LIQUID GUN BLUE - CHEMISTRY

INTERPOLATE · Feb 5, 2004

Greetings group.
Does anyone know anything about the chemical make-up of gun blue?
I have used it for years to identify stainless steel(a little bit on the end of a needle). Finally someone asked me questions about it and I had no idea.
Is there another way to quickly identify whether something is stainless steel or not?
Thanks!
DJ

Kurt Westfall · Feb 5, 2004

What grade are you working with? The 300's are not magnetic, but the 400's are.

INTERPOLATE · Feb 5, 2004

400 series.

Barry Briscoe · Feb 6, 2004

I believe one of the main ingredients is listed as selenium dioxide if you look on a bottle of instant blueing mixture,but it also has nitric acid and water which reacts with the selenium dioxide to form selenious acid that reacts with many metals.Selenium is also poisonous.

[This message has been edited by Barry Briscoe (edited 02-05-2004).]

Fred T · Feb 6, 2004

Interp
Look in the machinists handbook, I think it is in there.
Fred T

Barry Briscoe · Feb 6, 2004

Angiers "Firearms Bluing and Browning" book has information on making your own solutions if you are interested in that.I bought one from Brownell's years ago,they probally still sell them or buy at Dixie Gun Works below,or eBay.

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=1862

Steve Steven · Feb 9, 2004

Liquid gun blue is a two step process, the fitst deposits a very thin copper layer from copper sulfate (the blue color ) and the copper is immediately turned black by the selenium in the solution. It must have free iron on the surface for the copper and the iron to swap so the copper plates onto the iron.

Steve

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