[TheForge] oil/wax finish, blackened steel

Mon Oct 25 01:39:09 EDT 2010

Mike:
Yes,  I do have a copy of the Bealer book.  That finish sounds interesting.  Adding charcoal dust would probably work okay if you could get it ground up fine enough.  I used to do a lot of refinishing work with varnishes, and the problem with a lot of powdered additives is getting it ground up fine enough.   If it is not soluble in the finish you are using, it will make the finish rough like sandpaper.  Have you thought about getting a tube of stove polish and adding some? I used to buy it by the tube from Blacksmith's Depot.  It is mostly lampblack and a little paraffin with a thinner like naphtha to keep it in a paste until it is applied.  It should mix with the tung oil just fine.  BTW, I have been using Permatex's Rust Treatment that comes in a spray can.  I put three coats on the steel after I hand brush the scale off with a SS brush.  It gives the steel a nice dark grey/black finish and dries clear.  If you are using it inside, just be sure to use it in a well ventilated area and not breath the stuff, as it contains an etching solution in a solvent.  It bonds to the surface and makes a oxide that is really rust resistant.  I generally give it a coat of clear acrylic or paint over it.  Sometimes I also just use a coat of butchers wax or bowl finish that I get from a friend who is a bowl turner.
John

Oct 24 , 2010, at 11:06 PM, mike shpeley wrote:

> 
> Just want to say I was not that happy with the Bealer finish on craft work and 
> furniture I was selling so found this one. On here I think. Since I have gotten 
> good results with it on inside work, I should share it.   Behr Tung Oil Finish. 
> Available at Home Depot up here in the great white north.
> It gets a shiny  charcoal colour on a tumbled and wire wheeled piece.  Some 
> pieces that have to be 6 or 7 years since applied are still looking good after  
> being mauled by the tourists.  It is designed to be used on wood but sticks like 
> glue to iron.  I also noticed that it comes off easy with lacquer thinner and 
> another coat can be applied  over an existing one. The coats need to be applied 
> thin. Says it contains some linseed oil along with petroleum  distillates and a 
> UV inhibitor so  I have used the latex gloves to apply. Will dry completely in 
> one day if left in the sun. I suspect it is a form of varnish because it can be 
> wiped clean with a damp cloth.
> 
> Am Inspired here to test some charcoal dust in it to darken it more but leery of 
> upsetting the chemical balance.   It figures that the modern chemistry  should 
> be able 
> 
> to come up with something  superior in a finish than something used a hundred 
> years ago. 
> 
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net>
> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sun, October 24, 2010 3:28:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] oil/wax finish, blackened steel
> 
> Do you have a copy of "The Art Of Blacksmithing" by Alex Bealer? This is 
> almost exactly the same recipe he lists as THE finish to use only he 
> recommended either bee's or parafin wax rather than linseed oil. I've used 
> it and it lasts pretty well through a number of Alaskan winters before you 
> need to refinish it.
> 
> Jer
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jason Nass" <me at wargoth.com>
> To: "'Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA'" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 10:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] oil/wax finish, blackened steel
> 
> 
>> Any chance of you getting the recipe for this formula (proportions)? 
>> Sounds
>> like a nice trouble free finishing juice.
>> 
>> Jason Nass - MacTalis Ironworks
>> me at wargoth.com
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Cheryl Brimson
>> Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 4:51 PM
>> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] oil/wax finish, blackened steel
>> 
>> A blacksmith acquaintance of mine in Florida uses a formula that is 
>> composed
>> of linseed oil, beeswax, turpentine and stove black.  He mixes it up on 
>> the
>> stove in a double boiler and heats and blends all the ingredients and 
>> pours
>> it into an airtight can.  When the piece is finished he heats it up and
>> brushes all the scale off then wipes it down with a rag he keeps in the 
>> can.
>> It gives a pretty good finish and seems to hold up well as long as it is 
>> not
>> outside in the weather.  John Brimson On Oct 23, 2010, at 3:39 PM, Bruce
> 
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