfied with the results.
Do I have to heat the metal for better results ? I read some ppl recommend it
Do you find that it keeps smelling? I have that issue after having applied and rinsed off the excess. I haven't used baking soda.
Thanks for this helpful, clear video! I used it to darken and dull the finish of a couple of shiny steel gate latches, because the glare off of them was giving my wife migraines whenever she looked at them. I decided to skip the last step with oil, since the dull finish was preferred.
I find that if you clean the part with acetone, heat in a 350° oven for 45min, clean with acetone again, heat to around 250°, apply 1 coat of bluing, let dry, reheat to 250° reapply bluing then heat once again and apply a thin coat of oil such as WD40 or gun oil, you will get a heavier and more durable finnish that will last for years with regulat coats of light oil
I really don't know about this process, but he said that the blueing was not painting the surface, instead was creating a reaction on the metal surface. If that is true, how can it get better by adding more layers? For starters, the metal would be sealed with the first layer and the reaction would have already happened. It sounds to me like the oxidation of aluminum. Please enlighten me. I really don't understand.
Try MEK (Methyl Ethyl Katone) that what most people use and you won’t need heat for that process I think.
@@jtcmlt1 The original commenter was referring to “hot” bluing and it is different from “cold” bluing, which is the method used in the video.
You can learn more about bluing in its corresponding Wikipedia page: “Bluing (steel)”
@@jtcmlt1 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel)
@@csm5040 Thank you
I finally got to cold blueing the top of my double coocker who has an exposed steel surface on half of the surface with the possibility of placing a wok on an intense burner. I was sick and tired of having rust and residual rust black speckles on that surface. So I just sanded the surface, applied the acetone and cold blued it. Now I will keep the oil on until this evening. Happy with this tutorial. Thanks.
Pro tip: heat cleaned part no more that 135 degrees fahrenheit, apply cold blue to sit no more than 60 seconds. Neutralized with water immediately then dry completely. Card with decreased 0000 steel wool. Repeat steps again for a uniform deep blue/black.
Nice and thanks, I tried it decades ago when haste was a close friend! I now realise and have been aware for a while any surface finish is very dependent on preparation. I got similar results but definitely a bit more ‘blotchy’
Unsung hero of the combots community
I acquired an Ontario M9 bayonet from a flea market that needs a bit of fixin' up!!! Already ran the parts through the ultrasonic cleaner and now soaking them in some Evapo-Rust overnight. Probably will scrub really well with a nylon toothbrush afterwards as I don't want to damage the original finish too much!!! Then probably wipe down with acetone & dry. Gun Blue will go on after that...maybe do a pre-heat. After the Gun Blue application, my final oil of choice will be Lanolin aka "Wool Wax" which is super tenacious and protects really well!!! I just wipe down with a piece of suede leather that has been impregnated with Lanolin. Wiped a Morakniv Garberg down with Lanolin as a test, and it looks *AMAZING!!!*
nice!
I've heard that and I considered trying it is it really that good, for the wool wax also where would I get that? I would imagine any hardware store
Cold blue is amazing. I built a shoulder strap jig for one of my 15s, and for a brief second thought about using paint on one of the chrome looking links. I caught myself and went to the cold blue and INSTANTLY got the results I was needing and wanting. Don't have to worry about it rusting or paint wearing off now. Also had a rifle suffering some minor barrel rust, and I sanded the spots down and re-blued them. They havnt re-rusted since.
The easiest and most informative way I’ve found yet. Thanks!🙏🏼
Stay safe!
❤️🇺🇸👊🏼
Thanks man! I am going to go and blue the parts on my old Mosin nagant. Not an expensive gun so I will be able to learn alot about the process.
Nice!
I'm getting ready to do the parts on an 1867 Danish Snider rifle. It's not worth much, and am learning how to do it myself
Is that a 7.62 x 39 mosin?
@@stevenbaker8184I just did a buddy of mine's Remington 1912 or 1917 one of those two years I forget but it's a model pump-action 22 replace the trigger pin plunger, slide, the bolt, I put an antique finish on it. Took me a month I did it in my spare time.
