How To Hot Blue Mild Steel With A Blowtorch And Oil

2026-04-06

Download

If you’ve ever wanted to give low-carbon steel a tougher, darker, more interesting finish in the home workshop, this video shows you how to hot-blue steel with a blowtorch and linseed oil.This is a simple, old-school workshop finish that can look fantastic when done properly. It’s not magic, and it’s not the same as a factory gun-bluing process — but for the right project it can give mild steel a dark, rich, characterful finish with minimal equipment.In this video I cover:how to hot-blue low-carbon steelusing a blowtorch to heat the steel

If you’ve ever wanted to give low-carbon steel a tougher, darker, more interesting finish in the home workshop, this video shows you how to hot-blue steel with a blowtorch and linseed oil.

This is a simple, old-school workshop finish that can look fantastic when done properly. It’s not magic, and it’s not the same as a factory gun-bluing process — but for the right project it can give mild steel a dark, rich, characterful finish with minimal equipment.

In this video I cover:

how to hot-blue low-carbon steel
using a blowtorch to heat the steel
using linseed oil as part of the finishing process
what the steel is doing as it heats and colours
how to get a more even result
what kind of finish you can realistically expect
and the limitations of this method in the real world

This is practical DIY workshop finishing — not showroom nonsense.

So if you’re working with mild steel, making a project at home, restoring a part, experimenting with steel finishes, or just want a simple way to make fabricated steel look more deliberate and less raw, this report should help.

Topics covered include: