Nothing stuffs up the appearance of a nice black anodized panel like a shiny zinc plated screw. Yes I know there are outfits that do the job, but the minimum charges are a killer. Any chemists out there able to share the secrets of the blackening process ?
cheers
M
cheers
M
mobyd said:
Machine and sheet metal screws are available with a black finish, just not as common as plated.
Jeff
Re: Re: Blackening Screws?
Perhaps in Canada..not in NZ (in M2.5 sizes anyway - even in larger sizes, the range is limited and the cost high).
M
vinylkid58 said:
Perhaps in Canada..not in NZ (in M2.5 sizes anyway - even in larger sizes, the range is limited and the cost high).
M
How about just getting cheapo screws and painting them with enamel paint - the kind used by model hobbyists? Think it works on metal too. If you scratch the paint, you can just touch it up. The paint also comes in handy little pots.
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Or maybe some of the stuff used for handguns..I think there's a "gun blue"..which if you add a couple extra coats,basically looks black. 😉
Nordic said:
It's been my experience that permanent markers often have trouble bonding to metalic surfaces and can be wiped off easily even after long periods of time.
I have used black fingernail polish for touching up. Comes with a brush too!
Also good for sealing solder joints and locking nuts.
Also good for sealing solder joints and locking nuts.
Blackening is easy enough, here in the UK we use stuff called Metalblak, but I think you will have problems trying to black bright plated screws. You probably need to remove the plating first.
Turning metals black?
That's easy; you just need a "femtosecond laser".😀
http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=417
Or, try some nitric acid.😉
That's easy; you just need a "femtosecond laser".😀
http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=417
Or, try some nitric acid.😉
You can blacken steel by heating it to a wheat colour (barely beginning to glow) then dropping it into some clean engine oil.
I don;t recommend this process for anything particularly structural, in that case you just use high tensile which is black anyway.
I don;t recommend this process for anything particularly structural, in that case you just use high tensile which is black anyway.
I did it once. I think i was fooling around trying to make hydrogen in copper sulfate water. I have got time today i will do i few experiments and try to recreate what i did.
Edit: Well it made a nice copper finish on positive and black pitting on negative.
Edit: Well it made a nice copper finish on positive and black pitting on negative.
richie00boy said:
In the US, I have used Modern Masters brand "black patina aging solution" , and it works great. Richie00boy is correct, you need to remove the zinc with a short soak in acid. I use the common acid used for swimming pools (nitric?). Be real careful with this acid, it will burn and blind ! ....but with gloves and goggles, pour a tiny bit into a small plastic water-bottle cap, and soak the screw heads in it for about 5 minutes, until they turn grey. Wash off well, and dip them into the black patina solution, they will immediately blacken.
Remove them to air dry, don't wipe them.
Spray a shiny or matte clear lacquer on them.
=FB=
(or just go buy the pre-blackened ones)
Redrabbit's sounds the most promising so far.
First thing I'd suggest, since it's so easy you may as well give it a try anyway, is to head out to any auto parts vendor and get a can of something called "rust fix". Basically a pre-primer for rusty fenders. It's probably most popular among hillbillys that are waay too lazy to really work the rust off first and are really happy about a product that just turns the rust into black oxide.
I blackened a lot of furniture hardware/fittings with this stuff last year and was really impressed with the results. You've got to remove any plating first. It also helps if you expose the bare metal surface to the elements for a few days to get some surface rust going since this is actually what ends up constituting the "finish".
The brand my local parts store had was "Dupli-Color Rust Fix" in a 10.25oz spray can. It goes on clear and within an hour has turned the surface rust into a really durable, and very black, oxide coating that is naturally well bonded to the surface.
Most of what I used it on was basic old mild steel and the results were great. It might be less effective on high qualitiy screws, but you might want to try it anyway since it's so cheap and easy to find.
In any case, the method redrabbit suggested would almost certainly give a more uniform and fine grained appearance to something that was going on the front panel of your audio gear.
First thing I'd suggest, since it's so easy you may as well give it a try anyway, is to head out to any auto parts vendor and get a can of something called "rust fix". Basically a pre-primer for rusty fenders. It's probably most popular among hillbillys that are waay too lazy to really work the rust off first and are really happy about a product that just turns the rust into black oxide.
I blackened a lot of furniture hardware/fittings with this stuff last year and was really impressed with the results. You've got to remove any plating first. It also helps if you expose the bare metal surface to the elements for a few days to get some surface rust going since this is actually what ends up constituting the "finish".
The brand my local parts store had was "Dupli-Color Rust Fix" in a 10.25oz spray can. It goes on clear and within an hour has turned the surface rust into a really durable, and very black, oxide coating that is naturally well bonded to the surface.
Most of what I used it on was basic old mild steel and the results were great. It might be less effective on high qualitiy screws, but you might want to try it anyway since it's so cheap and easy to find.
In any case, the method redrabbit suggested would almost certainly give a more uniform and fine grained appearance to something that was going on the front panel of your audio gear.
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