Cold bluing solution options

Clay Huntin' Canuck said:

This is a good video on cold bluing, going to try it myself when the weather finally warm up down here, going to try using heat seal bags. It will make sense if you watch the vid.
Click to expand...
Ok, so this guy is for the most part a hack, and I still feel that cold blue is for touch-ups and screw heads....
BUT, his tip about using watered down solution in a bag is awesome!
I just finished machining some agricultural parts(tools) for a customer.
After I was done I used a partial bottle of Outers blue that I didn't like very much, dumped it in a large zip lock bag with about a cup of water, and sloshed the parts around for about 3-4 minutes.
It gave the very best colour and build that I have ever gotten from cold blue.
Absolutely amazing!
 
Must be the zeitgeist, but when he had to mention that you could do this on your own guns without a gunsmith license, he nailed the innate British and Canuckian sense of deference to law, rules, regulations that's been baked into us for generations.

"Is it legal for me to put my shotgun barrel in a bag and pour chemicals on it, or will I be jailed for unlicensed gunsmithing?"

We were wolves once, to borrow a phrase.

Anyway I was going to try making some hand tools and bluing the finish, for flat parts his way seems perfect. I marinate meat in a ziplock bag, so it's familiar anyway LOL
 
Jonnyofalltrades said:
Ok, so this guy is for the most part a hack, and I still feel that cold blue is for touch-ups and screw heads....
BUT, his tip about using watered down solution in a bag is awesome!
I just finished machining some agricultural parts(tools) for a customer.
After I was done I used a partial bottle of Outers blue that I didn't like very much, dumped it in a large zip lock bag with about a cup of water, and sloshed the parts around for about 3-4 minutes.
It gave the very best colour and build that I have ever gotten from cold blue.
Absolutely amazing!
Click to expand...
Did you take any pictures of the results?
 
I was told by a buddy, years ago, and since had it confirmed by another amateur gunsmith that if you can heat the parts to be blued the cold blue will take better. In my next project, I plan to take the parts that I'm bluing, put them on paper towel in an aluminum baking dish in the oven and heat at 150 until I can just handle the parts comfortably. I want to see if the results match the information I was given.
 
LawrenceN said:
I was told by a buddy, years ago, and since had it confirmed by another amateur gunsmith that if you can heat the parts to be blued the cold blue will take better. In my next project, I plan to take the parts that I'm bluing, put them on paper towel in an aluminum baking dish in the oven and heat at 150 until I can just handle the parts comfortably. I want to see if the results match the information I was given.
Click to expand...
Being a water based process, why not just use boiling water or just off at 185°F or so?
 
LawrenceN said:
I was told by a buddy, years ago, and since had it confirmed by another amateur gunsmith that if you can heat the parts to be blued the cold blue will take better. In my next project, I plan to take the parts that I'm bluing, put them on paper towel in an aluminum baking dish in the oven and heat at 150 until I can just handle the parts comfortably. I want to see if the results match the information I was given.
Click to expand...
I use picture hanging wire and loop it through whatever I'm bluing.
Eliminates oily fingerprints or dirt from gloves.
I use pliers to grab the wires and transfer it to the garage and hang it on whatever is handy.
 
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