Oil Blackening 12L14

woodchucker

woodchucker

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Has anyone here done it to 12L14? Does it work as well as other forms of steel?
 
I don't oil blacken but I oil blue all the time. Keeps it from rusting. Heat until it goes from strawn to blue and stop right there and quench in used motor oil. It's just a surface color and you can buff it off easily.
 
It's always worked well for me Jeff.
 
Even on 12L14? I'm more concerned with the material, due to the lead content.
Or am I worrying about nothing?
 
So I made a new X table lock since the power feed safety cut out interfered with the old one. I would like to blacken it like the originals. I used 12L14 instead of 1018..
 
Yes on the 12l14. I usually go to just turning blue and quench in oil.
IMO you're worrying about nothing.
Reading xr650rRider's comment I'm wondering if you mean blue cause that's what i do too.
Is blackening something else?

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no, it's just the color. Not thinking of gun bluing. just thinking of getting a black color.
 
You say black, I say blue. Gun bluing can appear almost black maybe it is black but the process is bluing. And yes this is with 12L14. If you get it too hot it lighten in color to gray. You have to start over and polish and heat again. Some people use nitre blue salts as they'll maintain a temperature that will give the blue color but less mess to just use a torch.
 
I wonder if synthetic oil will blue. I have mixed my old regular oil and synthetic from the cars and tractor in one for recycling..
I read that oil from a diesel does a better job.. gotta ask for some around here.
 
The metal will never know if carbon based life forms were involved. I use used Mobil 1 and the oil is really only cooling the steel and maybe putting a thin layer of oil on it that prevents rusting. It would only add color if you heated the steel to the point that it baked onto the steel. Then you'd have a crust of carbon.
 
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