It's all relative. My inference to the "noxiousness" was in comparison to the rust bluing solutions vs. the common hot bluing chemicals. Also, a home hobbyist doing an occasional rust bluing job isn't exposing himself to a constant barrage of risky compounds. Simply wearing nitrile gloves (which one should as a matter of course just to keep oily fingerprints off of the steel anyway) and a dust mask (which will obviate the ingestion of 95% of the airborne rust particles) will, I feel, protect a home hobbyist sufficiently while doing a blue job a couple of times a year.
As far as mercury goes, well if it's listed as an ingredient I wouldn't use it. Why go looking for trouble? I might add that there is a ton of stuff commonly found in households that is equally noxious as the weak solutions used for rust bluing. I would. for example, rather spend a week breathing those fumes than spend an hour breathing Formula 409 fumes while scrubbing the bathrooms.
Last edited by gnoahhh; 01/07/12.
