Bluing hardware for reloading table

[WilliamDahl]

I'm in the process of building a reloading table. It consists of four 2x10s joined together so that I have a table top that is approximately 7' wide by 37" deep. I am wanting it to be able to disassemble it enough that I can get it through the door so that I don't have to built it in place, so there will be various 3/8" carriage bolts holding it together. The wood itself is pine and has been sanded down far enough to remove the mill markings and be smooth to the touch. Multiple coats of a Danish oil finish has been applied to the wood.

The carriage bolt heads will be exposed and I wanted them to stand out a bit in the design, so I thought about bluing them (or at least the exposed heads. The carriage bolts are listed as zinc coated (i.e. NOT galvanized).

I have heard that you can heat up a piece of steel to the point where it starts to change color and then quench it in used motor oil to get a form of bluing. Has anyone around here tried this or has any tips on how to proceed with this?

Will the zinc that is on the bolts for corrosion protection (I suspect it is probably just an electroplating) burn off during the heating process or would a grinder with a wire brush wheel be used to remove it?

Phosphoric acid?
Vinegar?
Battery charger plus salt water?

[andremajic]

This is probably the easiest form of rust bluing that I've found and it's safe and doesn't use caustic chemicals or acids. I wrote about it here.

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=137610

Baking soda, water, and a battery charger and rusty piece of metal.
If you boil the parts between the bouts of electrolysis it will halt the rust and work faster.

[leftiye]

I don't think the zinc will co-operate and dissappear in the blueing tank. Fer sure not with cold blue. It will probly take more than a brush to get the zinc off.

[Norbrat]

I don't think the zinc will co-operate and dissappear in the blueing tank. Fer sure not with cold blue. It will probly take more than a brush to get the zinc off.

Easiest way to remove ZP is probably linishing it. A belt sander will do a good job.

It will burn off if you heat it enough, like welding heat, but the fumes are not pleasant.

[WilliamDahl]

Easiest way to remove ZP is probably linishing it. A belt sander will do a good job.

It will burn off if you heat it enough, like welding heat, but the fumes are not pleasant.

I actually had to look the term "linish" up. Basically it seems to mean to sand it smooth. Is that a common term over in Oz-land?

OK, it might be possible to sand it down and that might give the result that I'm looking for for the exposed head of the carriage bolt. Just for curiosity though, if someone was wanting to do this to a threaded part, what would be the best solution? I've seen muriatic acid suggested. Anyone have any experience with that?

[Wal']

I actually had to look the term "linish" up. Basically it seems to mean to sand it smooth. Is that a common term over in Oz-land?


Pretty much common down here, more so with us oldie's. :wink:

Most chippy's [carpenters] would have a linisher in their workshop.

[Norbrat]

OK, here in Oz it is quite common to buy a kit for a bench grinder which allows you to use a sanding belt to use for cleaning up metal. For example, like this on eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Linisher-2-Belt-x-7-Disk-MULTI-TOOL-Fits-most-bench-Grinder-NEW-/300766279362?pt=AU_Power_Tools&hash=item46071136c2

A belt sander will do the same job.

If you want to remove zinc plate from the threaded part of the bolt, etc, hydrochloric acid/muriatic acid/pool acid will certainly do the job,

[gnoahhh]

Galvanizing is zinc, just applied differently, ie: hot dipped in molten zinc vs. plated. Be careful when 'burning' it off, the fumes are noxious and downright harmful if inhaled directly. If it's just the bolt heads you want to blue, I would chuck the screws in a lathe or drill press and hold a piece of sand paper to it while spinning at relatively high speed. Start with coarse paper and go down through the grits until you reach the level of polish you want. Shouldn't take but a minute or two per bolt.

[adrians]

Galvanizing is zinc, just applied differently, ie: hot dipped in molten zinc vs. plated. Be careful when 'burning' it off, the fumes are noxious and downright harmful if inhaled directly. If it's just the bolt heads you want to blue, I would chuck the screws in a lathe or drill press and hold a piece of sand paper to it while spinning at relatively high speed. Start with coarse paper and go down through the grits until you reach the level of polish you want. Shouldn't take but a minute or two per bolt.

+1,,, and you might like the polished surface.

[WilliamDahl]

Pretty much common down here, more so with us oldie's. :wink:

Most chippy's [carpenters] would have a linisher in their workshop.

Over here we call them stationary belt sanders. Various forms of this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-x-30-inch-belt-sander-2485.html

or this:

http://www.kalamazooind.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/s460d21.jpg

[2152hq]

Burn it off,,either a torch or throw the entire bunch in a suitably hot fire for a time and they'll all come out with their Zinc coating burned off. Then you'll have to run each over a wire wheel to brush the ash and burn debris off and you'll have clean metal.

IF you use this method,,do it far away from people, pets, the house, ect. Fumes are nasty and toxic as stated.

You can use muriadic acid (swimming pool acid,,masons also use it to clean up after work).
Dump the lot into a 50/50 mix and let it do it's work. When the bubbles stop,,the bolts will be clean. Again,,the fumes and smoke from the process is not good for man nor beast.

Rinse and wire brush,,ready to blue.

Heat blue by heating to a color change to the appropriate degree and quench. Approx 650F gives a decent blue but there are variations in steel and doing each by eye w/a torch will give some differences. Quench in oil,,or quench in water,,really doesn't matter. You're just holding the temp/color where it is.

You can rust blue them rather quickly too. Heat them with a propane torch till hot to the touch and dip them into the Quick Rust Solution. When the bunch is coated, dump them all into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Then take them out one at a time and card(wire brush) the now loosened blu/black coating off leaving the steel colored.
Reheat and recoat,,boil and card as many times as you need to. 4 or 5 is usually sufficient.
This will result is a very even color on the parts.
Oil when done..Some hardware was laquered or varnished after bluing instead.

With all that,,some wear and tear on the bench and thing sliding over the bolt tops will most likely wear that bluing no matter what type it is right off the bolt heads in no time.
Unless they are countersunk into the wood of course.

Good Luck and have fun. Sounds like a nice project.
Beats the looks of my plywood and 2X4 bench!

[WilliamDahl]

Good Luck and have fun. Sounds like a nice project.
Beats the looks of my plywood and 2X4 bench!

There's nothing wrong with a 3/4" plywood bench top with 2x4s around the perimeter. It can make for a nice looking bench top also. Personally, I would use a router to put a ledge about halfway (i.e. 0.75") through the 2x4 for the plywood to sit on. This would give you 3.5" of face on the perimeter of the bench top and it would look like you were only using 3/4" boards for the perimeter if you looked at it from the top.

When I decided to make mine out of 2x10s joined together, I looked at the price of a piece of 3/4" plywood and the price of the 2x10s and they were very close, so I decided to go with the 2x10s. I figured that with something that thick, I would not need to put a perimeter edge piece around it to make it more sturdy plus I would be able to drill a holes anywhere for mounting presses and such. I've made equivalent table tops from 3/4" plywood with 1x2s for perimeter edging and let's just say that this one made from 2x10s is a LOT heavier -- heavy and bulky enough that I really need another pair of hands to move it around.

[bearcove]

Buy bolts that aren't plated.

[WilliamDahl]

Buy bolts that aren't plated.

Didn't see any other than stainless steel... The "plain" steel bolts are supposedly zinc coated (probably electroplated) to keep them shiny. This is different than the galvanized bolts.

[bearcove]

Go on fastenal website they have everything, I've heard. Most bolts for engines and machinery aren't plated, dipped or electroplated.