Black Oxiding made simple...

Steve Plucker

Steve Plucker

BANNED
Today, I had an idea.

Tried it once before but it was with cold BLACK oil.

Thought I would up it a notch and here are my results.

Now some of you may not like the thought of heating original Model A bolts and nuts and maybe not such a good idea if in fact they may lose their temper or hardness but here it is.

What you need is an old electric skillet (I used one that is 12X12x2 inches).

Put the old BLACK oil into the skillet about 3/4 inch or so from the top. Then add a 3 oz. bottle of Perma Blue (Liquid Gun Blue) just for the heck of it to the oil. Then heat the oil till boiling...the hotter the better, like 450F.

Then put into the boiling oil your very clean and very hot, but not to the point where they are cherry red but just about, nuts and bolts (cold nuts and bolts will not work as they will not blacken).

Let the items boil for a few minutes (make sure they are fully covered), then turn the heat off and let the parts just sit there till cool.

What you end up with is a very nice rich black oxide finish.

I also tried heating the nuts and bolts and putting them into cold BLACK oil but the finish was not as rich in blackness.

The blacker the oil is and the hotter the oil is along with the very hot part...the better black richness you will have.

The parts must be real clean to achive the rich look.

DO NOT DO THIS IN THE HOUSE AND MAKE SURE THERE IS GOOD VENILATION AND ALWAYS WEAR A PROTECTIVE MASK SO YOU DO NOT BREATH THE FUMES AND FOR MORE PROTECTION, ALWAYS WEAR RUBBER GLOVES.

Pluck
 
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No offense, but you are not black oxide coating your parts. You are oil quenching your parts. They are very different processes. Black oxide converts just the surface of the parts to magnetite (Fe3O4). Quenching changes the micro-structure of the part. There is a very good chance that you are making your parts brittle, possibly dangerously so.

Wikipedia has a fast read for both processes:
black oxide - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_oxide
quenching - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quenching
 
Probably the blackist oil you can get is from a diesel truck. I should have saved the oil from my Chev turbo diesel which i just got changed.
 
I belive that the black hardware was actually Parkerized. Parkerizing was a common rust preventive used during the Model A era. In fact Model A sheetmetel was Parkerized before painting. Here is how I Parkerize my parts;

What is Parkerizing? Parkerizing is a metal finish used on virtually every antique vehicle ever produced. It is a process that turns bare iron or steel into a finish protected by Zinc or Manganese Phosphatization. The process can be done in many different colors, but the color most often used on motorcycles is dark gray or black. Zinc will give you the dark gray while Manganese will give you a darker, closer to black. Zinc holds up a little better than the manganese though.

Finding which parts should be treated will require you to spend some time with a magnifying glass and factory photos. Parkerizing is a process that can easily be done at home. All parts must be thoroughly cleaned and stripped to bare metal. If you have made any repairs with brass, be aware Parkerizing will not adhere to it.

First thoroughly clean and degrease your parts. Then remove any old Parkerizing Cadmium, or Zinc plating. This is easily done by first carefully washing all areas of the parts in cleaning solvent or carburetor and parts dip. Using a wire brush or wheel will help get stubborn areas clean. Be sure you have removed all grease and dirt from the parts. In a well ventilated area place the cleaned parts in a glass or stainless steel bowl of Muriatic acid. Put the degreased parts into the acid and stand back until it stops its action. Do not breathe the fumes. This usually takes three to five minutes and will remove any old Parkerizing, Cadmium, or Zinc plating. Now rinse the parts in clear 200-degree hot water. The parts should now be clean bare metal, if not continue to clean the parts until they are spotless. Do not touch the clean, bare parts with your bare hands, as the oils on your skin will ruin the process. Clean cotton gloves or a pair of tongs will help here. You can buy Muriatic acid at most hardware stores or swimming pool supply stores. Be sure to stay out of doors when stripping as the acid gives off poisonous gasses when used. Do not touch the acid dipped parts with your bare hands, wear the gloves or use the tongs.

Now that you have thoroughly cleaned and stripped parts, you are ready to Parkerize. You'll need a few easy to come by items. The first of these are heat, as in: easily acquired by turning a knob on the stove. If your significant other doesn't want you to be fouling the air in the home you can always retire to your garage or yard with an electric hotplate. One with two burners work best. You will also need some stainless steel cooking dishes deep enough to cover the parts you will be Parkerizing, preferably one with a cover or a piece of foil etc. to stop the solution from evaporating. Also a 200 degree candy thermometer, a measuring cup with ounces, a pair of tongs, some clean dry towels and a quart of new motor oil and of course the Parkerizing concentrate.

