Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Dudley
I do not think that the Hot Blue gets quite hot enough to fully anneal the frame. But it may do some damage in that regard.
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Steels anneal at temps between 700-1000 F so the 300 degree bath of the hot bluing process won't hurt the steel's integrity.
However the sodium hydroxide used in the process can really do damage on bondings of that soft silver solder they used. Oh, and that silver solder melted and flowed at about 450 F which isn't enough to melt it, but enough to assist the sodium hydroxide in damaging the bond. Also playing a role in this is the expansion caused by the heating of the metals. the solder and the steel expand at different rates thus further stressing the bonds.
All in all, hot bluing a soldered gun of any kind is not really a good idea, especially an older one.