Blackened hot rolled steel

[Rykol]

Hey everyone
I’m on the hunt for a process that will blacken my steel panels but keep the heat bluing from the original processing of the hot rolled steel.
Here’s a picture of the panels and the desired outcome.
I’m prepared to start ordering products to trial but I thought if anyone has any insight to save me time or money what the heck.

Thanks all

 

[Janger]

Welcome to the forum. What are you making Rykol? And please post when you figure out the answers your question. I’m sure we all want to know too.

 

[Rykol]

Im cladding my fireplace in horizontal panels. The slate tiles you see propped up against the hearth are not going to be used.

 

[PeterT]

Do you mean the kind of washed, streaky look or just the darker color? The factory sheet looks like it comes off the mill rollers as part of the process. It's actually a very thin oxide, so if you scratch it it will show through, which is essentially the same result for any kind of cold blue-ing process. I'm guessing the trim around your fireplace is probably powder coated or sprayed high heat enamel. There are probably lot of suitable finishing systems out there (meaning paint) which would probably be a better coating. You can get all kinds of either top coat or additive to make the same color appear anywhere from matt to semi-gloss to gloss. If you mean a patina or washed/antique looking finish, thee are specific finishing systems meant for this kind of look. Some have additives that do funky things to the chemistry during cure to give a look like exaggerating brush strokes or micro-curdling for a more flecked, semi-textured look. I'd try a paint finishing store & look at their samples. A jewelry supply store will sell the line of antiquing solutions for ferrous materials, but might be kind of limited in the shades you can achieve & probably spendy for larger areas.

 

[Rykol]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge PeterT.
I believe I'm looking for a patina or washed finish. I want to keep the non-uniform look of what I believe is the mill scale(heat bluing?). My current understanding is if I use a product like Insta-black it wont oxidize the mill scale portion of the sheet. I'm afraid I'll end up with a stark abrupt change in the finish across the sheet where the scale is.
I suppose the best way I can describe my question is can I uniformly darken the whole sheet without losing the pattern of the existing mill scale? I apologize if my terminology is incorrect.
I may end up cleaning and sealing the "factory" finish at the end of the day.

PS just to clarify my earlier comment, I'm cladding the chase up from the fireplace, not the fireplace itself.

 

[DavidR8]

One thing treatment I've seen was an application of Penetrol to the bare steel. I'll see if I can find a photo of the result.

 

[DavidR8]

 

[YYCHM]

PS just to clarify my earlier comment, I'm cladding the chase up from the fireplace, not the fireplace itself.

What part is the chase?

 

[DavidR8]

What part is the chase?

The chase is the part that's plywood now.

 

[Rykol]

View attachment 19494

Interesting finish. I’d like to see it from different angles.

 

[DavidR8]

Interesting finish. I’d like to see it from different angles.

Check out Forme Industrious on YT. He uses the finish a fair bit on his industrial furniture.

 

[RobinHood]

PS just to clarify my earlier comment, I'm cladding the chase up from the fireplace, not the fireplace itself.

Can’t contribute much on how to achieve the finish you want on your sheet metal.

Cladding that whole area in a more or less uniform material will make the fireplace “disappear” visually. All you’ll see is a wide, dark stripe up the wall.

Perhaps that is the look you are going for?

 

[PeterT]

I'm only really familiar with these cold blackeners for smaller bits of tooling. I've tried different brand solutions including Jax, I think for the plain blackening stuff they are probably the same chemical/process. Jax makes other kinds of solutions though. Personally I find it fussy to deal with & all I want is consistent black. The metal has to be spotlessly clean and (IMO) similarly finished. By that I mean machined or buffed the same or else it looks different to the eye. After application goes kind of an ugly chalky black color. Some of the other seller sell a 'sealant' which gives it a more uniform luster. I've tried a few different products & settled on oil & then wiped off. It's not greasy feeling at all but seems to penetrate the color layer. A larger sheet would be more challenging to get consistent looking but maybe you are after a different look. You can buff the black off with a 3M scotch pad. That's actually how I start all over again when the results don't look great. But I think to lock that in you would need some kind of clear top coat.

