I am going to open Pandora's box here and throw this tidbit out for everyone to learn and love, platers and those in the know need not read
There is a room temperature blackening agent that you can get for stainless. The process is a bit tricky to get an even finish, but it can be done. I have blackened several pieces in stainless this way and if done right it's pretty cool. It actually oxidizes the stainless to black/gray
You will need to go to this website, they have all the information.
www.epi.com
It's the insta black 370 for stainless steel.
Always use this stuff with plenty of ventilation, not in your basement otherwise your house will smell like sulfur for weeks! And don't over inhale the fumes! This chemical is very irritable to the nasal mucus membranes and will cause you to flem up badly, knock your sense of smell out for a bit (hours) and really give you a head ache and possible pass out, be careful with this stuff
The method below works well with a wipeing application for a polished look, use a clean non-lint rag, don't use a colored shop rags or anyting that isn't cotton! Cotton is the best, it is absorbent and it has a nap that allows even spreading, use old t-shirts or socks, I don't recommend sweat shirts because they have a wierd texture front to back.
You have to do a few things before you apply the insta black. First, clean your helmet really well, the company sells a cleaner or you can use Acetone or Denatured Alchohol, there cleaner works best, it micro etches the surface and preps it, but it is expensive. Get all the grease and fingerprints off, use rubber gloves to keep from putting any more prints on while moving the helmet around, make sure you have gloves that are acetone resistant if you use this
Then, take a torch and heat the helmet up a bit, not really hot, just above bare hand handeling temperature. The blackening agent works best if the piece is actually warm to hot, not really to hot though otherwise it will cause a really nasty spot that looks really funky, plus if you burn the chemical it smells worse than when you started!
Have the piece you are blackening be in contact with a piece of mild steel, the bigger the better, I mount mine on a stake or pipe, it makes it easy to move the piece around and it also helps the reactivity of the blackener.
I basically put the rag over top of the opener blackener and turn the bottle upside down to saturate the cloth a bit. Then I start rubbing the rag in a circular fashion on the piece being blackened. I do this until I get an even finish.
Now, here is the most important part. You have to stop the chemical reaction otherwise it continues! Dip your piece in water or rinse it with a hose until you are sure you have all the chemical off
Then rinse it again
This will stop the chemical reaction. Dry with a blower or use fan, and you have a nice blackened finish.
Now you can seal it if you want with the companies recommended sealer, but again this is expensive. NOTE: Don't use WD-40 at all on your piece, it will remove the blackening because it breakes down rust/oxidation and this is an oxidizing process. This finish, after it has set for a few days, will be rather durable, it will scratch if hit with metal, but that only adds character. This is not an anodization nor a plating, so this is a 'surface' treatment, but the beauty is it can be reapplied easily.
Here is tricky part. If your piece is to hot, or to cold, it doesn't go on evenly
If you have any chemical residue or polishing residue, it doesn't go on evenly
If you haven't polished the helmet right, it doesn't go on evenly
If your helmet is brass trimmed then don't be surprised when the brass turns color as well! This stuff blackens stainless so it will effect all metals.
[b] Never ever use this stuff on Aluminum!!!! /b]It causes a very nasty chemical reaction that almost caused me to pass out, luckily I had the all the doors and windows open and got out! EPI sells an aluminum blackener for this, I haven't used it though so I don't know anything about it.
This is a good product and a great process but trial and error provides the best results. You can always take this stuff off by polishing you piece again, wear a respirator though if you are concerned about the chemicals that can go into your lungs
Here are a few other notes:
If you have money to burn, buy a tank of the stuff and use the dip method, this works excellent! Then rinse and condition in a sealant tank. This is a very costly set up but you will get some phenomanal results!!!! You will need about 25 gallons of the stuff to do this and it's about $60 dollars for a gallon, plus hazmat fees, you do the math
You can sandblast the piece, apply some muriatic acid to clean the surface ( micro etching process ) then heat said piece and apply the blackener ( diluted with water ) using an atomizer ( windex bottle that has been cleaned or a mister used for gardening ). THIS METHOD IS THE MOST DURABLE, but it is, NOT SHINEY!!!
You can get a free sample of the blackener from the company, it's about 40ml of the stuff, enough to do one helmet, but you only get it once! Check them out. You can also order this stuff through other companies, just ask the EPI people and they can provid you a list of people, probably in your area, that can sell you the stuff or provide samples and tech support.
I hope you have fun with this and also like the smell of burning eggs!
Have fun,
Kelson