Question Coating your metal after forging

[ANGRYANVIL]

Im typing this on the fly before i head of on a trip.  But i have been making stuff now more often thanks to request for my openers. One thing i failed to concider was a coating to apply to everything after i was done to protect them.  Im sure this is already posted but what have you guys been useing.  I was on youtube and saw some recipe for a solution made from beeswax, tupitine and some oil.  I thought about spraying a polyuathane on it but thought that would chip after a while.  I am still learning as I go and i learn after watching how stuff is done also trial and error kind of guy.

Thanks in advance.

David Sanders

[JimsShip]

I asked about this before (I don't know where the thread is now) and was given some helpful advice. (One member used Johnsons floor wax)

 

I always thought having a sticky with everyones different way to finish their projects (along with pics of the finished results) would be an awesome, easy refrence for newbies like me instead of searching hundreds of threads.

Anyone?

 

:rolleyes:

[ThomasPowers]

coatings range from solid gold to nothing depending on factors you have not provided.  I mainly use plain old paraffin wax others will season their pieces like you will season a skillet.  Hand forged Titanium doesn't require a coating, nor does monel or many of the stainlesses.  The toxicity of the coating is important for some uses and not for others. What works in an area with 7% humidity may not work for the same item on a hot and briny seashore.  One size does NOT fit all!

[FieryFurnace]

On exterior items I use straight linseed, sometimes applied with the metal cold, sometimes baked on. (An old Kevlar, heat resistant glove makes an excellent applicator when you are working with hot material. Peanut oil is also good.
I also use clear powder coat on exterior items.

On interior items I use primarily powder coat, but sometimes items like renaissance wax, bri-wax, Johnson's paste wax. Occasionally I'll oil indoor items, especially things like pot racks, and anything more traditional in nature.

I have used plain old krylon clear coat from Walmart. (Use flat, not gloss! Gloss looks like plastic.) It is decent, but I rarely use it now that I have access to powder coat services.

If you want to get a real deep, even, black sheen, rub graphite powder on before coating with clear.

The various coatings all have their various applications.

A multi-millionaire probably will not want to go rub his 30 foot wide x 12 foot tall, forged gate and 50 foot of matching railing, with oil every six months, but the traditionalist with strap hinges on his barn door may not mind.

[01tundra]

Gerald,

 

What does the finish look like when using Lundmark's clear paste wax?

 

I'm trying to decided what to use on an indoor table base I'm getting ready to make.  I want it to have a little shine to it, but not too glossy.  Definitely don't want to use beeswax, too sticky.

 

I'm guessing you apply it to warm metal?

 

I wonder if Trewax paste would give about the same results?  The ingredients look comparable.

 

Thanks.

[Frosty]

For an outdoor durable finish, sand blast, acid etch primer and 2 part epoxy paint. I started using epoxy when I did most of the fab and repair work on the drill rigs and nothing would stand up to having cables and drill rod banging against it 10 hrs a day, 6 days a week in a salt water environment. Typically epoxy paint lasted at least 2 years before needing touching up, good heavy abuse finish.

 

For light use, indoor, outdoor or food service I'm still a huge fan of carnuba wax and Trewax is my old go to brand, that can is still more than half full at more than 25 years of finishing a hobbyist's stuff. It goes on work at 200f+ is very penetrating and cools to an extremely hard durable finish. Carnuba is what bowling allies are armored with and typically get waxed once a year unless it's really a heavy use ally then it's maybe twice a year. Top coats on bowling allies are slick oil or wax with the sticky wax or oil as needed but the armor under it all is carnuba.

 

Carnuba wax is actually slightly sweet and as food safe as I know of, As I recall it's hypo allergenic but don't quote me, check yourself. Next time you take a shiny tablet let it rest on your tongue a second and taste it, the shiny coat is carnuba. Carnuba is also what makes M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

 

Trewax, carnuba is my go to, I only use beeswax when requested to.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[01tundra]

Just ordered some Trewax clear paste, looking forward to seeing how it works on the table base.

[Fatfudd]

Out here in New Mexico where the humidity is low I've been using Rustoleum Crystal Clear enamel on my indoor items and bottle openers. I use it on out door items too, but you need to periodically 

respray it. I've used beeswax and boiled linseed oil heated and mixed which seems to be OK.

[SpankySmith]

Rudd, how do you avoid the clear coat chipping? I've experimented with that on several pieces, allowing it to dry and harden, but then the tiniest bump leaves a really noticeable chip. ??

