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Bluing steel

In order to "blue" steel, what type of oil (if any) should be used? Am I correct in assuming an "oily rag" would be sufficient to do the job? What temperature does the steel need to be in order to obtain the best effect?

Pierre Charbonneau
- Limehouse, Ontario, Canada
2002

2002

Pierre,

Regular "hot" bluing is done with a caustic soda ⇦liquid caustic soda in bulk on Amazon [affil link] solution (or others) of around 300 °F. Some "case hardening" is done by heating the metal and quenching in oil, but this will normally produce various colors on the metal. I hope this helps.

Ed Kay
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA

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