Hello all,
I am currently making a palisade type railing which has a distressed hammerd texture. Having shown the client a sample that I had wire brushed he would like a finish close to that.
It rains a lot here in Blighty so they need to be painted or galvanised or both.
I'm worried that the galve will hide the finner details of the texture such as the pitting caused by the fire and the more subtle hammer marks.
I have heard you can mix graphite powder in with the paint but I'm unsure of the quantaties.
Any thoughts on this are more than welcome

I like a "Hammerite" finish or some similar type. I like to do a base color and spray some brass or bronze spatter over to give a simulated brush limned finish. This type paint seems as good as anything for weather resistance too. It will blur or cover some of the fine textures but also adds its own and looks good. You can leave your tool marks slightly exaggerated if you want... to counter the paints cover effects. A link: Hammerite

Forge-finished stainless is dark, not shiny. Stainless costs more than mild, but not more than mild + primer + paint + painting time. Stainless takes about 3x as much effort to get to shape.

I have had good results with ford graphite grey paint , its close . no paint really looks like polished steel.
to keep stainless stainless after forging it really has to be electropolished.

to keep stainless stainless after forging it really has to be electropolished.

I've used hand-forged stainless for decades in the kitchen with no post-forging treatment. Goes through the dishwaser after each use. Zero rust.

I've used hand-forged stainless for decades in the kitchen with no post-forging treatment. Goes through the dishwaser after each use. Zero rust.

I forgeIron guys/gals...longtime no post...say, I made this forged display stand out of 304 Stainless Steel [ welds also SS] for a Memorial Day display of my dear departed dad's WWII US Navy compass & a small photo. My question to the best of you is "will the stainless keep from rusting forever? I cleaned it after forging, with a power wire wheel, then wiped down really good with a commercial acid based metal painting prep stuff. It has been out of the fire, and out in test of rainstorms, sun for about 3 days now...no signs of rust. I want it to stay with the blackend forged look, indoors, without rusting. Thanks in advance! Best Memorial Day weekend wishes to all!

I forgeIron guys/gals...longtime no post...say, I made this forged display stand out of 304 Stainless Steel [ welds also SS] for a Memorial Day display of my dear departed dad's WWII US Navy compass & a small photo. My question to the best of you is "will the stainless keep from rusting forever? I cleaned it after forging, with a power wire wheel, then wiped down really good with a commercial acid based metal painting prep stuff. It has been out of the fire, and out in test of rainstorms, sun for about 3 days now...no signs of rust. I want it to stay with the blackened forged look, indoors, without rusting. Thanks in advance! Best Memorial Day weekend wishes to all!

HOW BOUT IT GUYS...How does it look and WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT FORGING SS...LET ME HAVE IT ...WHAT SAY YOU?

My question to the best of you is "will the stainless keep from rusting forever?

I'm not the best of anybody, but I'll cough up an opinion as quick as the next guy.

Stainless will not rust in any environment where you or I can breath & stay healthy. "Forever" is an undefined term in this context.

Ahhh stainless will often rust in areas around the coasts if you don't use the proper alloy of stainless and you don't treat it properly---was the power wirebrush stainless? One basic rule is only use stainless on stainless for finishing.

was the power wirebrush stainless?

Rusting metal deposits on the surface are not rust of the substrate. Sir.

And what power wirebrush?

Also, what do you consider "improper" alloys around the coasts? The martensitics? I'll agree. But don't most folk forge 304? (Sir?)

Forged stainless usually needs to be "electro polished" or passivate the surface to make it "stainless" again. CitriSurf is a product that is popular, made by http://www.stellarsolutions.net/. Here's a direct link: http://www.citrisurf.com/wave.htm



AND.....as was mentioned....you don't want to use a wire brush that is both steel AND has been used on mild steel.....it can leave minute bits of steel on the stainless that can oxidize.

well I've mainly forged 440C... and it has weathered the dishwasher well...(I came into smithing through blade work; one reason I've forged some weird alloys before---scrap from making blades)

I'd say that most smiths forge whatever stainless they find in the scrap stream. If I was located anywhere with moisture, (we have had about 1/10 of an inch precipitation here since Jan 1st), and was doing a large project with *new* metal factored into the cost I would probably go with a more corrosion resistant alloy and have it electropolished by an outside company so I didn't have to deal with the waste issues---and have that factored into the cost as well.

Alfonso,

I forged a small stainless steel vase for my Mother a couple of years ago. I don't know what the alloy was. It was a piece of schedule 40 pipe. I forged it on my anvil with my normal forging hammer. No clear coat, no wax, nothing, and it looks exactly the same as it did when I completed it. It is an indoor piece. I think your stand will be ok.

