Wanted help

[VMV2014]

I would like to ask for help: I just finished my new project Blowback for Echo1
RPK and decided to blue it and make it weathered in the same way as I did for rest of my guns. But when I removed paint from receiver, I discovered that it is made from stainless steel (!!!) and none of mine available treatments, such as Birchwood Casey (aluminum black, super blue and perma blue) don't work on stainless steel. Internet search gave me another option Brownell #84, but I don't have experience with it. Can somebody help with method of cold blueing
of stainless steel. Thank you in advance

[cetane]

Stainless on echo1...? Sure not just pot metal?

[ThunderCactus]

If it really IS stainless steel, you can just toss it in the oven to a given temperature and it will turn blue.

[cetane]

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

If it really IS stainless steel, you can just toss it in the oven to a given temperature and it will turn blue.

Or a puddle of mystery metal

[VMV2014]

Yes I am positive that it is stainless steel, because it is magnetic (steel) and has silver color and gun blue doesn't take it :cry:
I know about burning option, but still looking for cold blueing option

[cetane]

I had a dboys m4 receiver set that a magnet stuck to... I'm still leaning on mystery metal

Is it a casting? Or formed/stamped?

[Drakker]

It might just be pot metal with some iron in it. It doesn't take much to make a magnet stick. It's just like low quality heavyweight BBs... they are made of plastic, but they have some iron in them to make them heavier and they stick to magnets.

[VMV2014]

From my point of view it is stamped and two pieces front and rear made from aluminum and put by rivets to main piece

[ThunderCactus]

Most stainless steel actually is NOT magnetic, ranging to very weakly magnetic.
If it has strong magnetic force, it's either plated metal, or ferrous pot metal.
Take a picture and show us, should give us a better idea of what we're dealing with.

[VMV2014]

here we go

[Ricochet]

What about cerakote?

[ThunderCactus]

Try using acetone to clean the surface to get rid of any oils.
Hard to tell the tone from those pictures, but if it's a white-silver then it's actually aluminum and the magnet was sticking to something inside the gun that's ferrous.
Stainless is very difficult to shape and stamp, and expensive, so very unlikely for an airsoft gun to be using it.
Stainless steel is more like a bathroom mirror sort of tone. Mild steel is a shiny grey or dull grey if you've sanded it.
Pot metals tend to be white/grey, and aluminum usually white/silver.

If it's steel, obviously a magnet will stick and the blue will work. If it's stainless, just put a light to one of the corners. If a clean oil-free surface doesn't blue, and it turns yellow, brown, then blue under a flame, it's probably a chromium steel. But the more chromium that's in it, the hotter it needs to be to change colors.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...3f79a66b8b.jpg

Aluminum doesn't weaken until well above 500c so don't worry about that. Only problem would be if it's a leaded pot-metal. And as you get close to the melting point of aluminum, the surface changes to a very dull-grey, almost like it's sweating.

[VMV2014]

more photos of RPK receiver and one more with JG AK74 to compare how it should look like

[Styrak]

An Echo1 AK receiver would definitely 100% NOT be any kind of stainless steel.

[VMV2014]

What it could be made from your point of view. I really don't know how I can handle this receiver