Oil quenching blueing?
I was told by quenching or sinking a hot steel piece in a mixture of oil winth kerosene I can get a fast blueing result. I did it and it works. Just hot enough to don't get it red and inmediatly at the oil. I have done it with just small parts as front sights or screws. Any opinion about? Thanks.
That's all.
That's all.
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Yes, this has been done for years. I use it on screws usually to both temper them and leave a durable blue finish. I don't add kerosene though, just non-detergent motor oil 
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Chewbaca
Can you explain this process in further detail. I would like to try it out.
Thanks,
Pete0 -
Heat the screw up till it is dull red then put it in oil, it'll leave a dark blue finish on the screw 0 -
JUST A NOTE TO THE ABOVE, THIS IS OK WITH NONCRITCAL SCREWS/PINS ECT. BUT DO NOT TRY IT WITH ANY MAJOR PARTS AS IT WILL REMOVE ANY HEAT TREATMENT AND LEAVE THE PART DEAD SOFT! 0 -
DITTO WISKEY's post...it is important
OK for misc screws, trim, etc., but limit it to that.
If you want to blue any heat treated components you could consider a rust blue procedure. If you really need it to look good, go to a pro.0 -
quote:Originally posted by MIKE WISKEY
JUST A NOTE TO THE ABOVE, THIS IS OK WITH NONCRITCAL SCREWS/PINS ECT. BUT DO NOT TRY IT WITH ANY MAJOR PARTS AS IT WILL REMOVE ANY HEAT TREATMENT AND LEAVE THE PART DEAD SOFT!
Yes, excellent point. Only use it on trim screws and such. Any load bearing screw may be altered by the change in temper
Love them Beavers
Keeping the "Hairy League" in check since 19480 -
According to my modest metal working skills the temperature raised is not enough for hardening the steel, but good enough for softening it besides get a nice blue color. Most of the steel used in bolts placed for keeping the steel parts together have some level of tempering.
Breech0 -
The info about blueing is OK but some of the rest of it can be misleading. I have made dozens of springs and just to satisfy curiosity or whatever I did a couple of experiments. First I took a piece of Clock Spring Steel SAE 1095 1/16" thick, 3/8" wide and heated it to a dull red as suggested and quenched it in SAE 30 oil. The result is pretty much a spring temper, almost file-able and quite a good spring. The other was a similar size piece of spring that comes in those packets of various size and width of spring steel that gunsmith supply houses sell. Same test but it came out soft and ductile. The moral, if any, is that carbon content and temperature (heat color) cause different results when quenched.
Clock Spring steel heated to a bright red and quenched in oil or water will be glass hard and glass brittle and has to be tempered to be a spring. Same for other spring carbon steels. Clock Spring steel must be quenched in oil to prevent crack propagation. Lesser carbon content steels are usually water quenched.
To make a spring, I heat the completed but soft spring to a bright red and quench it in oil. Then I place it in a flat metal dish just big enough for the spring, bridging the open jaws of my vise, put in about quarter or half teaspoon of the oil and heat it from below. When the oil begins to vaporize play the torch on it momentarily to let it catch fire. Keep a little heat on from below till the oil all burns away. Let it cool in air. In a few minutes I brush it clean with a wire brush and install it to check it out.
I have used this on springs made from my supply of Clock Spring, from old knife blades, saw blades and files. I haven't had a spring failure in 30 years or so.
Been there, Done that!0 -
I'll start experimenting this Weekend. Thanks rhmc24....[:D]
Breech0 -
WHAT RHMC24 SAID IS VERY TRUE, EACH TYPE OF STEEL HAS IT'S OUN 'CRITICAL' TEMP. FOR BOTH HARDENING AND TEMPERING. BUT ANY HEAT THAT WILL CHANGE THE STEELS COLOR WILL ALSO CHANGE THE TEMPER. THE LUGERS 'STRAW' COLORED EJECTOR AND SPRINGS ARE CAUSED BY 'DRAWING THE TEMPER' AFTER HARDENING, THE SAME FOR THE M-98 MAUSERS BLUE/PURPLE COLORED EJECTOR AND MAG. SPRINGS. 0
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