I'm doing that right now. Trying to make a restoration video for TH-cam
Very nice concise demonstration of cold bluing! And, as usual, very high production values make watching a pleasure.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very helpful in prepping diecast parts for bluing and nickel plating!
I usually do several coats and buffing very lightly with real fine steel wool.
Brings out a great smooth even shine
Then I add oil.
Just another way
Yeah, that's a bit more involved, but would certainly give you a better result!
Right I think it depends on how dark you want it.
Some weapons I do are antiques so less is more as I'm trying to match the patina of age.
I do fire arms exclusively
Will the finish wear off easily with heavy use? On, say, an axe?
I think that the finish would wear as the metal wears
Yeah it will. Anything that could scratch the metal will cause it to wear off.
Great video , I’m planning on building stairs, and want this metal look, is it hard wearing , for feet to be walking on
I would like to take the time to say the bench grinder with the gloveless hands with a really night face shield is what we like to say, zero precaution while using high end tool, you are now in the master tech club welcome sir ✊🏽
I'm honestly not sure if this is a compliment or not?
TIP : if you heat it up - ie: warm the metal some, this opens the pores a bit and the cold bluing agent will have better penetration.
Ah nice trick.
Thank you for the concise and thorough explanation of the process of using this product. It looks like the results I am looking for. :)
I'm curious what would happen if you lightly ran some 0000 steel wool over the bluing. I also wonder if a few coats of bluing with steel wool between coats would look any differently. I guess I'll have to find out for myself.
Thanks for a great video, just curious on the durability of the blue finish.
I'm liiking at bluing some martial arts weapons. thanks!
It's not exactly durable, you'd need to re-apply it. For stuff like that, cerakote would be a better option.
Fine video thanks. Do you think this would work on the reeds of an accordion. They were rusty. Ive taken the rust off but theres still some staining and microscopic pitting you might call it. Please type in accordion reed plates and you should get some good inages for you to guide me on if its possible. Basically the reeds get moisture on them over the years by air being drawn into the instrument via the bellows. Im thinking that bluing them might slow the next rusting process down or even prevent it altogether. I dont think the bluing would alter the tuning of the reed. What do you think? Many thanks
Thanks for the video. I have a knife that was blued by the maker and it looks fantastic. The problem is that the kydex sheath it came with has worn the bluing badly. Arizona Customs suggested this video.
I want to try to re-blue it but I am not sure what to do with the pinned handles and prior coating. The last thing I want is some sort of mess. It is a nice Fred Perrin custom Street Beat and it was reasonably (not insanely) expensive. I also love Fred Perrin knives and I don't want to ruin its beauty.
Hum, unless you exactly match the existing finish it probably won't turn out great. Are you absolutely sure the original was blued? You might want to know if it was hot or cold blued. I looked up the knife and it appears to have a ceramic coating, which isn't the same as bluing. I would contact spyderco (they made it right?) and see what they say.
Amazing Explanation! Thes liquid only works on steel or it works in iron too?
Thank you for clearly presenting the most effective way to get good results
Excellent video regarding this process in TH-cam.
Thanks for making & posting this. Nicely produced. I have an old (not $valuable except to me) Daisy BB gun. With Acetone & multiple grades of sandpaper it is now brite steel. Cost wise I'm thinking of doing your process. Except I don't have a trough, nor want to waste that much oil to cover it. Birchwood casey mentions something called Barricade rust prevention. Have you had experience with that ? Or are other means of oiling ? The everything kit is $22.50.
Any oil works. I like to use a mixture of motor oil and transmission fluid personally. You don't have to go nuts with it, just put a decent coat on the metal and let it sit. It also helps to warm it up with a heat gun or blow dryer first. That will allow the oil to penetrate deeper.
Great video! Gonna do this to an old 6lb sledge head. Then i was thinking ill have a bottle left over so why not do a few knives i have lol. Would you happen to know if this will work on D2 tool steel?
I also recommend isopropylalcohol instead of acetone since acetone leaves residue that needs to be wiped of and IPA doesn't
Hi. Have have had a steel fan custom made. The shape of the fan is perfect, but for some reason, when the contractor did the blackening process, it turned very rusty. I have a few questions. Can I start over? Get the rust out and then blacken it again? How long do I leave the product on and because it is a large surface how do I rub it off? Wiping up and down or circular. Thanks
I think you'd be best to speak with the contractor, I have no idea what your part is, what the steel is, or what they used to blacken it.
