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Cold bluing is not particularly resistant to holster wear, nor does it provide a large degree of rust resistance. Often it does provide an adequate cosmetic touch-up of a gun’s finish when applied and additionally oiled on a regular basis.You will then apply the cold-bluing solution to your gun parts. After 12 hours, you can scrub the rust off the gun and reapply your bluing solution. You will repeat the cleaning and bluing process every 12 hours until you restore your gun to your satisfaction.Gun companies will use a hot bluing process, which is done at a temperature between 275 and 311 degrees F. Ruse Bluing and Fume Bluing provide the best rust and corrosion resistance.
Contents
Does cold bluing last?
You will then apply the cold-bluing solution to your gun parts. After 12 hours, you can scrub the rust off the gun and reapply your bluing solution. You will repeat the cleaning and bluing process every 12 hours until you restore your gun to your satisfaction.
What is the most durable bluing?
Gun companies will use a hot bluing process, which is done at a temperature between 275 and 311 degrees F. Ruse Bluing and Fume Bluing provide the best rust and corrosion resistance.
Does cold bluing protect metal?
Does bluing prevent rust? Cold bluing is a controlled oxidation of ferrous metals similar to rust. Whether cold or hot blued, these metals should be treated with a wax, lacquer or water displacing oil to reduce exposure to corrosion causing moisture.
Is bluing corrosion resistant?
Bluing, being a chemical conversion coating, is not as robust against wear and corrosion resistance as plated coatings, and is typically no thicker than 2.5 micrometres (0.0001 inches). For this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts.
Does vinegar remove bluing?
Pour enough white vinegar to completely cover all of your gun parts. The parts will begin to turn orange after approximately 15 minutes. Don’t worry, the rust appearing is only from oxidation of the metals in the bluing. Remove the parts from the vinegar every 20 to 25 minutes and wipe down the oxidation.
What is the best bluing method?
Hot bluing s considered to be the best method only by the addition of heat, which helps set the bluing solution into place faster than with a cold bluing method. One of the best home bluing methods is a hot bluing technique and can be performed with little difficulty.
How long does bluing take to cure?
Leave the gun parts in the bluing solution from 15 to 30 minutes. Check to see when the metal has reached the desired shade of bluing and remove it from the solution at that time. If your gun has stainless steel parts, those parts are immersed in a different chemical solution, a mixture of nitrates and chromates.
Should I Reblue an old gun?
The short answer is no. If it’s your intent to maintain a firearm’s collectibility and value, the answer is usually “no”; don’t re-blue your gun. Firearms with an original finish, even if they have visible wear and discoloration are generally more valuable than those that have been refinished (re-blued or parkerized).
Can aluminum be blued?
“bluing” metal is mostly for steel. It creates an almost black look. It’s a chemical process that reacts with the surface of the steel. This look can be mimicked with surface coat material they sell for steel, but it will not work on aluminum.
What is the purpose of bluing steel?
Bluing is a process used to improve the condition and aesthetic qualities of damaged metal surfaces on a wide range of hobbyist equipment. Bluing earns its name from the resultant blue/black finish which forms following the chemical reaction after applying the gel to a steel surface.
Can you polish cold blue?
The trick is to completely remove all the old bluing then highly polish, removing any pitting with a file then polish with 180 grit paper wet sand after till you get a mirror finish. Then insert a wooden dowel into barrel to use as a handle so you do not have to touch the metal.
How long does bluing take to cure?
Leave the gun parts in the bluing solution from 15 to 30 minutes. Check to see when the metal has reached the desired shade of bluing and remove it from the solution at that time. If your gun has stainless steel parts, those parts are immersed in a different chemical solution, a mixture of nitrates and chromates.
Bluing (steel) – Wikipedia
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What Is Gun Bluing & How to Do It – Silencer Central
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What Is Gun Bluing
What Is Gun Blue Made of
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Hot-Bluing vs Cold-Bluing
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Blue Your Gun at Home!
