Container For Hot Bluing Mix

[savarin]

I've been looking for a tall but narrow stainless or enamel container to boil a mix of caustic and sodium nitrate mix for some hot bluing salts to no avail.
Can a tall steel tin be used without it corroding and eventually leaking?

 

[silence dogood]

Just a thought, don't chemists use glass beakers or test tubes made out of Plexiglas.

 

[francist]

Just a thought, don't chemists use glass beakers or test tubes made out of Plexiglas.

Pretty sure you're thinking of "Pyrex", not plexiglas.

-frank

 

[silence dogood]

Pretty sure you're thinking of "Pyrex", not plexiglas.

-frank

Red face department, Frank you are right. I meant Pyrex. As my dad joke and use to say, "Do what I mean, not what I say".

 

[RJSakowski]

If you are looking at bluing gun barrels, take a look at stainless pipe on e bay. Weld a piece of plate on one end to make your cvontainer. If you haven't got access to welding, get threaded pipe and an end cap.

 

[Tony Wells]

I knew a guy who took some schedule 6" 80 PVC, glued caps on it, then split it down the middle on his table saw. I don't know for a fact that how hot he ran it, but it did turn out some nice blue. Of course, you'd be limited to electric heat unless you wanted to plumb in a circulating tubing system where stainless tubing ran in a flame. Seems harder to regulate.

I'd prefer to do as RJ said though, and go with SS pipe.

 

[seasicksteve]

I have read that Stainless Steel is not recommended bluing salts. SS tanks are for parkerizing and rinse/ cleaning. I have never blued so no first hand exp. just dont want you to source a tank and find out it wont work for you. Brownells recommends plain unfinished steel for bluing tanks

 

[4GSR]

Hummm, I have a piece of 3" Schedule 40 304 SS pipe about 4 foot long. Gave me an idea.

 

[george wilson]

Just a thought: Could you just use a steel container and spray the interior with high heat engine enamel,the kind that can stand 1200º F.?

 

[Jay-z]

Through my experiences of hot bluing I have found that using stainless is not always wise . There is the possibility of strange chemical reactions with stainless . The finish could come out not exactly ideal .It's great for parking but not for hot bluing . Hot bluing tanks are just mild steel no coatings no paint. The chemical is so caustic it will melt any kind of paint you put near it . Trust me I know . Any local sheet metal shop would be able to bend you any size tank you need on the cheap. And finally propane or natural gas is the most efficient way to heat this stuff . Hope this helps