Thread: Bluing Steel

I've rust blued a few, and I like both the appearance and the protection the bluing gives. Never cold blued a whole blade, but I have cold blued tangs and such, I think cold bluing is fine for that, and I think it gives some rust protection for the tang. Theres a recipe for a low temp hot blue on here. Never tried that, but others have.

Heres the low temp one--

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...g-recipie.html

I'm going to try that one day.

Thread I started some time back--

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ed-blades.html

As mentioned, biggest problem with rust bluing is cleaning and keeping it clean. You need to sand them to give the rust a place to grab, then completely degrease and handle with gloves until the process is over. Any grease will mess you up, including from fingerprints.

Well, actually, your biggest problem might be humidity if you live someplace where its low. You could build one of those bluing cabinets they talk about, but I'd just do it in the kitchen and boil some water every few hours. Or use a humidifier.