[TheForge] Stainless steel

[Bruce Freeman]

Phlip,

You mention chrome plating.  You might look into
getting carbon steel tools nickle- or chrome-plated
commercially.  

Before you do that you might want to make some simple
tools and play with coatings you can do yourself.  The
simplest is a baked oil finish, which I have
recommended previously for cookware.  (Apply a THIN
layer of polyunsaturated oil and bake at 400F at least
an hour.  It comes out very dark, shiny brown.  If
sticky, either you used too much oil or you didn't
bake it long enough.)  This coating may prove to be
too soft for the purpose, but it is so cheap and easy
to do and to restore that it is worth a try.  

Another possibility is copper plating.  Copper is MUCH
less reactive than iron, so might not be a problem. On
the other hand, it is softer than steel.  (Try
cleaning a sturdy piece of copper and using it for a
tool.  If IT doesn't leave marks on the leather, then
this might be a possibility.)  Pickle the tool clean
in acid, then make it the cathode (negative electrode)
in a strong solution of copper sulfate (used for
killing roots in drains, and available at Home Depot)
with a large piece of copper as the anode.  You'll
need a power supply or battery of a few volts (and as
many amps as possible) to drive the plating.

In principal, you can plate other metals than copper,
but I don't  know that it is worth the effort or
expense when compared to commercial plating.

What would REALLY be sexy is to aluminum-coat the iron
and then anodize the aluminum coating.  The surface
layer of anodized aluminum is very hard - it's
sapphire!  There's an old process for coating steel
with aluminum using a double oven and chlorine gas,
but I doubt that would interest you.  I suspect you
could melt a bit of aluminum in an iron pot, and dip
the clean steel into the molten aluminum to coat the
steel.  (I haven't actually tried this, though.) 
Anodization is a separate process, and I've only read
about it.  I'd have to review the books I have on the
subject before I could suggest how to do that.

Best of luck,

Bruce

OR/NJ

--- Saint Phlip <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:

> I'm looking for advice in choosing and playing with
> stainless steel
> for a particular project.
> 
> There are a lot of leatherworkers about, and they
> need tools. Many, of
> course, can be bought through modern suppliers, such
> as Tandy and
> Leather Factory, but some folks want specific tools
> for specific
> historical periods.
> 
> However, using a plain carbon steel isn't a good
> idea- the iron reacts
> with the tannins and the water in the leather,
> leaving black marks
> (veggie tanned leather, which is what you use for
> tooling, must be
> dampened to leave an impression), so the modern
> toolmakers make the
> tool, and plate it with chrome.
> 
> Making specific tools isn't difficult, insofar as
> shaping the handle
> and the business end. What IS difficult is finding
> the right steel.
> 
> Characteristics needed-
> 
> Doesn't leave black marks on the leather
> Tough enough to do the job for quite a number of
> impressions (I've
> used a particular tool on a single project a couple
> hundred times or
> more, for a repetitive pattern)
> Reasonably easy to heat treat
> Reasonably easy to acquire
> Looks rather like a good carbon steel
> Comes in reasonably useful shapes- small hex, round,
> or square- 1/4" or so.
> 
> Any suggestions? Or, any suggestions for other
> materials that might do the job?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Saint Phlip
> 
> Heat it up
> Hit it hard
> Repent as necessary.
> 
> Has anyone seen my temper?
> I seem to have misplaced it at Stalag XXXV....
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