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The Best “Cold Blue” Method There is! – YouTube
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- Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for The Best “Cold Blue” Method There is! – YouTube Updating After years of experimenting with different cold blues, and trying to match the results of a hot blue, I came up with a method of achieving results similar t…oxphoblue, birchwood casey, hot blue, finish, parkerize, brown, super, blue, formula, 44/40, brownells, dicropan, perma, how, to, homemade, gunsmith, gunsmithing, browning, virgin, barrel, cold, hot
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how durable is cold bluing
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Bluing FAQ — Van’s Instant Gun Blue
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Does bluing prevent rust
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Should I use heat in the bluing process
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Cold vs. hot bluing durability? Chemist in the house?
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I’ve done some cold bluing, using Oxpho-Blue. While most people typically wipe this product onto a gun (or whatever), my typical technique involves immersion of the part into the solution (wasteful of solution I suppose) long enough for the desired finish (black!). My parts are typically small screws, etc. I think doing a rifle barrel this way would be pretty expensive.
When I remove the part from the solution, while
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Good result with cold bluing? | The High Road
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I have an old Browning 22 that has had some rust and the bluing is not the best.
Is it possible to re-blue this gun at home…
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metal – Does cold bluing steel prevent rust? – Chemistry Stack Exchange
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- Summary of article content: Articles about metal – Does cold bluing steel prevent rust? – Chemistry Stack Exchange Some sources say the bluing layer is rust, therefore rust can’t develop on top of rust. Others say bluing is purely cosmetic and can not prevent … …
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Gun Manufacturing: Browning vs. Bluing | NRA Family
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What Is The Best Cold Bluing Product? – icsid.org
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Bluing (steel)
Process that partially protects steel against rust
This article is about the historical uses of black oxide. For modern uses of black oxide, see Black oxide
Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust using a black oxide coating. It is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. Bluing involves an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface selectively forming magnetite (Fe
3 O
4 ), the black oxide of iron. In comparison, rust, the red oxide of iron (Fe
2 O
3 ), undergoes an extremely large volume change upon hydration; as a result, the oxide easily flakes off causing the typical reddish rusting away of iron. Black oxide provides minimal protection against corrosion, unless also treated with a water-displacing oil to reduce wetting and galvanic action. In colloquial use, thin coatings of black oxide are often termed ‘gun bluing’, while heavier coatings are termed ‘black oxide’. Both refer to the same chemical process for providing true gun bluing.[1]
Overview [ edit ]
Various processes are used for the oxidizing process.
“Cold” bluing is generally a selenium dioxide based compound that colours steel black, or more often a very dark grey. It is a difficult product to apply evenly, offers minimal protection and is generally best used for small fast repair jobs and touch-ups.[2][3]
The “hot” process is an alkali salt solution using potassium nitrite or sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide, referred to as “traditional caustic black”, that is typically done at an elevated temperature, 135 to 155 °C (275 to 311 °F). This method was adopted by larger firearm companies for large scale, more economical bluing. It does provide good rust resistance, which is improved with oil.
“Rust bluing” and “fume bluing” provide the best rust and corrosion resistance as the process continually converts any metal that is capable of rusting into magnetite (Fe
3 O
4 ). Treating with an oiled coating enhances the protection offered by the bluing. This process is also the only process safely used to re-blue vintage shotguns. Many double-barreled shotguns are soft soldered (lead) or silver brazed together and many of the parts are attached by that method also. The higher temperatures of the other processes as well as their caustic nature could weaken the soldered joints and make the gun hazardous to use.[4]
Bluing can also be done in a furnace, for example for a sword or other item traditionally made by a blacksmith or specialist such as a weapon-smith. Blacksmith products to this day may occasionally be found made from blued steel by traditional craftsmen in cultures and segments of society who use that technology either by necessity or choice.[5]
Processes [ edit ]
Hot bluing [ edit ]
Bluing may be applied by immersing steel parts in a solution of potassium nitrate, sodium hydroxide, and water heated to the boiling point, 275–310 °F (135–154 °C) depending on the recipe. Similarly, stainless steel parts may be immersed in a mixture of nitrates and chromates, similarly heated. Either of these two methods is called ‘hot bluing’. Hot bluing is the current standard[6] in gun bluing, as both it and rust bluing provide the most permanent degree of rust-resistance and cosmetic protection of exposed gun metal, and hot bluing takes less time than rust bluing.
