The Armour Archive

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm#stainless

Has anyone used the stainless steel blackener from Caswell on type 304 stainless? Anyone have a pic of how it looks? How well dose it hold up to SCA combat?

While we are on it, how well dose their black oxide kit work on mild?

Gavin

We've used it fairly often in my shop. The finish varies depending upon the degree of polish put on the pic before blackening. For us it works best on top of a high polish and produces a very black magnetite looking finish. It is fussy and constant results on large pieces is tough.

Check out Baron Alejandro's rig hon this thread:
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... 22&start=0

The helmet and peascod were blackened with the Caswell stuff.

Hi Cet, would you mind sharing how you dealt with its fussiness?
My problems were getting an even blackness and getting it to 'stick'. I followed the advice given by their tech support - degrease, light acid etch, but couldn't get a result. I'd like to do another round of testing but need more advice.
Cheers,
Dave.

Hi Cet, would you mind sharing how you dealt with its fussiness?

I'm not sure we have Out best and most consistent results have come from taking the piece straight form the buffing wheel (green stainless compound) and going over it with a dilute solution (2 or 3 to one) on a rag while the piece is still warm followed by rinsing in cold water. We still occasionally get an area that doesn't take well ( the black rubs off) or a cloudy spot which is more dark gray than black but so far this is the best.
Paradoxical following the manufacturers recommendations have been less successful.

We've used this on both 304 and 301 alloy stainless steel.

Thanks mate, I was probably being to careful with the prep! I'll try it straight off the buffer!
Cheers,
Dave.

Let me know how it goes- one thing I may not have emphasized enough is to keep going over it with the solution soaked cloth even if spots don't take right away re-wet the cloth if you need to.

Good Luck!

If you're applying with a cloth I've found the best method is as follows.

You can use a small piece of rag or a small sponge. the sponge will hold more solution but you need to be a little more carefull.

Put solution on your cloth or sponge but not enough that it's dripping.

Apply with light circular motion and don't press hard enough to leave enough solution on the piece that it will run.

Re-apply solution often squeezing out as much of the previous solution as possible before putting new on.

Go over the whole thing like this. If you haven't got an even result you first need to remove the spent solution on the surface. Wipe with a clean rag very well getting all of the solution off. If you've got a spot that's really stubborn get some really fine steel wool and go over the entire surface. Wipe everything off with a clean rag after the steel wool and then go over everything the same way as before.

For degreasing if you don't do a good job you'll have a harder time getting even results. First step is to put on rubber gloves. Spray with a degreaser (I prefer a non aerosal one because it's easier to controll and get more even coverage). Dunk the piece in hot water and wipe down with your hands while submerged. With a clean rag wipe it really well. Put the rag aside for some other purpose. Do the same thing again and use a new rag. Hot water makes a difference. Make sure the piece dries really well before blueing. Never take your gloves off and touch the metal.

Temperature is going to make a big difference. It'll work much better if you're working somewhere as warm or warmer then you keep your house.

This is how I blue mild stuff I haven't tried the stainless stuff yet. It works well and gets a good even coverage.

Thanks Guys ! I always wondered how well this worked.

Has anyone used the Gel Kit for stainless steel. I want to blacken my zweihammer helm and am trying to figure out if the gel kit will do it, or if I need the liquid version. By the way what does the sealer do? If it's stainless steel why does it need to be sealed?

I've used the gel kit on smaller pieces. I think it would tend to leave brush marks on something the size of a helmet. The sealer seems to be essentially a clear-coat paint . It's pretty tough but not so tough that I think will help much on a pierce of armour and would likely interfere with future touch-ups.

I have use it as well with great results but for best results you really need to acid clean the stainless first. For helms I dip them in a Home depot orange bucket with a 20% solution of Muriatic acid, hose off, dry, and then apply the blackening solution.

this is what you end up with

This is a reconditioned Lewis Moore Helm, And it is for sale or trade if anyone is interested. I am looking for a early 1320's helm

On a Zweihammer Valsgarde 6, probably should do this before assembly, no? Too late after it's built to get a good finish?

hivemind wrote:On a Zweihammer Valsgarde 6, probably should do this before assembly, no? Too late after it's built to get a good finish?

That was my next question.

Also, does the acid bath clean the surface or pit it?

Called caswell and they said that for stainless steel the sealer is not needed. The oxidizer can be diluted then wiped on for larger peices just be careful to expose all parts for the same amount of time.

Be careful with muriatic acid. I just found out that it has rusted every tool in my shop.

Yup the fumes from just storing it can find delicate expensive machine tools and do their worst!