Finishes for Metal

What finish do you use for utensils.

I am wondering if anyone here has made an electric oven for batch finishing their work. My idea was an electric oven I could put 50 hooks in (say 16"x16"x12" inside chamber) that would hold the temp at black heat with the door open, that way once every things to temp. I can take each hook out and apply BLO finish without having to heat each piece up individually. My original plan was to just create an electric heat treat oven with nichrome elements, however once the door is open, the elements shut off to prevent electric shock. Possible solutions I've had are using an insulated element similar to an oven range, or coating the exposed nichrome elements with a refract…

Has any blacksmith out there hammered out a bell, (cow bell) out of steel sheet? If so, did you coat the steel with brass? Could you describe your process? BELL MAKER

I know this topic has been discussed many times, but I’m still feeling a bit lost. I’ve found a lot of information about different ways to protect carbon steel, such as vinegar with beeswax, beeswax alone, bluing, patina, oil coatings, and many other products, but I haven’t found a single video or resource that explains most of these processes together, when to use each one, and why one would be chosen over another, especially because I don't really know all the terms. I work mostly with carbon steel and I know it rusts very easily. I would like to understand, in practical terms, which methods are generally considered more effective, when each one should be used, wha…

Hi everyone. I'm still quite new and slowly getting into blacksmithing. I’ve made a few things that didn’t require more than beeswax or veg oil as a coating. I’m making some house numbers that will be mounted outside permanently in all the elements. I’d like to keep the look of the original finish if possible. I also don’t want the numbers to rust easily. Any coatings you can recommend to keep the rust at bay while out in the elements 24/7 (we get everything from hot sun to snow here). Thanks for your help.

Now that Johnson's no longer makes our beloved paste wax i have seen several woodworkers now using bowling alley wax as an alternative. They say it is just as good as the Johnson's, for their purposes. I am just wondering if anyone else has tried it on hot metal and what were the results?

I've seen this image in the internet, it looks like a RR spike knife, and I really really like how this looks, but I have no clue about how it is made. It says in the description of it that it's heat blued, but from what I've seen and researched around, bluing metal often looks like a solid blackish blue, and not this gradient mixture of purple, light blue and orange. note: I've seen that there are some kinds of "metal colorization" that are not strong and will wear out easily, but the knife I plan on doing this will be a decorative piece, so it wouldn't be a problem I believe. https://www.bladegallery.com/shopexd.asp?id=92216 here's where i've found it. T…

I have used gun blue on a chisel to blacken it. It works okay but the smell never seems to go away. It sticks on my hands days later after using a chisel that I used it on so I am giving up on that method of blackening. I have 75% food grade phosphoric acid that doesn't seem to blacken it enough. Any ideas on how Japanese chisels are blackened? thanks

I made a split cross out of 1inch stock tonight and I wanted to give it a brushed brass look. Once I had forged the cross I cooled it off then wire wheeled the scale. Then i heated it back up and brushed it with my small brass brush. After it cooled some I used a beeswax/turpentine/japan dryer mix to coat it. It ended up bring a mostly black color with an uneven shine from the wax. I really was unhappy with the finish. I want to know the best way to end up with a "golden" or brushed brass look in the end. Thanks Chris

Most Of the paste wax recipes I have found have the same ingredients, bees wax or other wax, Turpentine, and linseed oil. And they all seem to have different proportions / ratios. My question is first, what is the purpose of each ingredient (why is it used)? and second, what if you leave one out? Such as you only used wax and turpentine, or just wax and linseed oil? Just curious.

We're doing a big bathroom remodel, the whole thing ripped up and rebuilt. As part of this process I've been forging bits for a towel rack, hand towel rack, and TP holder. They're almost finished, just need some final assembly to hammer down the tenons into something that looks good and holds them together. NM is generally quite dry and so is the inside of the hovel most of the time, but if we're showering in this room every day, it'll be the most humid place in the house for much of the time. Normally, I finish my work with paste wax, but none of that stuff ever winds up hanging on the wall of the most humid room in the house for what I hope will be decades.…

Hello all. On another knife forum, someone posted a question about using copper foil instead of gold for Keum Boo (a Korean technique for applying gold foil to steel). And the other day, while looking for my small brass brush to apply the brass finish to a small piece I came across a small copper brush which got me wondering if I could use this for a copper finish instead of a brass finish. But then I immediately thought of the problem of galvanic corrosion and it got me wondering.... I see an earlier thread where it seems as if the technique is possible to get a copper finish but no mention of galvanic corrosion. Won't this be an issue in the long run? (I'm re…

I HATE PAINT !!! That said, it is sometimes necessary to paint outside items. I have an order of 10 bird bath support stands that will need to be painted. Money is an issue so galvanizing or other expensive options are not what I'm looking for. Here's the problem : It is the middle of January and tempetures are -20 Celcius, my shop (garage) is not heated. Any suggestions ?

