ken98k Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 I was working on a rusty large ring receiver and decided to try a product called "Iron Out". It's normally used for removing rust stains from laundry, toilets, and for treating water softeners. I mixed a quarter cup in a gallon of warm water and let the receiver soak for 30 minutes. When I removed the receiver, the areas I had preveously stoned or sanded had turned a dark blue / black. Is anyone familiar with this? Kenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimro Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 The sodium metabisulfite could oxidize iron to the Fe3O4 oxidation state and be reduced to sodium hydrosulfite along the lines of this reaction... 2S2O6 + 3Fe => S2O4 + Fe3O4 But don't quote me on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doble Troble Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Try a couple of passes and then oil it. Maybe you're on to something. I wonder if having some rusted metal is required for the blackening to occur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken98k Posted April 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Try a couple of passes and then oil it. Maybe you're on to something. I wonder if having some rusted metal is required for the blackening to occur? The blackening occred most noticeably on the clean, bright, areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doble Troble Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Did the rust from other areas leave? All the cold blue solution recipes that I've seen contain iron, and I agree with Jimro that its likely an iron oxide that is producing the black color. The question is, where did the iron come from? Does "Iron Out" contain iron? If not it must have come from the receiver, either from the rust that was already there, in which case it may be difficult to blacken a rust-free part, or maybe from the surface of the polished steel itself, in which case it might make a good bluing solution. Can you post a picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken98k Posted April 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Did the rust from other areas leave? All the cold blue solution recipes that I've seen contain iron, and I agree with Jimro that its likely an iron oxide that is producing the black color. The question is, where did the iron come from? Does "Iron Out" contain iron? If not it must have come from the receiver, either from the rust that was already there, in which case it may be difficult to blacken a rust-free part, or maybe from the surface of the polished steel itself, in which case it might make a good bluing solution. Can you post a picture? I'm hot sure where the iron came from, most likely from the rust. Too late to post photos as I followed the Iron out with Navel Jelly and a Brillow pad. I'm going to experiment again, this time using a small pieces of steel just to see what happens. Kenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 I've been in Missouri too long. I just had to try it. So I bought a jug, and applied it to the cylinder with a rag, not submerged. Best I've come up with is a graying. Project is a snubnose 38 that is in sore need of beautifying. I may work on it some more tomorrow, submerging it if I can figure out how to disassemble it completely. If I submerge the whole pistol, should I plug the barrel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest_kenak2_* Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 I've been in Missouri too long. I just had to try it. So I bought a jug, and applied it to the cylinder with a rag, not submerged. Best I've come up with is a graying. Project is a snubnose 38 that is in sore need of beautifying. I may work on it some more tomorrow, submerging it if I can figure out how to disassemble it completely. If I submerge the whole pistol, should I plug the barrel? I think you should plug the barrel with a couple tapered wooden plugs. Better safe than sorry. Kenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doble Troble Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Greying is they typical result of a first pass of cold bluing. Try it a few more times and report back. Plugging is a good idea, but not always completely effective. I've stayed out of trouble with rifle barrels by running clean patches through after boiling. Is there any fox-red rust showing-up? Or is it immediately grey/black? Maybe this could pan-out as a method to rust blue without the boiling and carding steps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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