Finishes for Metal

This is a straight forward cry for help. I’ve tried both ways and still can’t really work out which is better. When I make rams head implements I normally finish with beeswax and blo which darkens them nicely, but I do love a brass brush finish. What should I put on first? My small brain tells me the brass won’t stick on top of oil yet I find that for a brass brush finish the heat is a bit lower than for a good blo finish. I’m going round in circles Any tips? I couldn’t find the answer in the ifi tomes.

This is more of a look than a finish (apologies if this is in the wrong section, feel free to correct me) I have no idea how to create this look. I am very interested in both the texture (distressed? antiqued?) and the rough worn blackish look. In the picture below I am asking about the large flat square piece on the door, not the handles. I spent several hours scouring youtube and various forums and still have no idea how to make this distressed/aged 3D look. Amazing work there, some of the best I have seen. My 'thing' is architectural blacksmithing) Many thanks to anyone who can offer any insight into how this is done

I'm heading in the direction of selling what I make online. I have one problem that I can't figure out though. I have so much trouble getting an even and durable finish. I really like paste wax but my metal still rusts with only that. So I tried a clear enamel coat (Rustoleum) over top. But it seems to be scratching or chipping off. Help! I need something that looks great but is also durable! I have tried many finishes and paste wax is my favourite so far but I need a finish for outdoor items. I appreciate any suggestions!

I just watched a guy make a bracket for a chest on a woodworking show. He submerged it in simmering hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore for about ten minutes to rust it then cleaned it with denatured alcohol. He proceeded to submerge the piece in simmering distilled water for a few minutes which turned the rust a bluish black color then added a coat of wax while warm from the distilled water bath. Has anyone seen or used this method for coloring cold worked steel? It seems like an easy way to age or color steel in certain situations. Pnut

I guess that lands in metal finishing though what I am looking for is not your typical finish. I grabbed up a few pieces of round bar while out picking a farmer's boneyard the other day--stuff that I am fairly sure is wrought (haven't cleaned it our done any cut tests yet). Wrought is fairly uncommon around here because we don't have a lot of stuff that is pre about 1890, and the vast majority is post 1910. But with searching, there is some in the boneyards of most of the really early farms. In any case, what I want to do is etch a piece to really show the grain--emphasize what wrought looks like. I will also be doing a cut and bend piece to show what that lo…

Morning guys, I'm totally new to blacksmithing, and so happy to have found this forum. Can someone advise me and I know you may think it is a stupid question, but how do I keep my newly forged tools from rusting? The same with axes and kitchen utensils that I have forged. Thanks in advance. Neil de Beer

Hello, I am a bit new to the forum but as much of my searches led me here, I figured I would go ahead and give this a go. I am a metal sculptor who words with mild steel 9 and 6 Gage wire. I've been looking into ways to color my sculptures that are more natural and diverse than just rattlecans, but that are also affordable. As a student I can afford many of the premade solutions and chemical collerants available online. Because of what I make and how I make it a lot of traditional methods don't work for me. I'm looking for advice on best ways to clean, prime and paint my works. I've been researching a lot via the book "Patina" by Matthew Runfola, and was wonderi…

Hi to all out there, just making twenty of these steel-roses. However, the more I'm comming to the end of the job, the more I'm asking myself, what kind of coating is the best and how to apply. I got a very nice beeswax/carnauba mix here. But how should I wipe of excesse material between the petals? Or should I use a lacquer coating. But how to apply this, between the petals to prevent rusting there? What would you recommend?

So I'm sure any of you out there who do metal work for a living have been asked about "Clear Coat" for metal work and keeping that natural looking finish on metal. All of us have our secrets and tricks and preferences. I recently had an outdoor fireplace screen project where the client would not budge on having it a natural forged steel look. I told them it will eventually start rusting unless your willing to commit to maintaining the piece on a regular basis. After quite a bit of research I decided to try clear powder coating. This particular process is done without sandblasting so you do not lose the forged finish and texture on your iron work. The whole piece was clea…

Yes, this is an odd one. But I'm sure somebody here knows the answer. I've got a stainless steel knock off Yeti tumbler (Walmart Brand). Awhile back, I used an electrochemical method to destress an area after I had applied a decal as a mask. Today I got wondering if I could hit it with a propane torch and blue the rest of the tumbler to give it a worn sorta rusty/corroded look. Things went well, until I brought it in and washed it in the sink before drinking out of it. Alot of the straw to blue that color change I was going for washed off with a simple dish sponge with little plastic nubs. Is it possible to get the effect I'm after while keeping the tumbler…

What is the best to use as a finish for something that is warn? Like a pendent? Boiled linseed oil will not do it.

