Finishing Up- tricks, tips and prefrences

[JimsShip]

While sifting through the thousands of posts around here, I've seen a few comments that the way you finish your piece is as important as how it's made in the first place, but I don't see much on the different ways to do this.
I'm looking for your tried and true experiences with different types of finishing, and the results each have given you.
What would you use on eating utensils or BBQ tools?
Is spray paint or clear coat the best option for general items? (hooks, candle holders, etc.)

Since i'm new to this any and all suggestions or tips are welcome!

[Old N Rusty]

Use an edible oil like olive, or crisco, or even pam spray on eating stuff, a word of caution the spray oils like pam are FLAMMABLE , and if you are not careful around the fire ... WHOOSH!! A flamethrower in your hand! for items that are not eating irons I like LAMP OIL heat the iron a little, apply oil heat again, but don't burn off the first coat . ,Heat again, oil , and wipe excess with a rag. Bees wax works too.

[Drewed]

I use bees wax or just plain parifin wax. If you heat the peice over green coal smoke as you rub the wax on it, it takes on a real nice black sooty look to it. Then just hang to cool. If the wax gets a little thick, you can rub it with cloth or burlap and burnish it in. This is what I do for indoor gear. For food type stuff, I use a food type oil. Out door stuff, I'll either wax, knowing that it will rust, of break down and rattle can it.

[Borntoolate]

for my fireplace tool holder and tools I am using a high temp flat black stove paint.

[Borntoolate]

I also like the Brass wire brush look too. I haven't quite nailed the right temp to brush at though. It is well below cherry red it seems and in the black heat color. OThers can probably give a better description. Not a very good pic but the hook on the right is brass rubbed. Left is shiny spray paint (yuck). These two are like the first things I ever made.

[Francis Trez Cole]

It really boils down to preference. Any tool that comes in contact with food you should use an edible coating. All others items it is the look you or the customer wants.

[petere76]

For outside pieces multiple coats of a good spray paint over two coast of primer seems to hold up the best in New England weather. That said, the draw back is you loose the highly prized "forged look" to the paint coverage.

Inside and outside protected pieces are well served by the traditional Bees Wax + linseed oil. This techniquue offers reasonable protection against surface rust and alows the forged facets of a piece to remain visible. After all, we forge the iron for its appealing appearance as well as its function.

Eating and or cooking utensils are best served by finishing hot with peanut oil, veretable oil or suiet. Think cast iron pan seasoning. In time, you can always clean off any rust and bake the pieces off in your oven.

Peter

[ThomasPowers]

Note that some "lamp oils" are just de-odorised kerosene and not good as a finish!

For eating gear I like to make it out of stainless steel or titanium and so putting a finish on it is un-needed. For traditional stuff I will season them like you do a cast iron skillet.

For other items depends a lot on the location and use. A finish that will do fine out here for 100 years might be messed up in 3 months on the sea shore!

[arftist]

Any oil or wax finnish is temporary and needs to be re-aplied eventualy. Enrique uses WD-40 which is basicaly kerosene.

[John B]

For outside pieces multiple coats of a good spray paint over two coast of primer seems to hold up the best in New England weather. That said, the draw back is you loose the highly prized "forged look" to the paint coverage.

Inside and outside protected pieces are well served by the traditional Bees Wax + linseed oil. This techniquue offers reasonable protection against surface rust and alows the forged facets of a piece to remain visible. After all, we forge the iron for its appealing appearance as well as its function.

Eating and or cooking utensils are best served by finishing hot with peanut oil, veretable oil or suiet. Think cast iron pan seasoning. In time, you can always clean off any rust and bake the pieces off in your oven.

Peter

Peanut oil may affect anyone with nut allergies, be aware. Bacon grease is good.

[bajajoaquin]

Bacon grease is good.

Yes, it's delicious.

[pkrankow]

Peanut oil may affect anyone with nut allergies, be aware. Bacon grease is good.

Bacon grease brings up religious preferences among customers since pig is an "unclean" animal to some. Veg. shortening does not, and also will satisfy vegetarian and vegan customers.

Phil

[Glenn]

It would seem that reapplying a coat of protection on a regular basis is what has protected the iron work in Europe all those years. The big thing is how are you going to reapply the finish on a regular basis in order to continue the protection here and now?

Paint needs a good primer which bonds the paint to the metal. There are those that suggest a zinc undercoating directly in contact with the metal in order to give an additional barrier of protection. Think of your project as a car and use the same preparation and procedures to paint your project as you would if you were restoring a car. You expect the paint on your car to last 5, 10, 20 years in all sorts of conditions, so why not expect the same protection on your metal projects.

If you use oils or waxes, apply them early and often, and before any rust even gets a start. As stated earlier, curing cast iron takes a while, but once cured it will last and serve you well. Remember that another coat of protection is wiped onto the cast iron after each meal (or time it is used). Only then is the cast iron put on the rack for use tomorrow. (grin)

[Tom Allyn]

Plain old canola oil works well for seasoning cast iron. It should do fine for BBQ utensils and such. Any oil with a high smoking point will do. For seasoning cast iron, it's best to use an oil with a smoking point of 400° F or higher. The higher the smoking point the better.

