Turning a Stainless Steel gun Black?

[jonsidneyb]

I have always heard that this is not a good idea and that nothing works well.

I see that JD Jones offers this now.

I was wondering if any new techniques have been discovered.

What I want done is a stanless revolver. I would have it beadblasted first then finished if there is a good method out there.

Any ideas???

 

[Mac's]

Putting a black or other color finish on Stainless is not difficult. Proper preparation will give excellent results when using resins but the trick is lots of prep work. Parkerizing will not work on Stainless but I have heard of a "blackening agent" that does work. I don't know anything about it, though.
Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All
Mac's Shootin' Irons
http://www.shootiniron.com

 

[GeorgeR]

Blacken Stainless Steel

Stainless steel can be hot blued. Brownell's and Du-Lite both make stainless steel salts. There are a number of refinishers that offer that service. The result is like regular hot blue.

 

[jonsidneyb]

I keep hearing that the various technigues for making stainless black has problems.

I was wondering of you guys might no which is the most durable or most friendly to touch up.

 

[GeorgeR]

Blackening Stainless

It's not easy to do. It's just as durable as regular hot blueing, no better-no worse. You can't touch it up with cold blue, but it wears well. You can't get a high polish with stainless blueing. Who, may I ask, says there's a lot of problems with it?
You can also get a polymer gun kote -Ten Ring, KG- there's a lot of brands. or Lauer's epoxy paint.

 

[Mike Sr.]

WHY?

Save the money just buy the inferior carbon steel version!

 

[Brian Williams]

Why, because there is no other gun like this and I would prefer it to be blued....

 

[jonsidneyb]

I am not a flashy kind of guy. I like things subdued and classic. But some of my favorite revolvers were never made in carbon.

I have a 3-inch .357 J-frame that used to have adjustable sights, I had some custom sights that instal the same that has a Novak like look to them. I think it will be less noticable in a mat black finish. I also want a black .357 640. They didn't a carbon version of those either.

I am not sure why, but I just don't like my guns to stand out and be flashy.

 

[jonsidneyb]

Us Old Farts (me) remember when the only non-blued guns where chrome. I thought the chrome ones looked silly.

 

[jonsidneyb]

Hey George.

Duh I am slow. I see you do that service.

George, If you were the one really really really wanting a Flat black revolver. Which method would you use?

I am starting to think I am one of those guys that will want to refinish his guns every 5 or 6 years.

 

[jonsidneyb]

I think I would like to have a 640 beadblasted then finished to see the results. If I really like it then by favorite carry revolver would love to be finished.

My revolvers hang out with a poly coat CZ-75. Would the black finish be as black as it?

 

[GeorgeR]

Why Blacken Stainless Steel

It makes a lot of sense not to have a flashy gun. I do a lot of LE guns and the cops tell me that only the perps want bright shiny guns. I've never spooked game with a SS gun, but a lot of hunters tell me its happened to them.
If you want to try a poly coat like your CZ, I'd get one in flat or semi gloss black. The semi gloss doesn't show scuff marks as easily as flat black. Another THR member- Mac's -does coatings, as do I, or you might want to try a spray can coating from Brownell's. I'm doing SS bluing this week and won't do it again until after Christmas.

 

[MountainBear]

Robar blackens stainless steel, and I've heard good things about their finishes. Their prices seem reasonable. Unless I'm mistaken, balckening the stainless steel does not change the chemical composition of the SS, so wouldn;t blackening it give you the best of both worlds?
And the reason its more difficult is that is it more temperature sensitive and requires something along the lines of 10 tanks. In comparison, regular hot blueing has a larger temperature range (5-10 degrees last time I did it) and only took 5 tanks plus an oil tank.

 

[Bob Hostetter]

Some S/S will take blueing depending on what the alloy mix is. The best way to blacken S/S is Black Oxide. You can get from a matt finish to a glossy finish based on the underlying metal prep.

 

[mrmeval]

Caswell's has it.

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

It's an acid blackener that works at room temp.

For Stainless Steel:

Stainless Steel Blackener 370 is an acidic liquid concentrate used full strength or diluted with up to 3 parts water to blacken stainless steel at room temperature. Recommended for color coding parts and blackening engravings on stainless steels. Produces a pleasing dark gray/black finish. No sealer required.

SSB370 Stainless Steel Blackener 370 1 Pint $22.47

 

[Sunray]

"...the chrome ones looked silly..." And the nickeled ones were and are even worse.
jonsidneyb, look in the Yellow Pages for metal finishing shops. Call a few and ask 'em if they can blacken SS and if they'll do firearms(not all can or will). Metal finishing for SS has come a long way. Brownell's sells a product similar to cold bluing for SS too. However, like cold bluing, it's not the best for a whole firearm.