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Cold Blue

This topic has 24 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 28 November 2019 at 16:16 by John MC.

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17 March 2019 at 15:20 #400827
Chris Short 1
Participant
@chrisshort1
i would like to cold blue some of the workshop tools I have made

What make of solution do you recommend from your own experience and where can I get it from

thanks
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17 March 2019 at 15:20 #16071
Chris Short 1
Participant
@chrisshort1
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17 March 2019 at 15:39 #400832
Mick B1
Participant
@mickb1
The best I found was G96 gun bluing paste. Wash everything in very hot detergent water and apply the paste whilst metal's still hot to the touch. Small paintbrush works quite well. Wash off thoroughly and oil up lightly. Wear rubber gloves throughout.

There's also KoldBlak. I found that worked, but less well, and more faffing.

Edited By Mick B1 on 17/03/2019 15:39:45
17 March 2019 at 16:55 #400848
Plasma
Participant
@plasma
I have a few old tools that have a really decorative pattern of blueing.

They look like the marbled paper you see in expensive books.

I've often wondered how that was done as it looks so effective.
17 March 2019 at 17:11 #400854
AdrianR
Participant
@adrianr18614
Have you read the wiki page It describes several methods, one, Colour Case Hardening sounds like it could be your marbled paper effect.
18 November 2019 at 23:01 #437888
Lainchy
Participant
@lainchy
Just found this thread… I was interested myself in some bluing, mainly for small tools I make.

…found Abbey Blu Gel on eBay, less than £10 which is what I wanted to spend. I'm not saying it's the answer to all bluing… but for small items, it worked for me.

Clean the part well with 99% IPA… coat, wait, rinse. Repeat 3 times. Works well and is dead easy.
19 November 2019 at 07:24 #437899
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Lainchy on 18/11/2019 23:01:02:

Just found this thread… I was interested myself in some bluing, mainly for small tools I make.

…found Abbey Blu Gel on eBay, less than £10 which is what I wanted to spend. I'm not saying it's the answer to all bluing… but for small items, it worked for me.

Clean the part well with 99% IPA… coat, wait, rinse. Repeat 3 times. Works well and is dead easy.

.

That sounds very promising … Thanks for the reference.

I realise that this is a rather subjective question, but:

How durable would you say it is ?

MichaelG.
19 November 2019 at 08:57 #437914
Mick B1
Participant
@mickb1
Posted by Michael Gilligan on 19/11/2019 07:24:05:

Posted by Lainchy on 18/11/2019 23:01:02:

Just found this thread… I was interested myself in some bluing, mainly for small tools I make.

…found Abbey Blu Gel on eBay, less than £10 which is what I wanted to spend. I'm not saying it's the answer to all bluing… but for small items, it worked for me.

Clean the part well with 99% IPA… coat, wait, rinse. Repeat 3 times. Works well and is dead easy.

.

That sounds very promising … Thanks for the reference.

I realise that this is a rather subjective question, but:

How durable would you say it is ?

MichaelG.

I think that depends to a considerable extent on conditions. In a dryish place with reasonably stable temperatures and an occasional wipe from an oily rag, it should be good if the layer was sound in the first place.

If you look at the cannon in my album, that was made in 2002 and blued with G96 paste after unsatisfactory results with some liquid cold blues. The photo dates from 2005, and it looks the same today.
19 November 2019 at 09:26 #437920
Lainchy
Participant
@lainchy
Posted by Michael Gilligan on 19/11/2019 07:24:05:

Posted by Lainchy on 18/11/2019 23:01:02:

Just found this thread… I was interested myself in some bluing, mainly for small tools I make.

…found Abbey Blu Gel on eBay, less than £10 which is what I wanted to spend. I'm not saying it's the answer to all bluing… but for small items, it worked for me.

Clean the part well with 99% IPA… coat, wait, rinse. Repeat 3 times. Works well and is dead easy.

.

That sounds very promising … Thanks for the reference.

I realise that this is a rather subjective question, but:

How durable would you say it is ?

MichaelG.

Not sure Michael tbh, it's mainly aesthetic for me, and I guess a lot would depend on the surface hardness. The piece I did as a test isn't hardened… it's just a die guide for a tail stock chuck, but it has finished nice. I'm expecting it to provide "some" rust resistance, but only combined with a thin covering of oil. I think I paid £8.55, so at this price, it was worth a shot (pardon the pun)
19 November 2019 at 09:34 #437921
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Thanks for that, Lainchy … I’ve already ordered some, anyway.

MichaelG.
19 November 2019 at 10:18 #437927
KEITH BEAUMONT
Participant
@keithbeaumont45476
Hi Plama,

That rainbow marbled finish was obtained by immersing in a molten Sodium Cyanide bath at a high temperature for a few minutes and then a rapid quench in water. This caused a bang and sprayed water all over the place.. The Cyanide was in the size and shape of pidgeon eggs before being molten. I think the process also gave some case hardening to the item.. When I was an apprentice Patternmaker at Drummond Bros, the hardening shop was opposite ours and had the only running water to wash hands etc, for several hundred yards, so we were in there frequently.. I bet the Cyanide process would turn the hair grey of a modern H&S person.

