Heat colouring stainless steel.

[seniorphil]

Hi,
I have been watching some videos and done a bit of reading up on the heat colouring process. I fancy as a starter project having a bash at colouring a Nemesis. I'd like to take it to one of the blueish colours that come with higher temperatures. I would need to get a bigger blow torch to get to the temperatures I would need to reach(600 F). I have the use of an oven that reaches that temp and some(1500 F).
Has anyone tried to do it in an oven?
I can't find any videos on using an oven, but it seems easier to get an even colour. I'd their anything else I'd need to look out for?

Cheers,

Phil.

[remnant]

From what I've learned (from forum discussions mostly), colouring in an oven will be more even, but it's tricky to get the exact colour you're looking for. Once the colour begins to change, the metal goes through the colours quite quickly - and since each lump of metal has a different mass, a test run with a chunk of steel isn't going to give any precise indication of the heating time.

I've been thinking of doing this, too, and I'm thinking of spinning the tubes on a drill chuck while torching, so that the results will be consistent at least in one axis!

[seniorphil]

Hi remnant ,
The oven at Hackspace has to be taken outside and used in the carpark. If you fancy it, I'll try to find some scraps of steel we can have a practice with, before we commit to frying our mods. I believe I'll have to ask for permission to use it, and one if the trained monkies will help us set it up and show us how to operate it. I will enquire next time I am down there.
My Nemesis is still at Heathrow, but I am still itching to give it a face lift.
I know it will be busy down there this weekend as they are having a LAN party, they've borrowed a meaty server so 20+ people can play games on the network. The last one looked like squatters had moved in.
How would you be up for the daytime before the next meet(2 weeks tomorrow)? - Combine travel costs.

[markm]

An oven would be perfect, it's hard to controll the temp with a torch, but
An oven will heat up slowly and evenly regardless of thickness.
Make sure it's all spotlessly clean, without fingerprints as anything
On the surface could leave marks in the end result.
Darker colours and higher temps give a more durable result. The yellows
And reds look great but rub off quite quickly on stainless, less so on harder
Metals.

[remnant]

yep, sounds good to me. Hopefully I can make it up there before then, too.

I've inadvertently accumulated a third Nem clone (a steel one, part of a scandalously cheap job lot of vaping gear), which is the one I'm thinking of giving the treatment. There's also a Launcher on its way to me, which may look better in gun-metal blue...

[seniorphil]

I've been doing some more reading, apparently the grade of stainless steel affects the finished result as well.

[seniorphil]

Tagging philmepowers , he's been wanting to check out Hackspace and may have something he wants to colour, 2 birds with one stone. I think it takes a while to get up to temperature, so if the weather's nice we can do some turbo jacket spuds in the kiln with 6 pints of Hackspace homebrew followed by the Coach&Horses meet...Paaaaaarrtty!

[johnners]

From what I have read, the final colour depends on the temperature reached and goes through a known cycle. If your oven settings are reasonably accurate then you should be ble to set it and leave it without worrying too much about messing it up. Of course this is THEORETiCal and will depend on other factors such as steel quality and heat transfer etc.
This thread from another forum is very useful and post #43 gives a colour / temperature guide.

www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/cosmetic-mods/409130-heat-treatment-torching-color-stainless-steel-titanium-5.html

PS.. Mods, hope it's ok to link to another forum, if not feel free to remove.

[johnners]

I'll add that I've had good success just with a blow torch. you just need to rotate the piece so as the heat is evenly spread and be ready to stop as soon as it reaches the shade you want, as it changes rapidly!

[mart166]

When "blueing" clock parts, they bury them in brass fillings to get an even temperature all over, thats doing it with a blow torch and of course the parts are smaller. I'll be doing some myself in next few weeks so will let you know.

MP

[seniorphil]

Thank you johnners that's very helpful.

Mar 14, 2014 12:51:32 GMT mart166 said:

When "blueing" clock parts, they bury them in brass fillings to get an even temperature all over, thats doing it with a blow torch and of course the parts are smaller. I'll be doing some myself in next few weeks so will let you know.

MP

We can all give our Nemesis tubes to you then. It would save us hanging around the carpark like a picket line.

[mart166]

Well I reckon my clock will be finished in 3 years, as long as you dont mind the wait lol


MP

[mart166]

No do it in the car park, pick a wet cold day, then I can drive round in my nice warm car, toot and wave, and when you walk over drive off lol, will cheer me up no end


MP

[seniorphil]

Mar 14, 2014 15:01:20 GMT mart166 said:

Well I reckon my clock will be finished in 3 years, as long as you dont mind the wait lol


MP

Will you last that long. It could be like Christopher Wren, building that cathedral finished him off, he never got to enjoy the finished article. Take it easy put you feet up and have a pint, the 99p Store have some lovely wall clocks for errrr about 99p.

[enjay]

This doesn't work on a protank 2, just thought I'd add that lol. Daft thing falls apart and looks like it's been in a war zone