steel browning with vinegar

[Z320]

Hi,

who did steel browning with vinegar and has own experience for me, please.

The steel is a J235 pipe and 2 pieces of machinery steel.

Cheers, Marco

Edited November 6 by Z320

[RogerH]

Hi Marco

there is quite a lot of items on Google and UTube

Browning

 

Roger

[john.r.davies]

Please will someone explain?     "steel browning with vinegar" is encouraging the metal to rust!  The brown is iron oxide, Fe2O3, rust!

Whereas 'blueing' covers the metal with magnetite (Fe3O4) instead of rust, which gives the surface some resistance to rusting.

John

Edited November 6 by john.r.davies

[RobH]

Explained here:

https://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/2010/08/metal-treatments-browning-and-bluing.html

 

[Lebro]

Selenium dioxide used fore gun blueing, used it many times, in the form of a paste.

Bob

[john.r.davies]

6 hours ago, RobH said:

Explained here:

https://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/2010/08/metal-treatments-browning-and-bluing.html

 

Thank you Rob!.. But quote frim  that site: "The process of browning is the older process and has been known for centuries, even before firearms were invented. "

 I do think that we have made some  technical progress since then!

Please, Marco?  Tell us why you want to make your nice clean steel rusty?

John

[RobH]

26 minutes ago, john.r.davies said:

I do think that we have made some  technical progress since then!

Indeed John - it's called plating, but that involves some nasty chemicals which are hard to get and is difficult to do at home without the right apparatus.  'Rust-and-oil' is easy and cheap . 

[Lebro]

And that's the way it is !

[Z320]

I want to make it black, but not painted.
I started a test with vinigar 25%, reduced 12.5%, 6.0% and from my wifes kitchen 5%.

After 4 hours, looks lovely gray, but needs some more time

Edited November 7 by Z320

[Z320]

9 more hours the pipe in vinigar with 25% acid is black,

but only outside, not inside and not on prepared or drilled surfaces….

[RogerH]

Hi Marco

you need to keep the solution moving through any holes etc.

The ac tive ingredient will wear out quickly in any one position and so needs to be replaced regularly by stirring.

 

Roger

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

1 hour ago, Z320 said:

9 more hours the pipe in vinigar with 25% acid is black,

but only outside, not inside and not on prepared or drilled surfaces….

How did you clean or degrease the component prior to the blacking process?

[Z320]

39 minutes ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

How did you clean or degrease the component prior to the blacking process?

test no 1 was without any treatment, I show photo later

[Charlie D]

Marko,

Back in the 1960's I played around with anodising aluminium. I remember reading that first you put the item in some chemical which gave a grey finish and then you immersed it in a coloured dye, but I'm not sure what type of dye. That way you could make the finish whatever colour you wanted.

Maybe black "Dylon" would work.

Charlie

[Waldi]

Hi Marco,

I used to work for some time at Widia, and we “blackened” the multi-toolbit holders for milling machines (used in automotive industry for example with a salt bath treatment, with also gave some protection against corrosion. This was on Cr-Mo-V steel but it would work on any ferritic steel.

Google: “metal black with salt bath”

Waldi

[Z320]

Thanks Waldi,

I will have a look for that way of browning.

What I do is making the surface black, what is calles "brünieren" at Germany, this is what I translated with "browning", sorry for this irritation.

This are the first results after 24 h in vinigar, please notice the spot on the pipe where oxygene was involved.

A closer look shows, the pipe is getting grey inside, but very gentle...

Next experiment is with some heat added,

reminds my to my wife, she wants to go out this evening for the first Glühwein this year.

No worry, the lid is slack, not locked.

Ciao, Marco

Edited November 7 by Z320

[Z320]

Heat changed everything

the total surface is nicely black.

But - sadly the black finish does not allow any touching

A treatment with oil changes nothing, test finished