Hey everyone, it’s been a while! So I’m entering a welding sculpture contest, and looking for your recommendations for the best gloss clear coat for a steel sculpture with nooks and crannies that are hard to spray (clear coat is the only finish we’re allowed to use). It’s an 18” sculpture of a man sitting on a stool with a guitar, mostly a grey/smooth scale texture with polished steel in places. Unfortunately I can’t post pics until after the contest... Curious if I should stick to a spray finish, or try a thin brushed clear. So what type/brand do y’all recommend? Thanks in advance!

I'm restoring a cast iron hanging gas light fixture. It was painted after some light surface set in. I've removed the paint and the original finish gave a light amber almost bronzy color to the metal. as I polish the surface this colorazation is being removed along with the rust. Could this amber color be a BLO original finish that withstood the paint removal process or is this some other treatment to the iron?

I'm looking at making some paste wax with a mix of beeswax, carnuba wax, turpentine and neatsfoot oil. Before i do it, how viable is that mix for a durable metal finish. What ratio should I use for all the ingredients? Thank you

I purchased Damasteel material , and after etching, the material turned completely gray. Do you know what could have caused this? The solution was mixed according to manufacturer sheets in the correct ratio. I also tried solution with HCl(95) : HNO3 (5).. this way it was way better but not perfect.. the ring is still light but my expectations were different.. i wanted more darker… can you help me please ? And it´s DS95X

Hello there, I am in the process of stripping rust and paint from an old cast iron drill press. The plan is to spray hammer paint but I'm struggling to find a suitable (portable) sprayer that doesn't require a compressor and will cope with xylene and cellulose thinner. HVLP units indicate they can't cope with coarse/thick paints with bits in them (and the pressure at the nozzle is about 10psi). It needs to produce approximately 45-55 psi at the nozzle and come with a 1.3/1.4 tip. Once sanded, I'm planning to use metal filler to make it flat and remove the imperfections from casting (voids, particularly around the edges) then etch primer, high build primer and Bi…

Hi everyone, One project I'd like to try, to build my forge welding experience in a less performance-critical component, is a damascus belt buckle. I'd make a small billet to get a pattern and then either rivet or TIG weld the loop and keeper pin (not sure if that's the right terminology) onto the back of it. I may be trying to tick too many boxes at once, but what surface finish/treatment could I use to: -prevent rust -still let damascus contrast show -and not mark clothing? The first thing that comes to mind is just to clear coat it, but it's not my preferred finish aesthetically. I'll go with it if there aren't other options, but I thought…

Hey everyone! Yesterday I experimented with forging a candle holder from a piece of pipe. To give the upper part with the candle a little bit of a outstanding finish I tried to dip the hot and brushed forging in molten aluminum. Unfortunately the aluminum did not adhere to the steel as I thought it would. The wetting of the steel wasn't very uniform. So I tried brushing it after dipping which gave a nice effect too. Even though I'd like to have a uniform coating. Are there any tricks to achieve this with aluminum and steel?

Please move this as needed and forgive me if there is an existing thread. I seem to recall various threads where people talked about painting their tools for various reasons. Over the years, mine have been either to provide visibility (where the heck is that scraper I had five seconds ago???), for decoration, or to stop that debate in advance over whose tool you were holding. Obviously you can't paint or wouldn't want to paint all your tools flourescent pink or Ford Motor Company blue, but sometimes it's a big help on the ones you can. I think I've just hit that point with my hive tools for my bees - got four or five of the darned things, and doggone if every one has…

I am building a exterior handrail that will have a molded bronze caprail. is it best to let it patina naturally, clear coat or wax? thank yall

Hey everyone! A customer of mine asked if I could do a custom finish on some items. The only problem is I’ve never done a finish like this one. I’m willing to give it a try though. Does anyone know what this type of finish is called and how it could be done? Here’s the pic the customer sent me

Hey guys. Recently I was able to, on my third or fourth attempt, finally make a successful billet of cable Damascus. Although it looks and feels pretty sound, I decided to keep this piece to decorative work only- no blades. I cut out an earring and got to etching- with very unsatisfactory results. No matter what I try, I can not get a good etch. I’ve tried several combinations and still nothing. I’ve tried it soft, hardened and tempered, hardened without temper- nothing. I’ve tried putting it in 40% ferric, 10% ferric, and boiling vinegar- nothing. The whole thing will turn black, but even with a very long etch I can not get much depth contrast. There is some depth, bu…

Hello LINK TO MY PHOTOS regarding my questions below....: I hope there are some kind folks out there that can help\\ advise me on a refinishing project. I AM NOT the artisan, but I have a beautiful hand forged bed. Please excuse me for not knowing the difference between iron or steel? Maybe they are the same? Anyhow I will post picts of my bed project and then picts of the finish I need to restore. My questions revolve around removing all the rust that has "broken" through in areas of wear (lots of moving in my past, as well as 3 kids used bed as jungle gym!). I am also wondering.. is this all the same material? it kind of looks like some of it is still raw…