Interesting that in other videos they recommend rubbing with steel wool. You didn't even mention that step and went straight to oil. I like that better. Thanks.
nice video thanks. im going to try to cold blue my ccw firearm, its starting to rust alittle bit in the front. i carry appendix. seems like the front, hits my t shirt where i sweat alittle. the little bit of rust, is bugging the heck outta me ha. never did this but i bought this stuff this morning and thought i'd watch a few videos.. thanks again.
What ccw / holster combo ? I sweat alot and kinda new..
Great Video...I actually did a German Mauser K-98 a few years back and the result was amazing. The process is very easy. Good job on the parts. Thanks for the reminder fresh up course.
Now i know what i did wrong when blueing vintage machine parts. Thank you for sharing! 🤝
what kind of steel brush u are using sir its not damaging the metal and its smoth
Will this work with my 1911 45 parkerized finish?😢
How good of a idea would cold blueing be for raw steel parts to a coleman 502 single burner stove? Does heat affect it just want to know if I'm better off doing nickel plating
Can this be done to case-hardened steel?
great straight forward demonstration.
Do people find that it keeps smelling after application and rinsing? FYI I have not used baking soda as an extra neutralizing agent, like I have seen people do. I did some googling and some say that the smell doesn't go away. What is your experience?
What blueing did you use I’m trying to turn my Ruger lcp back black instead of chrome
Can you touch up a bad spot or do you need to do the whole barrel for uniformity?
how good at corrosion prevention is this stuff, if I left a steel part coated in it outside for a few days or a few weeks would it be OK,
It's good, but not great. For strictly corrosion protection, there are better alternatives.
Does this work for 'potmetal'? Zinc alloys, usually used in airsoft guns. I have sourced Philip's Gun Blueing which is the best you can get for potmetal blueing. My main concern is that a lot of videos use linseed oil and they heat the parts, which is a problem for me I would much rather not have to try that out.
Very good ventilation is key, acetone fumes are highly toxic. It's very easy to give yourself a nasty fume headache.
And beware of open flames!
I just tried it out on an old buttplate from a model1928 Thompson Submachine Gun that unfortunately had sat and rusted over the years. I am very impressed with the results! Shout out to the person who suggested coating-rinsing-drying then lightly buffing with 0000 steel wool to smooth out the finish, then after wiping, repeat coating-rinsing-drying until you have the desired shade before oiling. NOTE: The final oiling step will darken and smooth out the finish a little bit more - so don't go too crazy on the bluing coats.
QUESTION: after wiping off the oil, it looks like there is some brownish discoloration in some areas? I was going to buff it a little, clean with acetone then recoat. Thoughts?
Where did you get a Tommy gun??
I also just used it to re-blue a WWII era Model 1928 Thompson Submachine Gun buttstock slide which turned out great. One personal observation: this cold bluing process seems to produce better results in warmer temperatures.
@@boathemian7694 one more caveat; before you purchase a TSMG or any machinegun, you need to make sure owning and possessing it is legal in the state you live.
If you remove rust from the outside of a gun can you use this process? I am worried about having the affected area appear as "different"
OH yeah, you need to fully clean the surface. That's what I was doing with the wire wheel.
Great video sir. How long did you wait before placing the part in the water bowl to rinse off the excess? Thank you.
It's not a matter of timing. As soon as the reaction is done and it doesn't blacken any further, you can rinse it off. It doesn't need to 'soak', it's a chemical reaction.
The oil will absorb into the steel within a few seconds, residual oil will still be on the part even after you "wipe it off" or even rinse it off. So long as you don't grind it off or chemically remove it it'll be there for a long time. You do have to occasionally re dip the tools or parts in oil. But leaving them for a long time is in my opinion not necessary. But to each their own. Great video.
Fair. I've always left them in there and it works well. The next time I can try just an hour or so.
I typically heat mine around around 200•F before the oil step. Why? It’s what mom always did with cast iron pans!