Rust bluing [ edit ]
Acid solution applied to bare metal
After boiling rusted parts
After eight rust, carding and oiling sessions
Rust bluing was developed between hot and cold bluing processes, and was originally used by gunsmiths in the 19th century to blue firearms prior to the development of hot bluing processes. The process was to coat the gun parts in an acid solution, let the parts rust uniformly, then immerse the parts in boiling water to convert the red oxide Fe
2 O
3 to black oxide Fe
3 O
4 , which forms a more protective, stable coating than the red oxide; the boiling water also removes any remaining residue from the applied acid solution (often nitric acid and hydrochloric acid diluted in water). The loose oxide was then carded (scrubbed) off, using a carding brush – a wire brush with soft, thin (usually about 0.002 in (0.051 mm) thick) wires – or wheel.
This process was repeated until the desired depth of color was achieved or the metal simply did not color further. This is one of the reasons rust and fume bluing are generally more rust-resistant than other methods. The parts are then oiled and allowed to stand overnight. This process leaves a deep blue-black finish.
Modern home hobbyist versions of this process typically use a hydrogen peroxide and salt solution, sometimes with vinegar, for the rusting step to avoid the need for more dangerous acids.[7]
Fume bluing [ edit ]
Fume bluing is another process similar to rust bluing. Instead of applying the acid solution directly to the metal parts, the parts are placed in a sealed cabinet with a moisture source, a container of nitric acid and a container of hydrochloric acid. The cabinet is then sealed. The mixed fumes of the acids produce a uniform rust on the surface of the parts (inside and out) in about 12 hours. The parts are then boiled in distilled water, blown dry, then carded, as with rust bluing.
These processes were later abandoned by major firearm manufacturers as it often took parts days to finish completely, and was very labor-intensive. They are still sometimes used by gunsmiths to obtain an authentic finish for a period gun of the time that rust bluing was in vogue, analogous to the use of browning on earlier representative firearm replicas. Rust bluing is also used on shotgun barrels that are soldered to the rib between the barrels, as hot bluing solutions melt the solder during the bluing process.
Large scale industrial hot bluing is often performed using a bluing furnace. This is an alternative method for creating the black oxide coating. In place of using a hot bath (although at a lower temperature) chemically induced method, it is possible through controlling the temperature to heat steel precisely such as to cause the formation of black oxide selectively over the red oxide. It, too, must be oiled to provide any significant rust resistance.
Cold bluing [ edit ]
There are also methods of cold bluing, which do not require heat. Commercial products are widely sold in small bottles for cold bluing firearms, and these products are primarily used by individual gun owners for implementing small touch-ups to a gun’s finish, to prevent a small scratch from becoming a major source of rust on a gun over time. Cold bluing is not particularly resistant to holster wear, nor does it provide a large degree of rust resistance. Often it does provide an adequate cosmetic touch-up of a gun’s finish when applied and additionally oiled on a regular basis. However, rust bluing small areas often match, blend, and wear better than any cold bluing process.
At least one of the cold bluing solutions contains selenium dioxide. These work by depositing a coating of copper selenide on the surface.
Niter bluing [ edit ]
Niter and colour case
In the niter bluing process, polished and cleaned steel parts are immersed in a bath of molten salts—typically potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate (sometimes with 9.4 grams (0.33 oz) of manganese dioxide per pound of total nitrate). The mixture is heated to 310 to 321 °C (590 to 610 °F) and the parts are suspended in this solution with wire. The parts must be observed constantly for colour change. The cross section and size of parts affect the outcome of the finish and time it takes to achieve. This method must not be used on critically heat-treated parts such as receivers, slides or springs. It is generally employed on smaller parts such as pins, screws, sights, etc. The colours range through straw, gold, brown, purple, blue, teal, then black. Examples of this finish are common on older pocket watches whose hands exhibit what is called ‘peacock blue’, a rich iridescent blue.
