[TheForge] oil/wax finish, blackened steel

[Jerry Frost]

Rather than experimenting with charcoal just buy some powdered graphite from 
the local art supply. It was even reasonably priced and that's up here. They 
sell it for mixing with paint, they also have products that may be good 
finishes for iron.

Now I'm bummed, the Blaine's Art Supply, here in the Valley closed a couple 
years ago, I'll have to drive to Anchorage to check.

Jer
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cheryl Brimson" <cbrimson at me.com>
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 6:39 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] oil/wax finish, blackened steel


> 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 ventilate
> d 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
>>