Anyone know what actual color does perma blue, super blue and aluminum black after several application? I'm looking for something that could produce a really dark green or like a seaweed color..
Exactamente cuánto tiempo te dura ati el pavonado en tu rifle
Would this work on golf club heads or would you have to sand them 1st?
You'd need to figure out what the material is. If it's rusting, it might work. It's best to just try it out.
Can I blue like this over my factory blue finish Wich I assume is a hot blue they called it black oxide ? It’s for my pistol also any idea if it’s okay to use down the barrel and on internal parts ?
Black oxide is most likely manganese phosphate, which is different than cold blueing. It's also more durable. Cold blueing is ok for small touchups on a phosphated finish, but large touchups will stick out and look pretty obvious. There's no need to do this to the inside of a barrel. It will wear off with a few shots. Same with internal parts. Just use oil to prevent rust. Also the rust can be removed with 0000 steel wool dabbed in oil. Just rub gently.
is this the same concept as patina?
what i mean is if this the same way as patina a carbon steel (ppl mostly do it on knives) just another way of doing it? thanks 🙏🏻
Kinda. Patina is usually naturally forming and less consistent. This is mimicking the same process that happens when steels are hardened (and blackened in the process). This is just another way to alter the surface finish of steels. It certainly COULD be used on knives, but I think most knife steels might not react as they're usually a stainless or something similar? I haven't seen many people try this for knives, it probably wouldn't be durable enough. Usually knifes use DLC.
how durable it is? Can i paint only parts of my gun where there is original bluing missing, will it be very different from the original bluing?
I'm not 100% sure, but it's not all THAT durable. Actual bluing will be more durable, it's about on the level of anodizing. If you need a harder coat, you will need to go to a cerakote or something similar. But it should be fine in most applications. It's easy and cheap to try though. And if it doesn't work out, you can just sand it away and try something else. It can't be much worse than the missing finish!
is it good for heat such as metal exaust pipes?
Not sure, it's good enough for guns apparently.
about cold Bluing, assuming we put 3 or 5 layer on it, will it prevent rust?
I think 'resists' would be a better word.
What about knives ? I wanna blue the kabar wrench. Will this work on that ?
It depends on the material.
@@RobertCowanDIY it's 420 high carbon stainless idk if that would cold blu or not or if that would make it rust. I don't understand how bluing prevents rust because my only experience is gun bluing and it rusts without oil
Does the surface get sticky with age, due to oxidation of the cooking oil? I was wondering if it is better to use an oil that doesn't get sticky.
Nah, you completely wipe off the oil, I haven't experienced any issues. Lots of parts are quenched in various oils.
Nice video!! Does it matter what type of oil is used - i.e., kitchen vegetable oils, gun oils or engine oils?
Not really.
I like a mixture of motor oil and transmission fluid. It's super cheap when you consider price per ounce and is good enough for your vehicles engine to reduce wear and fouling.
Can I apply it to rebar to be used in reinforce concrete?
You'd have to prep the surface well, but I don't see why you couldn't.
@@RobertCowanDIY understood. Thank you sir
Will the parts benefit from a second treatment of cold blueing before the oil step? Great video! Thanks for taking the time to produce it.
Finish will darken if more is applied, to a point. The part will need to be carded in between applications though. 0000 steel wool works well.
Essa oxidação demora sair ao ter muito contato com o objeto oxidado ?
Thank you sir for your time and making this video from time to time I always like to go on and see if anybody comes up with any new tips I've been blueing my whole life, only cold I am just recently getting ready to do the hot for the first time, the process is a little intimidating but I'm sure I'll pull it off hopefully it won't be one of those trial and error sort of things. Also I'd like to add I think your video by far is the most descriptive.THANK YOU SIR!!!
You're welcome!
If the surface have scratches do they are still vissible after bluing?
Yes, you will need to prepare the surface beforehand.
So I want my 19x Glock slide cut for an optic but I do not want a cerakote job as I want to keep the oem 19x finish.
I believe this product will allow me to brush a coat only the bare metal that was milled (under the red dot and iron sites) preventing the steel from rusting and allowing me to keep a oem slide finish?
