I'm just playing around with certain ideas in my head and was wondering if there was any way of blacking/bluing stainless steel? I know it sounds daft but is it possible?
Marcus, a gunsmith friend of mine does stainless blackening. It looks just like the hot caustic bluing found on many guns. 410 works well but it has to be bead blasted to work. For some reason, the chemicals don't have the same effect when the item has been polished. That's all I know at this point. David
Marcus,
I've done a fair amount of hot bluing over the years. I also called Doug Turnbull to verify my experience. There is a blackening process for stainless, but it's done on a commercial basis. As for the typical gun shop. Chances are near non existent.
Good Luck.
Marcus if you just want to blacken the engraving Silver Black works some what on some stainless. It's sold in the jewelry tool suply catalogs and made by Griffith. It has hyrochloric acid in it. I beleive if full coverage is wanted it can be annodized, but that is a commercial process. It also can be plated with almost anything after a nickel strike plating is applied.
Mike
Be cautious when using anything with hydrocloric acid around stainless. Hydracloric acid takes the chrome into solution so etching of an engraved surface could be a little frustrating.
Look to Brownell's gunsmith supply catalog for blueing blackening info, they have a tech dept that is staffed with men who can help answer your questions, I am almost positive that you will not blue-blacken 300 series s/s but any of the carbon bearing s/s can be colored to some extent. Thanks for listening. Jack Davenport.