Parkerizing chemicals are available from many sources. eBay or your local gun shop is a good place, or try a chemical supply company. Or you can order the solution from Vernon Owens, 2311 Old Parker Road, Greenville, SC 29690 Phone (803) 246-3836

Once you have collected the required materials, follow the mixing and heating instructions provided with the Parkerizing solution. I use distilled water to mix with the concentrated solution but plain water works fine. Sometimes I have mixed the solution a little stronger and it works faster. Heat one container with water only to 200 degrees. This will be a final rinse and also pre heats the parts before they are placed in to the Parkerizing solution. Heat the mixed solution to one hundred and ninety-five degrees. When the brew is up to temperature I like to pour it through a permanent coffee filter. There are available at your grocery store in the coffee section. This step will remove the crystals that have appeared in the solution. Now place your parts into the solution and cover it. Don't dump a whole load of parts at one time as this will cause the temperature to drop. Using the tongs occasionally turn the parts so the finish will come out even. Don't let the parts stick out of solution or a permanent line will be on the part. Add more mixed solution as necessary to keep parts covered as it evaporates. When the parts are done quickly remove them, hot water rinse them and towel dry them and dunk them into the motor oil that has been heated to the same temperature as the solution. I heat my oil in a small electric frying pan. This will help protect the finish as the oil is absorbed into the pores of the metal that have been opened by the heat. You do not need to leave the parts in the oil for long. A minute will be plenty of time. This entire process takes about an hour. If you are Parkerizing parts that will be painted, don't oil them.

Parkerizing the inside of fuel and oil tanks, as the factory did, to prevent rust is a good idea. Clean and strip the inside and outside of the tanks by sandblasting. Then plugging the fuel line holes and the pouring in a pack of BB’s or steel shot. Then add muriatic acid and slosh it and the BB’s around inside the tank until clean. Thoroughly rinse the inside of the tank with hot water. If you don't have a container large enough to hold the tank, plug all holes in your tank and pour the preheated solution into your clean, rinsed, stripped, preheated tank. Make sure the tanks is full. Heat it to temperature in your oven for twenty minutes. When finished thoroughly rinse the Parkerized tank.

Save your Parkerizing solution as it can be reused.

Your parts are now ready to correctly complete that loving restoration
 
Burned oil is a coating and not a rust preventive. Heating nuts and bolts to that 450 degree temperature softens them and removes their hardness. Why take the time to do a Mickey Mouse job when it would take the same amount of time to do it correctly?
 
Ouch, that's kinda harsh! Why don't you post a thread and tell everyone how to do it correctly rather than dragging poor Steve over the coals? He is only trying to help the restorer that doesn't have access to the proper chemicals. I don't think 450 deg. is enough to hurt the mild steele Henry used in the average bolt/nut. The finish Steve is using is durable; I harden o1 tool steele in diesel (used) oil for knives that are too big for the regular container of hardning oil. the black finish has to be sanded away -- it is tough! So, Steve, thank you for your post on faux oxide it is useful information.
Regards, E LaBrash
 
You know, I am not one to cut another one's process down as Mr. Haynes has, nor will I ever, as a matter of fact, Chris's method is very legit and I might give it a try.

However it is to bad that within his instructions he does not mention to wear a protective mask when doing this process as he states that the process gives off "poisonous gasses when used". Even if done outdoors, gasses sometime linger in an area, depending on the weather conditions, where they are used and not knowing the disapation of these "poisonous gasses", it is alway better to be "safe than sorry".

I would also think "rubber" gloves should be used instead of "cotton" gloves since it is a "liquid" that one is working with, that material will soke throught the cotton gloves but not the rubber gloves UNLESS the material is so toxic that it will eat up rubber gloves...I do not know.

SO PLEASE, WHENEVER ONE WORKS AROUND THESE "HOME CHEMICAL REMIDIES"...PLEASE USE PROTECTIVE MASKS TO PROTECT YOUR OWN *** AND THE USE OF RUBBER GLOVES FOR FURTHER PROTECTION!

Pluck...(who has been there)
 
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