[ARC5] Screws for ARC-5s

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Ken & Group,

Now that I think of it, I don't think I ever saw my original post come back.  
But the finish process is known as black oxide.  Today it is considered 
dangerous and most places have quit doing it.  It was used as both a protective and 
a decorative finish on copper, brass, bronze, iron, steel and some stainless 
steel parts.  Gate, fence and fireplace hardware was often black oxide 
finished.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to find anyone who still does steel or 
stainless steel, at least in the US.  The place here that used to do it for me had 
a man killed two years ago and they quit doing it on anything except copper 
or copper flash parts.  Apparently, the pot temperature for copper is much 
lower than for the ferrous metals and not nearly as dangerous.

Also, I don't think you can do it over zinc plating.  The only place left in 
Houston that will do steel doesn't do stainless steel.  And he told me that if 
I supplied him with zinc plated steel machine screws, it would cost extra to 
first strip off the zinc.  Some of the screws used in the Command Sets were 
either cad or zinc plated brass.  Mostly those inside.  But I don't think the BO 
finished ones were.

In a message dated 12/20/2004 10:36:14 PM Central Standard Time, 
kgordon at moscow.com writes: 
> The original screws WERE zinc-plated brass. I don't know how they 
> blackened them, but I know it wasn't paint.
> 
> The only 3-48 binder-head screws I have been able to find were all 
> stainless-steel ones. I got mine from some place which sells hardware 
> on the web and got a pretty good deal on them. I also got internal-tooth 
> lockwashers and hex nuts for them too.
> 
> When I needed black ones, I painted them with flat-black enamel, which 
> if you use a thin coat, looks exactly like the original ones.

Robert Downs - Houston
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