Cold blue stainless steel?

cdoc42 · January 24, 2023, 01:55 PM

I have a blued barrel on a .22-250 A-Bolt/BOSS-muzzle brake and I received a BOSS replacement that is stainless steel and not a muzzle brake.

Can I cold blue the stainless steel device?

Bill DeShivs · January 24, 2023, 03:00 PM

No, you can't. There are "blackeners" for stainless, but they don't work well. You can paint it with one of the gun paints, but it won't hold up on a brake.
You could send the brake off for nitriding, or learn to live with the stainless.

jmr40 · January 24, 2023, 09:09 PM

IMO a stainless barrel and blue receiver look good together.

I have a factory Ruger like this. Looks good to me.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...t=0&ajaxserp=0

cdoc42 · January 24, 2023, 10:42 PM

jmr40, I can agree with you. I have a Winchester model 70 blue receiver with a Hart stainless barrel in 25-06. But I'm talking here about a blued barrel with a stainless BOSS device on the very end.

**Unclenick** · January 25, 2023, 12:19 PM

The cold stainless blackeners, as Bill said, are not impressive. Charcoal gray color at best. That said, it may be you'd be satisfied just to reduce the contrast a bit. But don't expect it to match real bluing.

In addition to those, there is a hot blacking salt solution that may work better. I haven't tried it, personally, but if you do, I'd be curious to learn what you think of it. A lot of trouble to go to, though, if you don't do hot bluing now.

ballardw · January 25, 2023, 04:44 PM

Not an expert by any definition but it may be time to mention there are many compositions under the term stainless steel and many chemical reactions, such as discoloration i.e. cold blue, depend on actual composition.

**Unclenick** · January 25, 2023, 04:48 PM

Yes. If you follow the link I put up, they name the various series of SS the chemistry works with.

cdoc42 · January 25, 2023, 05:42 PM

Thanks for the advice, but I should have waited a bit longer before starting this thread. If you travel over to the rifle thread labeled BOSS you'll read that my blue question related to having received, at no charge, an accidental (free) shipment of a BOSS that will more likely fit my 7mm RMAg, not the .22-250 I was after. That has immediately been resolved by the Browning staffer who advised he will send the .22-250. Since both are free of charge I now can play with the non-brake on the 7mm as well. Sorry for jumping the gun, so-to-speak, but any information offered in this format is worthwhile to someone!!

**4V50 Gary** · January 26, 2023, 09:46 AM

Better to paint it. Shake 'n bake!

ballardw · January 26, 2023, 11:19 AM

Powder coat??

**Unclenick** · January 26, 2023, 08:03 PM

Free correctly colored version from the manufacturer? Doesn't get better than that.

cdoc42 · January 26, 2023, 08:35 PM

This is a bit off the thread intent, but I have recently been impressed by the responsiveness of the reloading equipment manufacturers to inquiries about parts and availability. One quickly resolved an error in a part I purchased and two sent me replacements for parts that had worn out, all at no charge.

**44 AMP** · January 27, 2023, 01:25 PM

Stainless steel does rust. Not exactly the same way carbon steel does, but it does rust. StainLESS, not "stainfree".

Different alloys do it differently and take different amounts of time, and conditions but it can happen.

Where I used to work used quantities of "nuclear grade" stainless. Shop stock was stored outside on racks. It was all a uniform rusty brown on the outside, but only on the very outside surface, and that rust was a protective layer, once formed, it never went deeper into the alloy.

Theoretically since bluing is a controlled form of rust, stainless steel could be "blued" using the right combination of chemicals and processes, HOWEVER, getting the usual "gunmetal blue" is probably unlikely if even at all possible.

Glad you got your issue resolved, sounds like the maker did right by you.

**Unclenick** · January 27, 2023, 10:35 PM

Stainless can be rust-free if it is a correct formulation for the environment it is used in, and that environment isn't too extreme, and it has been passivated to remove traces of free iron left by machining or forming by steel tooling that is not stainless. Surgical tools and pins and wires and screws and joint implants won't rust inside the body, for example. The levels of salts and acids and pH values and temperatures in the body are well known and not extreme, so alloys that remain truly corrosion free in that environment can be selected for them. But all stainless steels have some conditions they can't withstand without corroding.

Schlitz 45 · January 29, 2023, 02:15 PM

I’ve used Steel FX products on a black powder project to give a color case hardened look that cam out great. They make a product for stainless steel too, just have to try it on a spot under the grips to see if it’s something you’d want to use.
https://steelfxpatinas.com/

tangolima · January 29, 2023, 04:08 PM

I blued a stainless steel screw by flaming it. It looked good but it didn't last long. Some said I need to repeat the process multiple times to build thick layer.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Bill DeShivs · January 29, 2023, 09:31 PM

See post #2.