Yep, bluing is primarily used for guns, for this purpose. The actual finish might vary, unless it's the exact same process that was used previously. Most guns are blued by heat-quenching, but this will get very close. But you can always try it and sand off that area if it doesn't work out. Just mask everything off.
Would motor oil work as well to coat the pieces?
any oil should work.
Hi, i am looking for the greyish look. So from what i understood, i dont need to apply the oil in the end, right?
I think it looks really patchy and ugly without the oil. You can try it, it's cheap enough.
After the oil how many hours i have to wait before i whipe it of its urgent
This is in the video: th-cam.com/video/PGpYh-_llzE/w-d-xo.html
@@RobertCowanDIYhow much hours did you let the oil stay
@@yilmazbayram2722 Did you watch the video?!
Yes i watch the video, the oil is now 3hours on the iron, when shall I whipe it of, maybe thil morning cause it is 1:00 night here in Belgium
@@yilmazbayram2722The video literally says "a few hours", "I leave mine overnight".
Will it wear off over time and need to be done again, or can it be removed?
Does this work well for knives?
Looks like great stuff Ill give it a try
Yeah, it's easy and cheap!
Just curious about why an overly polished piece of steel would not be recommended ? I have just started making knives and was looking for a nearly mirror polish using 1000 grit sandpaper on a belt sander and would really be interested if I could get a blued or black polished knife blade (if at all possible ). Or would the Super Blue finish not 'stick' as well to highly polished steel ? Thanks for any advice or thoughts.
I'm not sure? I didn't mean to imply that. I think highly polished would look nice! That just wasn't the look I was going for.
The problem is when people use a polishing compound. Its hard to remove it all before coating with blueing to get a consistent coat that isn't blotchy.
I have some old tools I'm fixing up, a saw in particular.... a tenon saw with a steel "spine". I want to blue the spine but not the saw plate, it's a lot of effort to remove the spine and fit it again and have the saw stay straight and true....... Can the blueing be masked off? Or is there something I can use on the saw plate to resist the blue?
Might be a stupid question, but I wont find out if I dont ask someone 🤷♂️😂
It can be masked off, but unless you mask it perfectly, it might bleed through. I've seen people use nail polish to mask it off, since it will absorb into tape or other materials. You can then just use acetone to clean off the nail polish. It will only blue where it touches, so if you can control where it goes you should be fine!
@@RobertCowanDIY Thank you for your reply Sir, you have been very helpful 😁
Does anyone happen to know if this will work on something chrome / nickel plated?
How do you get yellows and blues?
Looking to do my CZ 82 slide first then see how it goes should a wire wheel be the easiest for taking the original paint off the quickest way?
I'm not sure what those parts are. There are many options, depending on the part, surface finish, geometry, etc. Wire wheel, sandblast, soak in paint or rust remover. It depends a LOT on what the part looks like and the shape.
Thanks for the awesome easy to understand video
You are welcome!
I found that the type of oil you use after can make the finish vary. Aka don’t use water based oil like wd40 unless you want a weird result
WD40 really isn't an 'oil' though, right? I think using straight oil is the best way to go, there are way too many additives and other stuff in WD40.
@@RobertCowanDIY yeah that’s why I said don’t use it. I used straight oil many times and then one time I tried wd40 and it did ok and did the same job but made it a weird color and finish.
@@fordhuguley8699 WD40 is a water dispersant (WD), not really a lubricating or a penetrating oil. It's great for removing moisture from things like locks, thus preventing freezing, but for the steel (guns and the like) you should stick to gun oil or some type of petroleum based oil. FYI, I believe that WD40 is made primarily from fish oils.
Anyone have advice on how to get rid the smell from the bluing? It’s still a bit noticeable.
What smell are you getting? Mine didn't smell at all.
@@RobertCowanDIY I think it’s the smell of the cold blue itself, selenium dioxide.
@@ramirocharles2981huh, did you fully rinse it after that first step?
Engine hardware? Most bolt heads are surface corroded but threads are like new (galv coated) after removal. If I treat the heads of the bolts in the way demonstrated, will they be able to put up with future abuse of being installed and removed without losing the surface bluing?
