Finishing up 2 roll-around-kitchen islands and on the sides are two curved shelves. I want to put a piece of steel or rod around the radius to hold the objects from falling of the shelf. I found some steel,(although I am not convinced it matching the style I am looking for) but I want to blacken whatever kind of steel I use. Paint is the obvious answer but is there another way to make it look more…..bronzed…finished…um ….better. I have seen cabinet knobs that are satin black and have a “hand-hammered” look to them. How do they achieve that. I seem to remember and article in FWW that gave a chemical recipe for this process. Ammonia fumes? Even if a use 1/4 inch rod for the fence, I still would like it black. Seems like paint would jst rub off.
thanks for the help
Replies
cutta, clean and dry the steel. If you like a non shiny look, scratch it up with medium silicon carbide sandpaper.
Scratch in one direction only. Clean again, and with several gun patches available, apply formula 44/40 Instant Gun Blue
(Wear latex gloves to avoid finger prints)
Wipe down with moistened gun blue pads and discard each after a few applications. Wipe downwith a dry patch or rag the finished rod and buff in a rubbed finish.
If not black enough, repeat When finally rubbed to a finish, spray with clear spraying lacquer (2 coats)
If you like the rustic look, before bluing give the rod a 'Once over'
with at least twodifferent sized ballpein hammers, to creat 'Hand Forged appearence' if you don't have an anvil, find a block of steel
Another way to get a oil tempered finish, is to heat up the rod with a torch then plungeit into motor oil then into cold water.
Experiment with different hammers Cross pein, Square Tinsmith hammer, etc etc.
Steinmetz.
Edited 1/29/2005 4:28 pm ET by steinmetz
Look around this site, they have a lot of different products.
http://www.garnigaspa.com/MENU_INDICE_ENG.htm
Machine shops often send out parts to be black oxide finished. It is a chemical treatment that oxidizes the surface into a black finish. Try calling machine shops to see if you can track down a place that does it, or try the internet.
Any good plating shop can put on a black oxide finish. I get old hinges done in black oxide; it's durable and rust resistant.
I take smaller pieces like the cheap zinc Stanley hinges and soak them in muriatic acid which removes the zinc and leaves the hinges with a nice black, weathered appearance. I don't know if this would work with what you're trying to do. You are right about seeing an article on this somewhere in FW because that's where I got the idea. Can't tell you which issue though.
Edited 1/30/2005 1:40 pm ET by mewarner
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