January 24, 2023, 01:55 PM	#1
cdoc42 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,687	Cold blue stainless steel? I have a blued barrel on a .22-250 A-Bolt/BOSS-muzzle brake and I received a BOSS replacement that is stainless steel and not a muzzle brake. Can I cold blue the stainless steel device?

January 24, 2023, 09:09 PM	#3
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	IMO a stainless barrel and blue receiver look good together. I have a factory Ruger like this. Looks good to me. https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...t=0&ajaxserp=0 __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

January 25, 2023, 12:19 PM	#5
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,060	The cold stainless blackeners, as Bill said, are not impressive. Charcoal gray color at best. That said, it may be you'd be satisfied just to reduce the contrast a bit. But don't expect it to match real bluing. In addition to those, there is a hot blacking salt solution that may work better. I haven't tried it, personally, but if you do, I'd be curious to learn what you think of it. A lot of trouble to go to, though, if you don't do hot bluing now. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 25, 2023, 04:44 PM	#6
ballardw Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 1,411	Not an expert by any definition but it may be time to mention there are many compositions under the term stainless steel and many chemical reactions, such as discoloration i.e. cold blue, depend on actual composition. __________________ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ All data is flawed, some just less so.

January 25, 2023, 04:48 PM	#7
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,060	Yes. If you follow the link I put up, they name the various series of SS the chemistry works with. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 24, 2023, 03:00 PM	#2
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,980	No, you can't. There are "blackeners" for stainless, but they don't work well. You can paint it with one of the gun paints, but it won't hold up on a brake. You could send the brake off for nitriding, or learn to live with the stainless. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com Last edited by Bill DeShivs; January 26, 2023 at 02:10 PM.

January 24, 2023, 10:42 PM	#4
cdoc42 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,687	jmr40, I can agree with you. I have a Winchester model 70 blue receiver with a Hart stainless barrel in 25-06. But I'm talking here about a blued barrel with a stainless BOSS device on the very end.

January 25, 2023, 05:42 PM	#8
cdoc42 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,687	Thanks for the advice, but I should have waited a bit longer before starting this thread. If you travel over to the rifle thread labeled BOSS you'll read that my blue question related to having received, at no charge, an accidental (free) shipment of a BOSS that will more likely fit my 7mm RMAg, not the .22-250 I was after. That has immediately been resolved by the Browning staffer who advised he will send the .22-250. Since both are free of charge I now can play with the non-brake on the 7mm as well. Sorry for jumping the gun, so-to-speak, but any information offered in this format is worthwhile to someone!!

January 26, 2023, 09:46 AM	#9
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,831	Better to paint it. Shake 'n bake! __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

January 26, 2023, 11:19 AM	#10
ballardw Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 1,411	Powder coat?? __________________ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ All data is flawed, some just less so.

January 26, 2023, 08:03 PM	#11
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,060	Free correctly colored version from the manufacturer? Doesn't get better than that. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 26, 2023, 08:35 PM	#12
cdoc42 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,687	This is a bit off the thread intent, but I have recently been impressed by the responsiveness of the reloading equipment manufacturers to inquiries about parts and availability. One quickly resolved an error in a part I purchased and two sent me replacements for parts that had worn out, all at no charge.

January 27, 2023, 01:25 PM	#13
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,811	Stainless steel does rust. Not exactly the same way carbon steel does, but it does rust. StainLESS, not "stainfree". Different alloys do it differently and take different amounts of time, and conditions but it can happen. Where I used to work used quantities of "nuclear grade" stainless. Shop stock was stored outside on racks. It was all a uniform rusty brown on the outside, but only on the very outside surface, and that rust was a protective layer, once formed, it never went deeper into the alloy. Theoretically since bluing is a controlled form of rust, stainless steel could be "blued" using the right combination of chemicals and processes, HOWEVER, getting the usual "gunmetal blue" is probably unlikely if even at all possible. Glad you got your issue resolved, sounds like the maker did right by you. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

January 27, 2023, 10:35 PM	#14
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,060	Stainless can be rust-free if it is a correct formulation for the environment it is used in, and that environment isn't too extreme, and it has been passivated to remove traces of free iron left by machining or forming by steel tooling that is not stainless. Surgical tools and pins and wires and screws and joint implants won't rust inside the body, for example. The levels of salts and acids and pH values and temperatures in the body are well known and not extreme, so alloys that remain truly corrosion free in that environment can be selected for them. But all stainless steels have some conditions they can't withstand without corroding. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 29, 2023, 02:15 PM	#15
Schlitz 45 Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2018 Location: Colorado Posts: 384	I’ve used Steel FX products on a black powder project to give a color case hardened look that cam out great. They make a product for stainless steel too, just have to try it on a spot under the grips to see if it’s something you’d want to use. https://steelfxpatinas.com/

January 29, 2023, 04:08 PM	#16
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,813	I blued a stainless steel screw by flaming it. It looked good but it didn't last long. Some said I need to repeat the process multiple times to build thick layer. -TL Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

January 29, 2023, 09:31 PM	#17
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,980	See post #2. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

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