A renowned local blacksmith uses grapeseed oil (smoking point 485° F).

http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/collectedinfo/oilsmokepoints.htm

[Nathan Hall]

Ive found on my grilling utensils after im done cooking but grill is still hot if i clean them of and get them warm and spray with cooking spray they hold up rather well......... note I took that idea from my wife, after her cast iron cook ware is seasoned well she sprays and places a paper towel wetted with cooking spray in between them before putting away....... dont know what she will do if i ever finish the pot rack i promised her years ago lol

[JimsShip]

Thanks all for the responses. I think beeswax is the way i'll go for common items, It seems more traditional, and I agree it would retain the detail of the forging.
I guess you'd just dip it while it's still warm, hang it to dry, and then wipe off any clumps and bumps?
The nut allergy and religious alerts were great points, and something I never considered. (Although I'd love the warm smell of bacon coming from my new candle holder, I can see how some would be offended!)
For now most of my eating utensils will be made from RR spikes and whatever I can scrounge up since I don't feel my skills are up to stainless steel and titanium standards yet, but I like the oil ideas you've suggested.
Thanks all!

[DennisG]

Bacon grease brings up religious preferences among customers since pig is an "unclean" animal to some. Veg. shortening does not, and also will satisfy vegetarian and vegan customers.

Phil

yeah they love to kill the poor veggies to save a good pot roast

[pkrankow]

Yes, it's delicious.

It is

yeah they love to kill the poor veggies to save a good pot roast

Good stuff any way I look at it. Pot roast, pork ribs, bacon, spinach salad, beans and rice...

Phil

[ThomasPowers]

If you can forge a rr spike you can forge stainless. Ti is a bit more persnickety.

[pkrankow]

Stainless: get it HOT hit it HARD stop when it is ORANGE. I find it doesn't move too easily compared to less alloyed steels. I have some that I think is stainless that was shipped as 1045 (which is butter at a high orange heat) I also have some 440 series that I KNOW what it feels like.

Phil

[Drewed]

Thanks all for the responses. I think beeswax is the way i'll go for common items, It seems more traditional, and I agree it would retain the detail of the forging.
I guess you'd just dip it while it's still warm, hang it to dry, and then wipe off any clumps and bumps?
The nut allergy and religious alerts were great points, and something I never considered. (Although I'd love the warm smell of bacon coming from my new candle holder, I can see how some would be offended!)
For now most of my eating utensils will be made from RR spikes and whatever I can scrounge up since I don't feel my skills are up to stainless steel and titanium standards yet, but I like the oil ideas you've suggested.
Thanks all!

No need to do it the hard way, just hold the work over your fire and rub the soils wax on it. The heat in the metal will melt the wax, and the smoke from the fire( especially if using green coal) will give a nice black finish to it. Hang to cool

[FieryFurnace]

I use Krylon glossy clear coat on my modern indoor products. Nice finish.....if it's not a hand sanded textured piece, I'll rub it with graphite powder and then clear coat it. The graphite gives it a beautiful even color.

On traditional items or items that are meant to take a beating (like a dinner bell,) I us beeswax or a mixture of linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine. Both of these are good coatings and they are applied while the metal is warm. Not a good pick for artsy items though.

Stay away from paint.

Cooking utensiles should be coated while hot in vegi oil or something else food safe.

[John B]

If you are using waxes and oils, these are prone to natural patination (rust), then it is advisable to inform or better still attach maintenance instructions with the item, these can be printed on the reverse of a business card and given with the item.

An occassional wipe over with a furniture polish will help maintain the finish, you could even sell small/give pots of your waxing compound for them to wipe on.

Some areas of the world are more prone to rust than others and the life of the finish you apply can vary greatly in different locations.

[pkrankow]

Many word processors can whip up a tri-fold pamphlet on letter paper, 2 sided even if you want. This may be an option to have the care instructions ready to go, with business information and a synopsis of what you are capable of doing.

Phil

[Rich Hale]

Back to the top of this thread,,,Let us not forget that appled finishes are only as good as the metal is prepped to receive them. If you have scale on the piece, To me it is not finished as a forged item. No matter wot you apply to it it will still be a scaled item that needs cleaned up. Scale is formed whenever steel is heated enough to forge. The more heats you take the more scale you have to deal with. For mild steel a quick dip in water followed by a good wire brushing will remove most. Some thick scaley spots may need to be scraped. At times light hammering will pop those pieces loose. Dipping carbon steel in water may work, but there is a risk, Depending on carbon content and heat, That the piece may crack. "I use a butcher block wire brush availeable at most farrier supply houses and brush a lot. It it really remarkable how much you can improve the looks of a piece lby a good wire brushing. I use a small block of beeswax as mentioned above. If when you apply the wax it does not melt and run a bit you need more heat. if it smokes you need less heat. Do enough pieces and it will seem real easy. If you are new at this, compare some of the things you have made and a few moonths from now see if you have improved finishing work.