I've always subbed out my hot bluing needs and would have probably always kept it that way. Then I got a call this morning from a lovely lady that was trying to sell a brand new complete brownells hot bluing kit (four tanks, burners, stands, salts, etc.) for a fraction of the normal cost. Well I bit and now have a shop full of boxes that need a home. I don't want to blue in my shop and don't have the space even if I did.

What should I do for a building?

I'm in Vermont and we get cold, snowy winters. Would a three sided car port on a concrete pad work? Or should it be completely closed off. If so ventilation? Do the salts eat away at galvanized metal overtime? If so would a wood shed be better? Do I need a floor drain?

Thanks in advance for your input.

You need a separate building; enclosed; a car port will be cold and drafty in the winter and might affect water temps. Do need good ventilation. Yes, salts will eat anything except stainless steel and don't even think about aluminum. Salts will dissolve it. Problem is that not using the solution is worse than using it every day.
Also as you know, it is caustic and one drop on your skin will get your attention. I have the tanks and burners; I no longer use them.
Of course you will house your polishing department in the other end of the building.
True story; first bluing job was in Gov housing; (not mine); a friend had a model 37 that he wanted blued. Back then Herters sold a bluing kit with salts, tank, etc, for $12. So we blued his Ithaca in his kitchen. Everything went great until we dumped the solution in the back yard, and the range hood in the kitchen was so corroded that it had to be replaced. Not my problem. Oh, it killed a ten foot patch of grass out back. Shotgun looked great.

Floor drain, running water, good exhaust, concrete floor would be best. Most likely not good for your septic tank and field.

Hot blue kind of makes polishing look fun. Hot, humid, dirty job that I would be happy to never do again.

Careful what you bring upon yourself and an established business with a hot bluing set up.
It generates a lot of 'industrial waste' (the spent bluing salts soln,,the cleaning solns, even the hot and cold rinse may be industrial waste depending on various State or Fed regs.

I worked in a very large GunShop in the 90's that had done HotBlue for yrs.
We also did CaseColr hardening
They were cavlier about the processes and it's disposal, clean up, set up etc.

Then the NYS DEC (Dept of Environmental Conservation) actually raided the shop one fine day. The warrant was for 'Crimes Against the Environment'.

Huge fines were the final outcome. Plus complete & costly changes mandated to be made to the equipment and facilitys used for each process.

A very expensive lesson.

All it took was one grumpy customer dropped a dime on the DEC and said a magic word that dist the environment.

I have a hooded cabinet with an exhaust fan inside my shop, and have been using it for over 15 years without any problems at all. You don’t need 4 tanks for bluing, just one boil tank and one rinse tank. Brownells are in the business of selling stuff and I’ve laughed at their bluing kit for as many years as I’ve been bluing.

If you build a building do not have a floor drain. It will haunt you if you ever sell. Also keep your waste under 100 pounds per month. I belive that is the limit before they call you a small quanity waste generator.

quote:

just one boil tank and one rinse tank

I also had an oil tank to soak in after the rinse.

Remember bluing salts move on their own

Thank you all for your insights. It gives me a lot to think about.

I did quite a bit of hot bluing a decade or so ago before I started out on my own and agree with the consensus here that it's a no-good very nasty job. But I must admit I look forward to the convenience of doing it in house and the control over the process. I rust blue 90% of everything so this will be a small operation (10-15 guns a year).

2152hq: I appreciate the environmental warning. I'll comply with all state and federal waste disposal requirements.

You already know this but it is better to save up and process a few guns 3 or 4 times a year, than to re-start the tank once. a month for one gun. And yes, the salts will creep up and out of the tank like alien DNA. Watch the movie Species.

Good advice. Have you used Brownells "Stop Creep"? It came with the kit and is supposed to help mitigate the salts from climbing out of the tank. I've never used it before and am curious if it makes a difference.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
You already know this but it is better to save up and process a few guns 3 or 4 times a year, than to re-start the tank once. a month for one gun. And yes, the salts will creep up and out of the tank like alien DNA. Watch the movie Species.

If you put a layer of water on top of the salts after they’ve cooled it will help prevent/slow the “creep” and your salts will last a lot longer.

I essentially built a walk in shower in my shop for the bluing room. I only tiled up half way but wish now I would've went a little higher. I got the idea from a local gunsmith that had blued for years and then moved into a new shop. When finished bluing I just take a garden hose and sprayer and wash everything down. There is a large exhaust vent that pulls the heat and fumes out. Later on I also incorporated a corner to use as a paint booth for spray coatings.

I tried the exhaust vent idea for my blueing room. After two vent motors seized, I came to the conclusion that your vent fan should blow into the room and exhaust out of a static vent.

Now the young gunsmith down the road a ways owns my old tanks.

quote:

Originally posted by M Pursell:
I tried the exhaust vent idea for my blueing room. After two vent motors seized, I came to the conclusion that your vent fan should blow into the room and exhaust out of a static vent.

Now the young gunsmith down the road a ways owns my old tanks.

Mark, I've been expecting mine to kick the bucket for several years now but it keeps on ticking....