Metal Blackener Solutions - JAX Chemical Company

Fast acting, water-based metal blackener solutions easily darken aluminum, pewter, brass, bronze, copper, silver, iron, steel or nickel.

jaxchemical.com

Home - JAX Chemical Company

Best Sellers

jaxchemical.com

I you Google keywords like 'faux aged silver hammered'... words like that you will find some examples. Some are dedicated application coatingss. Others are hardware store paints with different wash treatments to give the antiquey look. But most of those examples have texture to exaggerate the effect. Not sure how that would translate onto a very large surface.

Antique Painted Furniture - Old World Silver Finish

Create a glamorous and sophisticated Antique Painted Furniture Finish in Three Simple Steps! Detailed How-To walks you through the easy process.

thegraphicsfairy.com

https://www.menards.com/main/paint/spray-paint/all-purpose-spray-paint/rust-oleum-reg-universal-reg-metallic-paint-primer-spray-paint/249132/p-1444452970552-c-8050.htm

 

[Thomas]

You could try linseed oil, it will seal it and darken with heat.

 

[YYCHM]

This is what Forme Industrious appears to use in his treasure chest video.....

Birchwood Technologies Patina-Presto Black for Iron & Steel

Presto Black PC9 Birchwood Technologies Patina is for iron and steel. Protect the surface with Ever Clear or Clear Guard sealer.

www.archirondesign.com

I think cooper cladding the chase might look better than steel on your fireplace...... maybe?

 

[Tom O]

You could try linseed oil, it will seal it and darken with heat.

Hmm not long ago I saw a video on blacking armour I’ll see if I can find it.

 

[Tom O]

Here it is. Use the watch on YouTube feature

 

[Rykol]

Can’t contribute much on how to achieve the finish you want on your sheet metal.

Cladding that whole area in a more or less uniform material will make the fireplace “disappear” visually. All you’ll see is a wide, dark stripe up the wall.

Perhaps that is the look you are going for?

View attachment 19504

Thanks Robinhood. This is the first time I’ve been able to see it this way and is thought provoking. Maybe the penetrol finish would be better…

 

[Rykol]

I'm only really familiar with these cold blackeners for smaller bits of tooling. I've tried different brand solutions including Jax, I think for the plain blackening stuff they are probably the same chemical/process. Jax makes other kinds of solutions though. Personally I find it fussy to deal with & all I want is consistent black. The metal has to be spotlessly clean and (IMO) similarly finished. By that I mean machined or buffed the same or else it looks different to the eye. After application goes kind of an ugly chalky black color. Some of the other seller sell a 'sealant' which gives it a more uniform luster. I've tried a few different products & settled on oil & then wiped off. It's not greasy feeling at all but seems to penetrate the color layer. A larger sheet would be more challenging to get consistent looking but maybe you are after a different look. You can buff the black off with a 3M scotch pad. That's actually how I start all over again when the results don't look great. But I think to lock that in you would need some kind of clear top coat.

Metal Blackener Solutions - JAX Chemical Company

Fast acting, water-based metal blackener solutions easily darken aluminum, pewter, brass, bronze, copper, silver, iron, steel or nickel.

jaxchemical.com

Home - JAX Chemical Company

Best Sellers

jaxchemical.com

I you Google keywords like 'faux aged silver hammered'... words like that you will find some examples. Some are dedicated application coatingss. Others are hardware store paints with different wash treatments to give the antiquey look. But most of those examples have texture to exaggerate the effect. Not sure how that would translate onto a very large surface.

Antique Painted Furniture - Old World Silver Finish

Create a glamorous and sophisticated Antique Painted Furniture Finish in Three Simple Steps! Detailed How-To walks you through the easy process.

thegraphicsfairy.com

https://www.menards.com/main/paint/spray-paint/all-purpose-spray-paint/rust-oleum-reg-universal-reg-metallic-paint-primer-spray-paint/249132/p-1444452970552-c-8050.htm

Thanks for the advice PeterT. Have you ever tried a wax? I’ve just learned that wax is also a method used.

 

[Rykol]

You could try linseed oil, it will seal it and darken with heat.

Thanks Thomas. I’ll do a little research on this and may test this out this weekend.