Hi, I’m finishing up a tool chest with steel reinforced corners, like a pirate’s treasure chest but much, much cooler. 🙂 The angle iron is black steel, hot rolled I believe. The hinges and hasp are heavy duty Stanley hardware, silver/zinc finish. I’m looking to blacken the hinges and hasp to match or somewhat match the corners, anyone know how to do this? I vaguely remember a FWW article explaing how to heat treat steel to antique it, but I’ve been digging through the pile and can’t find the article now. I don’t want to paint the steel, I’d rather have a more integral finish. Worst case, I can just wait several decades until the two types of steel match, but I want satisfaction now!
Thanks, Andy
Replies
Birchwood Casey gun blackening is available in most local gun shops and is a safe simple afforable process. We often blacken steel by heating it up with a forge or torch and dip it into non-boiled linseed oil. Birchwood Casey is under $10 a small bottle and is done cold. There's other ways but the price goes up such as sending it out to get black oxide treatement.
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm
http://www.birchwoodcasey.com/
If you do a google search and focus on blacksmiths and metalwork, sculpture, etc you will find more than you could imagine. The cold solutions are great and simple, especially if you don't have an oxy-acetylene torch. Propane isn't hot enough.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_6_49/ai_100727292
Edited 9/8/2005 8:20 am ET by RickL
Hmmm... if the hinges are zinc-coated then I don't think the black oxide will work since it only works on non-stainless steel and iron.
Good point! He could use a torch to heat up the hardware and remove the coating, oxy-acetylene of course. The other alternaive is to buy plain uncoated hardware or paint the zinc hardware. It pays to do the homework before you buy or build
True. Buying uncoated hinges and then using that gel black oxide you linked to might be the easiest.
I looked thru the Stanley website at their hinge offerings and noticed that they do list one that is supposed to be black. Dunno if it's the right size, though.
I looked at the black hinges Stanley makes, they just don't look right. I knew that patination is an option, so I chose to go with the zinc coated hardware rather than get powder coated stuff. I have lots of options now, thanks for all the help!
-Andy
Just keep in mind that industrial and automotive painters will normally use an acid-based surface treatment on any coated steel, whether it be zinc, nickle or chrome, to aid in adhesion because each is known to be a less than ideal surface for paint to stick to.
There are two ways I've used with success. The fastest is to use a torch (e.g. oxy/acy) to get it red-hot, then quench in an oil bath. You may have to do it a couple of times. The other is to spread a thin layer of sawdust on a non-flammable surface (e.g. a concrete floor), set your hinges upright. Dribble kerosene over the hinges and the sawdust. Set a match to it and let it burn away. This is time-consuming as you'll have to turn the hinges end to end to get an even blackening and you'll have to do it several times, paricularly if the steel is thick.
You can also go to http://www.sculpt.com/ and look in their index at finishing and patination.
You can also google patination; there's a wealth of info.
Good luck.
You can go to any place that deals with stained glass materials and they will have liquid patina. It comes in various colors; black, brown, etc. It's not a coating but a chemical that changes the color of the metal. It is permanent. Hobby Lobby stores probably have some.
Just brush it on, dip it, or whatever, then wipe off after a few seconds. Can leave it on longer for deeper color. Rince to remove the chemical residue.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Glass shop stuff is more oriented toward lead and copper for patina chemical. Steel is different. Gun shops would be more appropriate for steel patina. Worked as a metalsmith and some glass...not all chenicals are equal.
It works well on steel, too.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
http://www.precisionbrand.com/products/default.asp?p_catid=37
Precision Brand sells a product Ive been using for a few years. As long as you arent using stainless, it works great. It blackens the steel by a chemical reaction, not a surface coating. The zinc finish on your stanley hinges may interfere with the reaction, however. Ive never tried it on pre-made hinges myself..
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