Looking through a lathe site I found this small idea
Bluing salts - there is little else that can impart a really professional look to a job than a carefully blued finish. I have tried a couple of the
cold-bluing preparations on the market and, having been less than impressed with the result (never mind their toxicity), I have reverted to hot-bluing
salts - which proved hard to find. After looking at the various recipes and concoctions listed in ‘Machinery’s Handbook’ and Angrier’s ‘Bluing of
Firearms’, it would appear that ‘saltpetre’ is the stuff. Even better is the fact that it could probably be obtained from Boots or any good chemist;
it gives the true "nitre-blue" finish that I crave but if you try it, please be under no illusion that in use, these molten salts are
ten-times HOT and if spilled can burn you very seriously. This is a real leather-gauntlet and goggles’ operation.
What do you lads think? Could make the headers look better
tinted glasses?
From memory Saltpetre is Potassium Nitrate.
Mix with equal parts of Sulphur and Charcoal, and hey presto.. you get gun (Black) powder
Shouldnt be too hard to get hold of.
Or just scrape off your neighbours brick walls and refine a little. Its the white powder you see on brick walls.
Most gun blues are for steel. Stainless has a high nickel content, not sure of it will work very well on that.
Most guns that were nickel or stainless parts were never blued, only the steel ones.
If its stainless pipes, just buff up with a polishing mop and some soap bar (polishing meduim) say from Shesto.com or similar.
Dont think this helps much.
[Edited on 2/6/2007 by wilkingj]
Ive seen some very expensive bike cans done in stainless with this very finish so thats what has got me wondering.
It looks real nice so who's first to try it
'n boer maak 'n plan - so if you're true to your roots go for it. We will be watching for the results.
quote 'n boer maak 'n plan - so if you're true to your roots go for it. We will be watching for the results.
Ya Boet........ONS SAL MAAK A PLAN!
1) I don't think 'blueing' will work on stainless steel. That's why it's called stainless. None of the traditional gun
blueing methods do anyway. (Ex-armourer).
2) Saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur do make black powder, but not when mixed in equal proportions.
3) Those pretty coloured bike cans are titanium not stainless.
quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.
1) I don't think 'blueing' will work on stainless steel. That's why it's called stainless. None of the traditional gun blueing methods do anyway. (Ex-armourer).
2) Saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur do make black powder, but not when mixed in equal proportions.
3) Those pretty coloured bike cans are titanium not stainless.
Do what you want to them, first time they get hot they will change colour. They go a nice gold colour if they get to the right temperature, then they go purple and then they go brown. You can polish them back to stainless but they will still temper with heat.
Ceramic coat them. I keeps the heat in (hp+), doesn't ruin your pipes like wrapping them does, and many ceramic coaters now have multiple
interesting finishes. I like the chrome-like finish, for a fraction the cost of actual chroming.
-Scot