I have a fire poker forged out of 1/2" stainless that I use in my outdoor fire pit. It stays out by the pit year around. No corrosion to date although it has changed colors from the fire in the unforged shaft area.

I also make various stuff from stainless sheet (18-20 gauge) mostly things for the garden. I've been tacking these together with my mig welder, stainless wire, and 75/25 gas. Occasionally, I'll get small rust spots where the welds penetrate the stainless. I've intended to get some citrisurf and try passivating, but haven't.

Just my .02, take it for what it's worth,

-Derek

Alfonso,

I forged a small stainless steel vase for my Mother a couple of years ago. I don't know what the alloy was. It was a piece of schedule 40 pipe. I forged it on my anvil with my normal forging hammer. No clear coat, no wax, nothing, and it looks exactly the same as it did when I completed it. It is an indoor piece. I think your stand will be ok.

I have a fire poker forged out of 1/2" stainless that I use in my outdoor fire pit. It stays out by the pit year around. No corrosion to date although it has changed colors from the fire in the unforged shaft area.

I also make various stuff from stainless sheet (18-20 gauge) mostly things for the garden. I've been tacking these together with my mig welder, stainless wire, and 75/25 gas. Occasionally, I'll get small rust spots where the welds penetrate the stainless. I've intended to get some citrisurf and try passivating, but haven't.

Just my .02, take it for what it's worth,

-Derek

Thanks guys...It is holding up well, I just thought It might have flash rusting after the heat and hammering. i did some searching on this site, and though I don't forge stainless often, tyurned out well. i can't afford to stock it, just found a few odd pieces of 304 to slice off.

i think stainless steel sounds good. i do not know about you guy but i think it might be a tad soft but with regular up keep it should be fine. then again it probably would not rust with regular up keep. i would suggest electro polishing,because it makes it shiny. it does not need to be elctro polished to be stainless. i would suggest for some one else to do it for you because it requires strong acid. pick a good iron alloy, because the chromium makes it stainless also it makes it soft. find the right one for your uses.and do not forget what stainless means. it means that it stains less then other steels.

OK Guys,
Thanks for the suggestions, It was too late to go for stainless as I'd already made half of it, next time I might give that a go though, the stand Alphonso made looks just the finish I was after. What i did was had it galvanised, primed it with red oxide then mixwed black satin finish exterior paint with graphite powder I bought on ebay ( £8 for 500gramms) about a heaped tablespoon to half a litre, thinned it down with about 10% celulose thinners. While the paint is still tacky but looks dry I brushed the surface with a waxing brush on the end of a drill and can't beleive how good it looks I'll post some pics later in the week, it's really close to polished steel in good light, in dim light less so, looks a bit grey but still good, clients very happy with it and fitting it tomorow.
Thankyou all,
Matthew

Corrigan...I just want you know, incase you mised it in my orig. post, that my stand's finnish is as is where is, just power wire brushed and cleaned with a mild acid painting prep de-greaser.

Thanks Alphonso ! Heres how they turned outLet me know what you all think.
Cheers !

looks nice good work

Thanks Alphonso ! Heres how they turned outLet me know what you all think.
Cheers !

B>E>A>U>T>I>F>U>L looks they just grew there natural like!

Thanks guys !

Great design concept. Fits in well with the site context. Good accurate fabrication. The texture is outstanding. The effect is very positive.

The welds however distract from the overall effect.

Great design concept. Fits in well with the site context. Good accurate fabrication. The texture is outstanding. The effect is very positive.

The welds however distract from the overall effect.

Thanks Dan, I agree the weld does distract a little from the overall effect however I felt I needed a good solid weld for every upright. Perhaps I should have v'd the components out a little for a less intrusive look ? That said when you're stood infront of them it doesn't jump out too much. I had originaly wanted to have no cross piece and just resin everyone into the stone by way of a pin but the client felt it needed more solidity.

Good Morning All
-Distressed Industrial Strength Venetian Blinds; I love it! Was each tier a separate unit for galvanize,priming,and paint then site assembled?
This is very cool,in a couple of days I will have convinced myself I came up with it.
-grant

Good Morning All
-Distressed Industrial Strength Venetian Blinds; I love it! Was each tier a separate unit for galvanize,priming,and paint then site assembled?
This is very cool,in a couple of days I will have convinced myself I came up with it.
-grant

Ta Grant ! Yes each one was separate, had to tack on a bar to the top for the galv to strengthen them a bit. love your description