Is it necessary to remove old blue from gun before using super blue or it can be applied on old blue
If you're just touching up an area, it might not match perfectly, so it's up to you. If the area is very small, maybe you can just touch it up. There are touch-ups out there though, that might be the better way to go.
Can you do this to silver tungsten?
Does this work with stainless, or other chemically non-reactive steels?
Question on cold blueing, can you have different Colours. Like Red or Green, thanks. Good information today
I don't believe so. I think its only black. It's a forced oxidation of the surface. You're looking for anodizing.
Now if it was Titanium metal, you could "anodize" just with the proper DC Voltage to get the color you desire!!!
If you put on just 1 or 2 coats will it take on a little lighter look?
I only did a single coat in the video, so you can see what one coat looks like. It will only get darker from there.
A couple of things need to be mentioned here as a warning. Birchwood Casey cold bluing solution will likely create a nasty metallic rotten egg smell on the treated metal that doesn't seem go away although will lessen over time to some extent. Even though it's listed as odorless, when applying the solution a respirator in a well-ventilated area should be used as selenium dioxide is extremely toxic (inc. eye protection etc). Apparently Oxpho Blue doesn't have the smell problem, but I have not used it. I have looked high and low for a way to rid the metal of the odor with no luck other than sanding it back to bare metal. Wax and oiling help to some extent but the smell will linger on which most people find hideous. From what I've read it's likely caused by the copper sulfate derived in the application process.
Have you done a scratch test? I am considering coating a steel bike frame and would love to know if it will last a bit of wear and tear.
It's not the most durable finish, but it's easily touched up. You would most likely want to do a coat of clear finish over the bluing.
@@RobertCowanDIY thanks very much.
I did some cold blueing on my Harley, worked and people say wow where did you by that part..Top Seceret I said
Went another way and acid copper coated (which was really weak). So I clear coated that in the end it instead. It's on my channel if you are interested. Cheers for the replies, I continue to love the TH-cam community.
After i wiped off the oil, i left the test pieces outside to see how they would do. 2 days later they oxidized orange but transferred to my hands when i touched them and it wiped off easily but it still like stained the metal. One piece i blued is a handle to a vintage portable air compressor. If oil keeps it from rusting but no oil still oxidizes it, and since i dont want either all over my hand when i grab the handle, what do i do?
Did you properly prep the metal beforehand? You really need to get the surface clean and potentially sanded down prior to bluing. It shouldn't rub off afterwards, it should be dry and not oily.
@@RobertCowanDIY the bluing didnt rub off, the orange oxidation did. prep. Yes and no. I was bluing small pieces, nuts washers and bolts as a test since this was my first time trying it. The sides of these small hex nuts and and square bolts were indented so sandpaper couldnt get down in there. But the washers, which were like an inch inch diameter, came out shiny after sanding with 80 grit but they still had orange oxidation after a just a couple days . I used acetone nail polish remover and even used rubbing alcohol after to remove the minute traces of oils the nail polish remover had. I let everything soak in shallow tub of vegetable oil for about 5 or 6 hours.
I have since blued all the other pieces to the air compressor im restoring after getting some coarse wire drill brushes to get in the hard to reach areas including threads. I wiped the oil off all that today. I let them sit overnight and until the afternoon coated in oil rather than submerged. Curious to see how they hold up.
For a vintage parts that are small, check out “rust blueing” or “blackening”. It’s a hardier finish that can be done repeatedly over steel if it gets rusted (as it will eventually) but it was used for prior 2 centuries on military arms to stop the rust from getting deep. Mark Novak / Anvil YT channel has several videos, very cheap, easy and fast with great results. Cold bluing is great but it’s a “plating” vs rust bluing which takes rust and adds an electron making it a different, very slow magnetite that doesn’t rust as there isn’t a surface for it to bind on. Good luck, hope this helps
@@tuckerT48 I also did that with an old axe head. Heated Peroxide & Salt in old fry pan. Cooked for a few minutes, rinsed with cold water. Did it several times until axe was completely black.
Will it look dull again after the oil dries up???
The parts still look the same as they do in the last shot.
Thanks man I’m going to do it!👊🏻
Good, go for it!