Hi, I have a few questions regarding painted pieces of metal so that I can use them for forging. Firstly, is there a way to somewhat easily identify paint as lead-containing or otherwise, without the use of rather expensive commercial lead testing kits? If anyone knows a trick for this, I would love to hear it. Are there some colors of paint that are more or less likely to contain lead? Secondly, what is the preferred method for removing paint? I don't really like the idea of any abrasive method that would disperse possibly lead-containing dust across my workplace, since even if I wear a respirator while I'm removing the paint, the dust will still be kicked back…

Hi all I'm completely new to metalworking and blacksmithing I've made a few small timings in my spare time, anyway I found an old scrap length of 7mm thick rusted steel along my travels and decided to make some heart based items from it - No forging on this project just plasma cutter and a good old stick welder - They're patina is pretty good I like the well worn look but ive been struggling with the overall finish and look of them I tried applying an oil stain whilst they were hot didn't like it and then a standard black paint finish but was wondering if there was something better I could do to make the details of the patina stand out. The material was a dark rusted red…

Good Morning Ladies and Gents, I seem to have run into a dilemma with a few projects I'm currently working on and need some advice. Had some concept designs that I've been mulling over in my head and finally decided to actually put them into steel. They came out nicely, the problem is knowing what I can coat them in to keep them from rusting/corroding. Looking for something that will hold up for a while, but easy to put on finished pieces. Most of the pieces have moving parts so coating them completely in an Epoxy/Resin would require me to have to coat them previously to assembly, which may prove difficult. Anyways, any advice would be great. Thanks Ke…

Does anyone have any experience using Briwax for finishing forged items? I've found a few threads on here and around the web about using it, but I just can't get any penetration; the finish just won't stick. I wonder if I'm not getting it hot enough. Any thoughts? I'm applying it with the workpiece around 350 degrees F. The Briwax bubbles and melts, but even if I apply it heavy and allow it to cool & dry, it buffs right off.

So I’ve been roasting my own coffee for a while now. I am no expert... but we’ve never had such terrific coffees! I use a cast iron frying pan to roast my coffee. I have noticed that this pan has developed a very dark and durable patina! I clean the pan with hot water and scrub it with a piece of stainless steel chain mail after every use, as I clean my pans after cooking. The patina persists and I wonder if it might be useful to treat smithy products with coffee? Has anyone experimented with this? I have not hitherto discovered a patina that seems as dark and durable as this one! It certainly seems much more durable than any bluing that I am familiar with!

Hey guys, So I've been asked to do this sculptural piece for a wooded walking area of a local hospice. They like the designs and everything, but we're hitting a bit of a snag in deciding on a finishing technique. I haven't done a whole lot of outdoor pieces, and when I have, the customers either liked the curated rust patina, or a simple utilitarian paint job. In this case, the customer wants something that looks natural, so they're not interested in powder coating, and they're adamantly against any form of painting, for whatever reason, and they just don't like a rust patina. So here I am wondering where that leaves me. I figure I can offer the wirebrush forged fini…

I keep hearing all theese terms like "hot" or "cold" or "heat bluing". but i dont know a definite answer as to wich is safer for the metal. can anybody tell me what method is more reccomended than others?

I know it's posssible to give iron work a brass finish by brushing it while hot. I bought a brush that has a brass color, but it didn"t do the trick. 1. What type of brush do I need? Is it brass or other metal? 2. Is there a certain technique to it? (like brush only above/under red hot, ect.) Thanks,

Wax finishes for forged metal. You can use bees wax uncut if you warm the metal either in the fire or with a propane torch and rub the block on. You can get it on almost clear for armour bright steel if you keep the temperature low; you can get a black wax finish if you get the metal hot enough to make the beeswax smoke. The disadvantage of beeswax is that it has a low melting point and remains sticky even at room temperature and then attracts dust. It can also contain organic compounds that break down and form acidic corrosion If you want the best performing wax finish it would be Renaissance Wax. Unfortunately it is fossil fuel derived but as it is extrem…

For chain saw chains I use straight Ferric Chloride For cable I use 6 ounces of ferric chloride mixed with 1/2 gallon of muriatic acid. For most other damascus I use a mix of 6 ounces of ferric chloride with 1 gallon of muriatic acid. Alan Brazzel WARNING: using the above formulas may expose the user to chlorine gas as well as the caustic action of the etch. Use in well ventilated area and avoid all contact with clothing, eyes and skin! :!:

What are some good substitutes for ferric acid to etch demascus. Any home concoctions?

Hello everyone. Anybody ever try to etch damascus using Coca Cola? Or a similar acidic soda? The pH of Coca Cola is 2.5, comparable to Citric acid which is 2.2, so I imagine it would work.

I've been working on an order of key-chain 'Shepherds Crooks' for a local Bible college. They contacted me about the idea for a campaign they're running so I sent them a sample and they asked for 150 of them with the possibility for more down the road. I've delivered 20 and they're happy with them so I'm almost done with the remaining 130. I've worked up my tooling and forging steps so that I can turn them out fairly quickly, after all they're just little hooks. I've soaked them in vinegar and wire-wheeled them and they came out nice and bright. Now I'd like to put a finish on them but the problem I'm running into is how to best go about finishing them in a manner that …

I have a piece that i would like to keep the gold temper color on. Is there something i can do to help preserve the color?