Why did my Cam Follower turn blue?

[Chrisgoesflying]

I decided to open up my C-85 in my Ercoupe. While inspecting the cam followers, one has kind of a blue tint to it. Does anyone know why? Photo is below.

https://imgur.com/a/iuDlKy6

 

[Rgbeard]

It's sad?

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

Haha, trying to figure out why. Is it me, or her? If it's me, I can change to make it happy again. No seriously, do you think it's fine or do I need to change it?

 

[Tom-D]

I decided to open up my C-85 in my Ercoupe. While inspecting the cam followers, one has kind of a blue tint to it. Does anyone know why? Photo is below.

https://imgur.com/a/iuDlKy6

It was heat treated and not reparkerized

 

[Tom-D]

Haha, trying to figure out why. Is it me, or her? If it's me, I can change to make it happy again. No seriously, do you think it's fine or do I need to change it?

no

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

"No" as in "it's not fine" or "no" as in "I don't need to change it"? My bad for making it a double question the way I formulated it.

 

[flyingbrit]

You've got the engine sitting on a blue mat. The blue on the cam follower looks suspiciously like the blue of the mat. I'd say it's ambient light reflecting off the mat on to the follower. Try using a different color mat.

 

[Salty]

You've got the engine sitting on a blue mat. The blue on the cam follower looks suspiciously like the blue of the mat. I'd say it's ambient light reflecting off the mat on to the follower. Try using a different color mat.

Yep. Looks like reflection off a shiny surface to me.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

When steel is heat treated (particularly when tempered after hardening) the oxide layer that forms as a function of the temperature of the part and will determine the color - 400ish F gives you straw, 500ish brown, 580ish blue, 800ish dark gray/black.

 

[GaryM]

Try using a different color mat.

Or just hold a sheet of paper under the cam follower and see if the apparent color changes.