Colour case hardening [ edit ]
Colour case hardening is the predecessor of all metal colouring typically employed in the firearms industry. Contemporary heat-treatable steels did not exist or were in their infancy. Soft, low-carbon steel was used, but strong materials were needed for the receivers of firearms. Initially case hardening was used but did not offer any aesthetics. Colour case hardening occurs when soft steels were packed in a reasonably airtight crucible in a mixture of charred leather, bone charcoal and wood charcoal. This crucible was heated to 730 °C (1,350 °F) for up to 6 hours (the longer the heat was applied the thicker the case hardening). At the end of this heating process the crucible is removed from the oven and positioned over a bath of water with air forced through a perforated coil in the bottom of the bath. The bottom of the crucible is opened allowing the contents to drop into the rapidly bubbling water. The differential cooling causes patterns of colours to appear as well as hardening the part.
Different colours can be achieved through variations of this method including quenching in oil instead of water.
Browning [ edit ]
‘Browning’ is controlled red rust Fe
2 O
3 , and is also known as ‘pluming’ or ‘plum brown’. One can generally use the same solution to brown as to blue. The difference is immersion in boiling water for bluing. The rust then turns to black-blue Fe
3 O
4 . Many older browning and bluing formulas are based on corrosive solutions (necessary to cause metal to rust), and often contain cyanide or mercury salts solutions that are especially toxic to humans.
Applications [ edit ]
Bluing is most commonly used by gun manufacturers, gunsmiths, and gun owners to improve the cosmetic appearance of and provide a measure of corrosion resistance to their firearms. It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use. Bluing also helps to maintain the metal finish by resisting superficial scratching, and also helps to reduce glare to the eyes of the shooter when looking down the barrel of the gun. All blued parts still require oiling to prevent rust. Bluing, being a chemical conversion coating, is not as robust against wear and corrosion resistance as plated coatings, and is typically no thicker than 2.5 micrometres (0.0001 inches). For this reason, it is considered not to add any appreciable thickness to precisely-machined gun parts.
New guns are typically available in blued finish options offered as the least-expensive finish, and this finish is also the least effective at providing rust resistance, relative to other finishes such as Parkerizing or hard chrome plating or nitriding processes like Tenifer.
Bluing is also used for providing coloring for steel parts of fine clocks and other fine metalwork. This is often achieved without chemicals by simply heating the steel until a blue oxide film appears. The blue appearance of the oxide film is also used as an indication of temperature when tempering carbon steel after hardening, indicating a state of temper suitable for springs.
Bluing is also used in seasoning cast-iron cookware, to render it relatively rust-proof and non-stick. In this case cooking oil, rather than gun oil, acts to displace water and prevent rust.
Premium fencing blades are often offered with a blued finish. This finish allows them to be stored in high-moisture conditions, like sports bags, without rusting.
Bluing is often a hobbyist endeavor, and there are many methods of bluing, and continuing debates about the relative efficacy of each method.
Historically, razor blades were often blued steel. A non-linear resistance property of the blued steel of razor blades, foreshadowing the same property later discovered in semiconductor diode junctions, along with the ready availability of blued steel razor blades, led to the use of razor blades as a detector in crystal set AM radios that prisoners of war often built during World War II.[8]
Aluminium [ edit ]
Bluing only works on steel, cast iron, or stainless steel parts for protecting against corrosion because it changes iron into Fe 3 O 4 ; it does not work on non-ferrous material. Aluminium (Al) and polymer parts cannot be blued, and no corrosion protection is provided. However, the chemicals from the bluing process can accomplish uneven staining on aluminium and polymer parts. Hot bluing should never be attempted on aluminium, as it reacts it usually dissolved in the caustic salt bath.
Friction, as from holster wear, quickly removes cold bluing, and also removes hot bluing, rust, or fume bluing over long periods of use. It is usually inadvisable to use cold bluing as a touch-up where friction is present. If cold bluing is the only practical option, the area should be kept oiled to extend the life of the coating as much as possible.
See also [ edit ]
Chemical coloring of metals – Process of changing the color of metal surfaces with different chemical solutions
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
What Is Gun Bluing & How to Do It – Silencer Central
You probably loved the sleek metallic beauty and well-oiled performance of your gun when you first bought it. If you want to keep feeling that way about your firearm, you need to take proper care of it. Otherwise, the firearm will develop rust. Besides ruining the aesthetics, rust increases the likelihood of a gun jamming or even exploding when fired.
