Blackening for steel work

[MVisser]

Hello, Celticforge,

I enjoyed your poem, to whom should go the credit?

Cordially, Michael Visser

[FredW]

This is a formula I use for, well not necessarily blackening but darkening. I use 1 part Zip Wax car wash and 1 part boiled linseed oil then I add little Japan Drier, about 10 percent of the 2 parts. It can be applied cold and will darken the steel. I have found you can sand the part to give it highlights and it will only darken the unsanded area. I just spray it and wipe off.

Fred

[ThomasPowers]

MVisser: Rudyard Kipling of course see "Cold Iron" at this site for the complete poem:

http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/kipling_ind.html

[Dave12]

Being a complete novice at this game I have picked up quite a few things to try from the above posts,so thanks to all for the tips.
What I was wondering though is,are there any other methods for colouring steel that do not give a black finish; basicly,any colour you like except black ?.

[pkrankow]

Tempering polished steel will give a type of rainbow. You got straw yellow, brown, purple, green, blue and grey!

Temper Colors and Steel Hardness : anvilfire.com

Phil

[Dave12]

Thank you for the reply,I was actuall thinking more along the lines of chemical or dip type treatments.
I have tried cold black oxide,and while it does give a good result it does not stand up to repeated handling very well,the finish wears off quite quickly,it's also quite expensive.

[Rusty Laidlaw]

Howdy! Once I figure out how to add pictures I'll show you a couple sword fittings I blackened. The tannic acid route works great, and is cheap.

I make a strong tea in a pyrex pot. Normally you let a tea steep (that's called an "infusion") but I like to boil the tea for about 10 minutes or so before immersing my parts (that's called a "decoction", much stronger). I usually like to paper my parts then finish with a rough polish with tripoli which is a wax based abrasive, so that means lots of cleaning. I actually wash most of my parts with laundry detergent to remove oils, waxes, you name it.
After the parts are clean, I make my decoction, plop them in, and boil them for as long as I need to get them as black as I want. A half hour should do.

After they come out you'll notice the water is dark black, and the parts also are very black, with a black powder on them. The parts are VERY hot so wear gloves, and rub down with beeswax to seal. Buff with a soft lint-free cloth, and you got a nice pearly black finish.

The sword is going to a customer who will use it in medieval martial arts, and it's guaranteed to suffer some abuse. The pommel won't rust for many years as long as it's maintained (same as the blade really), and where the hilt suffers nicks and scrapes from other blades well that's a high wear zone. I offer an optional maintenance plan to cover that kind of abuse since it's expected.

Hopefully my rambling helps!
- Rusty

[dkunkler]

When you say tea, do you mean regular tea like one would drink or something else ?
Looking forward to your pictures.

[Rusty Laidlaw]

I use just normal black tea. It's called "Orange Pekoe"

[Pat Roy]

I'm too lazy to mix up a formula, but I have had good luck with simply warming the iron and brushing on some boiled linseed oil. If it smokes or flames it's too hot and you won't get a uniform finish. I sometimes I the rub on some parafin wax while the iron is still warm enough to melt it. Wipe off the excess in each step.

Sometimes I just rub the parafin on the warm iron and wipe off the excess. Darkens the iron quickly.

I wouldn't expect these treatments to weather all that well.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Other colors can be acheived by parkerizing , grays, and green when used with a cosmoline-standard U.S. military gun finish starting with the 1903 series of rifles.

There are a number of commercial finishes now on the market, such as Dura Coat. These are more of a paint type product.

Browning was another gun finish used back in the muzzle loading days.

Mix copper sulfate, and water then dip the part into the mixture. After a bit you will have a copper finish on your part.

[Iron Clad]

I have turned steel black by simply burning bee's wax on the surface, more by accident at first. Heat the steel up to a temp. that the bees wax almost catches fire. Sometimes though I cannot get a consistant finish all over the surface. Perhaps a little practice. I'll try it and see if this works.

Also, I have turned steel somewhat black by heating the steel to a yellow and using a wire wheel. I wouldn't consider both of these methods the best way, just accidents I have made in the past, however maybe worth experimenting with.

[ArtWerkz]

Iam a fan of the sculpt nouveau products also. it's a great site with lots of info on patinas for ferrous and non-ferrous metals. They have a bunch of vids on you tube also.

[bigfootnampa]

I have recently been doing a bit of drywall taping and I like to use setting muds that have to be mixed. When mixing hot mud every minute counts so I use a mixer made from 1/2" mild steel rod that I can clean in around ten seconds. I have noticed that the exposure to the mud mix seems to develop a black (blue) patina on the metal. I am wondering if anyone has done more extensive experimenting with this type of chemical patina? It seems to have some promise.