Keith
19 November 2019 at 10:19 #437928
Lainchy
Participant
@lainchy
No probs Michael.

If you don't have 99% IPA and some protective gloves… source them too. I've seen some youtube videos online, and they all say that it's vitally important that it's 100% degreased. I did the following….

degrease,

apply with a tissue (or brush which is probably easier) and wait 15 seconds or so

rinse (remember that your sink might be metal! – although I think this risk is low)

dry

repeat twice more starting degrease again, so three coats in all, then oil.
19 November 2019 at 10:31 #437929
Lainchy
Participant
@lainchy
… Great info by the way Keith! I sometimes wonder if H&S is a little over the top, but in the case of that…. I'm sure it would be welcomed!
19 November 2019 at 19:20 #438016
Stueeee
Participant
@stueeee
I've had good results using this stuff Weblink It's also available in a bottle, but I've found that the product in a tube keeps better, I've had the same tube for several years now, still works OK for blueing the odd thumbscrew etc.
19 November 2019 at 19:20 #438017
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
I used to have some Jenolite(?) Koldblak/Koolblak(?) gel in a tube, it worked well on steel and less well on brass. I used it to black the brass chanins for my crane and found I had to leave the chain to soak for several hours, but they still look black.

Neil
19 November 2019 at 21:09 #438045
Hollowpoint
Participant
@hollowpoint
I agree with mick. I used to be well into my shooting and g96 is the best, and I've tried plenty. Parts need to be spotless before blueing. Washing with ordinary Wasing up liquid and warm water works for me. Then oil or rub over with renaissance wax.
19 November 2019 at 22:16 #438051
Vic
Participant
@vic
I’ve used Gun Blue liquids like Birchwood Casey with some success on small parts.
20 November 2019 at 07:58 #438071
Kevin Murrell
Participant
@kevinmurrell62078
I've had repeated good results from the kit I bought from Caswell. Notes and pictures here:

**LINK**

Kevin
20 November 2019 at 13:44 #438116
Alan Johnson 7
Participant
@alanjohnson7
Virgin Flaxseed Oil (Linseed Oil) gives a nice durable finish to workshop tools. Clean the tools, rub it on, and bake in a domestic oven. No bad smells either!
20 November 2019 at 15:49 #438120
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Michael Gilligan on 19/11/2019 09:34:08:

Thanks for that, Lainchy … I’ve already ordered some, anyway.

.

Ordered yesterday, at a very reasonable price … and arrived this morning.

Fantastic service from: **LINK**

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Abbey-Blu-Gel-Blueing-Gun-Metal-Barrel-Blue-Liquid-Shotgun-Rifle-Airgun-75gm/262286134180

MichaelG.
20 November 2019 at 16:17 #438124
ega
Participant
@ega
Posted by Alan Johnson 7 on 20/11/2019 13:44:16:

Virgin Flaxseed Oil (Linseed Oil) gives a nice durable finish to workshop tools. Clean the tools, rub it on, and bake in a domestic oven. No bad smells either!

Is that the same as raw as opposed to boiled linseed?

An attractive idea as long as the workpiece is not held together with Loctite.
20 November 2019 at 19:17 #438140
Mike Woods 1
Participant
@mikewoods1
There is another blacking process that uses no nasty/toxic/expensive chemicals. Rather than write a long explanation, here is a link to a youtube video which covers the process. It is a little more involved than chemical blacking, but very effective. This is one of the old gunsmithing processes and I have read the coating is more durable than off the shelf DIY stuff. I have used this on several bits and pieces and it is very good. The main ingredient, hydrogen peroxide, can be bought in most chemists, but it is 3% strength. You can buy 12% Strength peroxide on the internet, or from industrial cleaning suppliers. 3% works, but not as vigorously as the 12%.

I know this sounds wrong for anybody with an engineering mind, but it is fascinating watching bright steel rust before your eyes.

Forgot to add safety warning – don't let Domestic Management Executive catch you using her saucepans for this. No amount of PPE will protect you.

Edited By Mike Woods 1 on 20/11/2019 19:26:38
21 November 2019 at 02:24 #438171
Alan Johnson 7
Participant
@alanjohnson7
COLD PRESSED VIRGIN FLAXSEED OIL (linseed oil) is written on the bottle. The 250mL bottle I have was purchased in the supermarket. It was made by made in Australia by Biogenic Health Foods, and is "rich in Omega 3," but I don't know if it is "raw" or "boiled."
21 November 2019 at 21:21 #438281
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Many years ago when i was just starting out I discovered I could black thins by heating steel until it oxidised, then applying jenolite to convert it to phosphate.

Neil
28 November 2019 at 16:16 #439256
John MC
Participant
@johnmc39344
On the strength of the recommendations in this thread I bought some Abbey Blu Gel to touch up some scratches on a blued surface, worked well.

Then decided to try it on something larger. I had just stripped down a floating reamer holder I made many years ago, it felt a bit "gravelly" so in need of a clean. The photos show the Knurled ring I blued.

It took four coats to get a nice even finish. First coat seemed to make it go rusty! Each subsequent coat improved the appearance. I found applying with a brush and gently scrubbing the surface gave best results. It was somewhat more difficult to get an even finish on the knurled surface.

It will be interesting to see how durable the finish is.

John
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