[TheForge] Hammer heat treating/stainless coloration

[ries]

I have been out of the country- ten days in Buenos Aires- amazing  
forged ironwork everywhere, and when I ask at the best architectural  
bookstore in town, they tell me there is NO book about it- I am  
talking about 10,000 to 25,000 buildings with amazing hand forged  
ironwork, from 1850 thru the present, with huge quantities of art  
noveau, art deco, and so on. So I guess I am going to have to write  
the book- but thats a whole nother  thread-

Anyway, as mentioned, a powered wire brush will do a lot- I use 4"  
flat wire brushes on my 4 1/2" angle grinders, and I use a 12" X 2"  
stainless wire brush on a 2hp bench grinder- but if the piece is  
heavily forged, where it is dark grey to almost black, I find wire  
brush alone will usually only take it back to a medium gray.  
Sometimes I will sandblast then wire brush- but that doesnt give you  
shiny. Scotchbrite pads on the 4 1/2" grinders will sometimes do it  
too, or scotchbrite belts on the 1 1/2" x 21" makita belt sander- but  
if you want a piece of heavily forged stainless to get shiny again,  
electropolishing is the only way to go.
I send mine out to a commercial place- it costs about the same as  
powdercoating, they use a 4'x4'x8' bathtub of 120 degree mystery  
acid, mostly phosphoric, and a 1000 amp power supply, hooked up  
backwards from a plating setup. And still, heavy forged stuff might  
take 20 to 40 minutes to get shiny.
Small stuff, you could use a rubbermaid tub full of dilute phosphoric  
(maybe Ospho from the auto parts store?) and a battery charger- it  
will take longer, maybe even overnight, but it should work.
Or find a plater that also does electropolishing.
This is the best for really twisty turny, lots of nooks and crannies  
type work.

ries



---- Robert J Hill <wskewinu at mac.com> wrote:
> Hello all.
> I have a few questions.  One of my coworkers is making some wood
> carving tools from ball pien hammers.  I also have a cross pien that
> tends to be softer than I would like.  What would be a good method for
> heat treating these tools?
> My other question is in regards to heat coloration from welding on
> stainless.  Scrubbing the colors off with Scotch-Brite pads and wire
> brushes only goes so far.  Any recommendations for an easier way?
> Thanks,
> Rob Hill
>
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Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist
http://www.riesniemi.com/