What’s the best way to keep your gun looking and working like brand new? We recommend gun bluing and cleaning. If you’ve never heard of gun bluing, you are in luck because we are about to explain what it is and how to blue a gun to maintain its look and performance.
What Is Gun Bluing?
For centuries, gun manufacturers and owners have blued firearms to improve their appearance and corrosion resistance. The bluing process involves treating a gun with a solution that turns red iron oxide or rust (Fe2O3) into black iron oxide (Fe3O4). Bluing also creates a thin protective layer that protects guns from damaging pollutants.
The process turns a gun barrel blue because black iron oxide has a blue-black color. Besides the body and barrel of your gun, you can blue its components, such as the slide, magazine, frame, and even small components. However, some experts advise against bluing gun springs.
There are several methods for bluing gun parts, and the most popular ones are cold and hot-bluing. We will explain both methods later in this article.
What Is Gun Blue Made of?
The exact contents of a gun blue solution will depend on the product you buy. For instance, some cold blue solutions contain a selenium dioxide-based compound that will give your gun a blackish or dark greyish hue. You can also find cold-bluing solutions that contain hydrochloric and nitric acids.
Hot blue solutions may contain mercury bichloride and an alkali salt mixture of sodium hydroxide and potassium nitrite or sodium nitrate. These compounds work together to eliminate red rust and reduce friction in firearms.
How Long Does Gun Blue Last?
Bluing gun parts can preserve the appearance and performance of your gun. However, since bluing does not last forever, you will need to reblue your gun occasionally. High-quality bluing can last for decades, especially if humidity is low in your area and you keep your weapon dry and clean.
Does Gun Bluing Prevent Rust?
Gun bluing does a better job fixing rust than preventing it. For superior rust protection, you should oil and clean your gun frequently.
Some experts recommend doing light cleaning after firing your weapon. You can do a deeper cleaning once a year if you rarely fire your gun or twice a year if you frequently fire your weapon. A deep cleaning will typically require disassembling your gun to clean each component.
If you regularly visit the shooting range with your gun, you should oil it at least once every two weeks to prevent rust. Gun owners that rarely fire their weapons should oil guns at least once a month. Regular oiling is especially crucial if you live in a humid area that promotes rust.
Hot-Bluing vs. Cold-Bluing
The correct answer to how to blue a gun depends on who you ask. That’s because several gun bluing techniques are available, including rust and fire bluing. However, among all the techniques, hot-bluing and cold-bluing are the most popular because you can do them at home.
Both methods improve a gun’s aesthetics, corrosion resistance, and life span, but hot-bluing delivers longer-lasting results. Keep reading for more on the differences between cold and hot-bluing.
Hot-Bluing a Gun
Gun bluing used to take days and require special equipment. Thanks to hot-bluing, you can now give your gun a beautiful blue-black finish within a couple of hours at home.
The hot-bluing process requires cleaning your gun’s parts before dipping them in a heated bluing solution. You will then rinse off the bluing solution and clean the gun. However, note that hot-bluing is best for steel and stainless steel guns.
Cold-Bluing a Gun
Unlike hot-bluing, you do not have to heat a solution to cold blue a gun. However, cold-bluing isn’t as durable as hot-bluing because friction against fabrics or other materials can rub it off. It also does not provide as much corrosion resistance as hot bluing.
Before cold-bluing your gun, you must clean, polish, degrease, and dry it. You will then apply the cold-bluing solution to your gun parts. After 12 hours, you can scrub the rust off the gun and reapply your bluing solution. You will repeat the cleaning and bluing process every 12 hours until you restore your gun to your satisfaction.
Since cold-bluing is not as durable as hot-bluing, we do not recommend it for restoring your whole weapon. Instead, hot blue your whole weapon and use cold-bluing to touch up scratches and small rust patches that may appear over time.
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How to Blue a Gun
Would you like to blue your gun? If so, below is a step-by-step guide on how to reblue a gun with the hot-bluing method:
1. Polish Your Gun Barrel
When you are ready to reblue your gun, the first thing to do is unload and disassemble your firearm. Then, polish the barrel and any other surfaces that have rust. You can also use this opportunity to scrub scratches or pits off the gun’s body.