[ThomasPowers]

Note that while carnuba wax is food safe the chemicals added to it to make a finish may not be---check the label!

 

example pure linseed oil---non-toxic; linseed oil with cobalt driers and red lead added to it to make a paint is toxic

 

In this *specific* case; the website for Trewax says: "Food Prep Surfaces

Carnauba wax is obtained from a Brazilian palm tree and has been used historically in cosmetic products such as lipstick formulations. It is safe to use on food preparation surfaces such as counter tops, cutting boards, butcher blocks, lathe-turned salad bowls, etc."

[Frosty]

Excellent point Thomas, thanks for the back up. There are a LOT of products containing carnuba, car waxes being high on that list. Car waxes however may contain many different additives including driers so I'd only use them on non-food contact pieces. I've never experimented with auto waxes, Meguires being one of many but I don't have any experience to offer.

 

Yeah, I'm a long time label reader but I often just stop if I'm not interested in the product. That's why I know Meguires has carnuba and various additives, I wasn't interested in a blend wax so I don't remember the additives, just took it off my radar.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[santisandreas]

i am looking for a good finish for my sculptures and some exterior hinges i am making and have some questions as well on the matter. i have looked up trewax just now but its too far away to order it from USA it is not cost effective. is this product available in Europe or is there something else i can use close to this? i have firstly used beeswax but it was too sticky and then i mixed linseed oil with turpentine and beeswax to see if its better and was less sticky but i believe that i didn't apply it properly. should one let it dry and then apply it with a cloth or something the pieces while they are hot or should i apply it while it is still in wet form as soon as it is mixed? any help would be appreciated thanks. 

[Frosty]

Trewax is carnuba. Carnuba wax is very hard and is a popular finish for high traffic surfaces, Bowling alleys in the US, Dance floors basketball courts(maybe?) and other surfaces that take a lot of abuse. I don't know much about Cyprus so I can't make specific suggestions so you might call a company that takes care of hardwood floors.

 

Carnuba is derived from a palm tree in South America, Brazil primarily and I imagine they export all over the world but I'm wrong often enough it doesn't surprise me anymore.

[SpankySmith]

I can attest to Frosty's love of the Trewax.  My local Ace Hardware store had it, I picked some up recently.  I apply it to warm metal, I use one of those coffee cup warmers to warm the actual wax.  Let it dry (like overnight) then polish.  Gives a very nice shine and a pretty hard finish.  It's now my go-to for waxed items.  On decorative items like coat hooks I use a Krylon black Texture paint, goes on about Satin-finishy but looks real close to what people expect "hand-forged" to look like.  I'd use it on nearly everything, but obviously not good on food-use items or on small oft-used items like keychains that get banged around a lot.  I'm working on a couple outdoor items that I plan to coat in the Krylon Texture and ALSO add a trewax coating to. 

 

My 2cents..

[santisandreas]

thanks a lot. i will look for it and hopefully i will find it. thanks.

 

update: i think i found it just now. its name is turtle wax which comes in spray form and the product says that it contains carnauba wax. do you think it is suitable for a finish or does it have to be pure carnauba wax to be applied on metal? this is for use on cars. 

 

http://caraccessories.com.cy/en/motores/467-turtle-wax-express-shine-.html

[elmoleaf]

Has anyone tried asphaltum (aka gilsonite or japanning--but not the laquer jappaning used on woodwork)? It was recommended in an old blacksmithing book I was reading.

It cures to a very hard black coating.

It was a typical finish on Stanley planes (woodworking) many years ago. I made a homemade version to restore some old tools some years ago. I dissolved gilsonite (sold by graphic arts businesses--used in printmaking/etching) in turpentine, painted it on the metal, then cured at 200F in oven for an hour.

[Frosty]

I looked at a number of carnuba auto waxes but haven't tried any. They have other things in them so I don't know how they'll work on iron. I see a lot of carnuba wood waxes which is what Tree wax is. If you try an auto wax, please let us know how it works, we're always looking for something faster, better, easier. Improve one and your productivity goes up.

 

I'm not familiar with asphaltum at all Elmoleaf but I'm interested in anything you find out so please keep us updated.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[santisandreas]

ok thanks frosty. this is helpful. i will find it.

[Frosty]

ok thanks frosty. this is helpful. i will find it.

 

It's my pleasure. Good luck in the hunt.

 

Frosty The Lucky.