Cols Bluing solution

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MikeAqua

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#3507974 2-Jul-2026 11:41

afe66: Hello fellow hobby engineer.

Hope you are watching blondihacks, clickspring, Mark presling, artisan makes.

Also: Inheritance Machining. Edit: And Marius Hornberger

Mike

sir1963

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#3507978 2-Jul-2026 12:00

33coupe:

Hi there, sorry to bring up such an old thread but it's the only (and best) ive found when searching.

Ive recently bought a steel barn door and am planning on bluing / blackening it. After some searching I have a rough idea on what I think I need to do, but would love to get info from those that know or have done it previously.

do I need to sand 80-120 grit to remove, then acetone to clean, then use bluing liquid to cover? (I'm not sure how much I need, or the best place to get it from)

here is my door (1800mm x 2500mm)

and here is my inspiration

many thanks

Have you through about getting it powder coated ?

It will give you a tougher surface on it as well as a more consistent colour

You also end up with there being a far greater range of colours.

If you use bluing then you will also need to oil over the top of it to improve its rust resistance

You will either way need to remove any rust and clean it thoroughly with Acetone to make sure there is no oils/contamination there before you blue it

All of this will need to be done relatively quickly because the moisture in the air will start surface rusting quickly

Those are my thoughts on it.

33coupe

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#3508312 3-Jul-2026 10:28

Thanks for the suggestion I hadnt thought of that. But I dont think it can be powder coated as the inside is plywood. As a side note can powder coaters accommodate something that big? Would be a good option though.

And thanks for the tips, sounds like a bigger job than I first thought it would be (always the way....).

Do you know how much bluing solution I would need for something that size?

sir1963

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#3508321 3-Jul-2026 11:16

Ahhh, plywood, that will not work.

Ever thought of a car painter or an industrial painter, their booths are big and they may have lower temp curing products.

There are various 2 pot mixes that a hard/wear resistant

Opportunity to do it in Chameleon paint 😃

I have only blued small things so I can not help you with how much out would take to do a door.

33coupe

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#3508327 3-Jul-2026 11:42

I did read about car painter doing it. I think the biggest problem I have is moving it to and from places, it's so big and heavy. need 4 people, barely fits in my trailer, and I would be concerned about damaging nice paint job transporting it back.

Oh yeah that would be cool, but youve just given me another idea: metalflake! (i grew up with hot rods :)

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