We recommend using either 0000 steel wool or 600-grit sandpaper for the polishing. Grade 0000 steel wire wool can polish metal and dig out rust without damaging or marking the surface.
2. Cut a Good Length of Soft Wire for Your Gun Barrel
To dip your gun parts in a hot bluing solution, you will need some soft wire – about 20 inches long. You will tie one end of the wire to a gun part and hold the other end to immerse and suspend the gun part in the bluing solution.
3. Thread the Wire Through the Barrel
Insert the soft wire inside the gun barrel and bend the end into a hook when it comes out at the other end of the barrel. Doing this will prevent the barrel from sliding off the wire. You will need separate wires for the frame and slide. You can place smaller gun parts in a stainless steel basket, which you will lower into the bluing solution. Just remember not to blue your gun springs.
4. Submerge the Gun in Cleaning Solution
Wear protective gloves and submerge your gun parts in a cleaning solution for at least 15 minutes. Experts recommend using naphtha – a liquid hydrocarbon mixture. Alternatively, you could use sodium triphosphate or a product like Ballistol, FrogLube, or Hoppes Elite. Towards the end of your 15-minute soak, scrub the gun parts to remove stubborn bits of dirt, oil, or grease.
5. Rinse the Gun with Cold Water
After soaking your gun parts in the cleaning solution, take them out and wash off the cleaning solution with a mild dishwashing detergent. Then, thoroughly rinse off the detergent with water. Using cold water to remove all traces of detergent will take longer, while hot water will do the job faster and more thoroughly.
6. Heat the Bluing Liquid
Dry your rinsed gun components and set them aside. Pour your hot bluing solution into a pot or metal container that’s large enough to hold your gun. Stir the contents of the pot until there are no undissolved lumps. Place the pot over the stove and boil it until it reaches at least 275 degrees Fahrenheit or the temperature specified in the product instructions.
7. Dip the Gun Parts into the Solution
Hold each gun part by the attached soft wire and dip it into the bluing solution. If your pot isn’t large enough to contain all the gun parts at once, we recommend dipping one gun component at a time to avoid overcrowding within the container. Also, you must fully submerge each component to ensure that every part gets an even coating of the bluing solution.
As for your gun parts in a metal basket, submerge them and stir the basket to give each component an even bluing solution coating. Every component should stay in the hot bluing solution for 15 to 30 minutes. You can remove a gun part from the bluing solution when you are happy with its new blue-black coat.
8. Rinse the Gun Again in Cold Water
Wash off each gun part under cold water to remove any excess bluing solution clinging to the body.
9. Dip the Gun into Boiling Water
Transfer the freshly rinsed parts into a pot of clean boiling water. Submerge each component in the water for at least ten minutes to remove any bluing solution residue that may interfere with the gun’s performance.
Ornate parts may need to sit in hot water for up to 30 minutes to allow the water to penetrate and clean the crevices. If your gun has soldered parts, you may need to use a cotton swab to blue and clean those portions separately.
10. Soak the Gun in Oil
Take the gun parts out of the hot water and wipe them dry before submerging them in water-displacing oil. Let the parts soak in the oil for about an hour, then wipe them clean and assemble your gun. The oil will amplify the corrosion resistance of the new blue-black finish and protect your gun from damage caused by sweat, body oils, and other contaminants.
Blue Your Gun at Home!
Note that bluing is not suitable for every gun. For instance, hot or cold-bluing vintage guns can negatively affect the firearm’s value. Also, hot-bluing can damage guns with silver soldered components.
If you have a steel gun, restore your firearm with the simple gun bluing steps we provided above. It costs less time and money than paying a gunsmith to do it for you. Even better, you can use the same bluing technique to restore metal gun accessories, such as your silencer.
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Cold vs. hot bluing durability? Chemist in the house?
Originally Posted by Phil Thien Originally Posted by
I’ve done it.
This is a process by which you use an agent to rust the steel, and then you boil the rusted object in water.
It works, too. But I’m not convinced the later of rust left behind is any different than what is achieved by the other methods.
I’m beginning to think that they are all just different means to the same end. That is, the black oxide that is created is the same black oxide whether one uses the hot sales, the cold bluing, or the rust bluing.
But I may be nuts, and that is why I thought I’d ask.
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