Is it possible to hot blue a gun at home? I have seen the cold blue/plum brown used but not the hot process....I am not sure what that even is
Is it possible to hot blue a gun at home? I have seen the cold blue/plum brown used but not the hot process....I am not sure what that even is
mmm I have a spare shed but will pass for now. Having said that I would still like to know the process if there is one someone on here has done
Hot bluing involves heating the polished gun in a strongly alkaline bath containing caustic soda and certain oxdising agents. It gives the deep ebony black found on modern guns, although it is possible to get a bluer black if you known a "secret" recipe.
I have been home hot bluing airguns at sporadic intervals for almost thirty years (mainly pistols, but a few rifles), so it is perfectly feasible if you take extreme care in handlng the chemicals. After a couple of dodgy starts I have never had any problems with uneven finish, and it can be a very forgiving process compared to other types of bluing.
The important thing for the small scale hobbyist is to have a container just big enough to take what you want to blue, and so keep the volume of bluing solution to the absolute minimum. Then when you have finished a job you can easily transfer the solution to a plastic container and store it indefinitely and safely until the next time. Degreasing is also straightforward, and again using the right shape and size solvent soaking bath in order to keep solvent volume to a minimum is the order of the day. You also need one or two small electric hotplates and a stainless steel meat thermometer. Everything you need is purchasable from fleabay.
The hard part is getting a reliable chemical bath recipe and heating sequence, which I can help with if you are interested.
The really hard part is dealing with your first serious caustic burn and the skin grafts you’ll need.
I still have a 1/2” deep hole in my leg after the repair work
Be very careful.
A man can always use more alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
Thanks for the reply and information cd but my skill levels are nowhere near what is required for this. I applaud anyone who can do this sort of thing though-it sounds like alchemy!
It must be so satisfying to be able to resurrect old guns.... they look amazing
I just got a droplet inside a boot, at 140 degrees the temperature burns the skin and nerves away so the caustic element can burn away for in my case hours with no pain at all....
Later I found a 1/2” deep black hole in my leg
The burns unit apparently amputate a couple of feet a year from concrete inside people’s boots which does the same.
Full PPE and neutralising solution handy every time....
A man can always use more alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
Oooh, Richard that sounds very nasty. At least acids let you know when they are on your skin. I certainly wouldn't like to take on commercial scale hot alkali bluing, and anyone who does deserves every penny they can get.
Had a play today with my first attempt at hot bluing and I can report back I have not suffered any chemical burns and have a partial sucess, its not as blue as i would have liked but its a manky old meteor barrel that was painted so sanded it down and gave it a bath!
Hopefully once i have the buffing set up things will improve but its still better than a cold blue and I now have a bit more info to get going. Still a way off putting something i care about in the blue so might have to start on the stock!
Oh also did the button I made up for the superstar and it came out ok. Everything is currently dosed in oil.