Unfinished Hardware
- Thread starter Stinch
- Start date
Craig Lewis
Well-known member
Only trouble with this method, I tried it, is you now have a freshly media blasted looking part on car.
I would suggest finding some bolts that were protected by caked on grease and washing them in solvent to study the original stamped out smooth finish.
Technically I suppose a blasted part is plain as you can get....but the surface takes on a "too bright" & overly consistant finish which is unmistakable as being blasted.
If your desire is to match a factory look you might consider picking the best hardware and solvent washing them, then use a mild phosphoric acid solution with a fine brush or fine steel wool to remove rust stains (rustmort by SEM company is my favorite)
The final colour can be further influenced by whether you
1)wipe the acid off and let dry.
2)rinse the acid with water and let dry.
3)or wipe and blow dry with comp air.
4)or rinse and blow dry with comp air.
5)soaking longer in the acid will sometimes effect the colour as well.
These are just alternate ideas to consider when you're trying to match the look exactly. You may very well come up with your own favorite method. Good luck.
I would suggest finding some bolts that were protected by caked on grease and washing them in solvent to study the original stamped out smooth finish.
Technically I suppose a blasted part is plain as you can get....but the surface takes on a "too bright" & overly consistant finish which is unmistakable as being blasted.
If your desire is to match a factory look you might consider picking the best hardware and solvent washing them, then use a mild phosphoric acid solution with a fine brush or fine steel wool to remove rust stains (rustmort by SEM company is my favorite)
The final colour can be further influenced by whether you
1)wipe the acid off and let dry.
2)rinse the acid with water and let dry.
3)or wipe and blow dry with comp air.
4)or rinse and blow dry with comp air.
5)soaking longer in the acid will sometimes effect the colour as well.
These are just alternate ideas to consider when you're trying to match the look exactly. You may very well come up with your own favorite method. Good luck.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
I clean the hardware in gas, and give it a light brushing on the wire wheel if it needs it, then spray it with satin clear. This gives it a nice look and I often can't tell the parts from those that haven't been sprayed yet.. Regulat gloss clear makes it look too shiney.
For rusty hardware I do exactly the same process, except I media blast the rust away first then give it a light wire wheel brushing to take away the blast look.
For rusty hardware I do exactly the same process, except I media blast the rust away first then give it a light wire wheel brushing to take away the blast look.
Kevin in NJ
Well-known member
I soft wire wheel the loose dirt and stiff wheel the hard stuff.
Then I throw them in a vibratory polisher I got for doing pinball parts.
Clean them with wax and grease remover.
Spray with a quality semi gloss.
Not sure how perfect they are from a JS point, but they look nice on the car.
The problem with any hard media blasting is the process is etching the surface of the metal. Loosing details and taking the fresh metal look from hardware that could otherwise look factory. OTOH, hard media blasting gives a great base for paint to stick to a part for stuff that you are painting black.
Then I throw them in a vibratory polisher I got for doing pinball parts.
Clean them with wax and grease remover.
Spray with a quality semi gloss.
Not sure how perfect they are from a JS point, but they look nice on the car.
The problem with any hard media blasting is the process is etching the surface of the metal. Loosing details and taking the fresh metal look from hardware that could otherwise look factory. OTOH, hard media blasting gives a great base for paint to stick to a part for stuff that you are painting black.
Marco Tahtaras
Well-known member
As you can tell from the responses, the key here (as with every other part of the car) is to try to duplicate the appearance of the part when it was new. How to get there and your level of success depends on your diligence and creativity. Any method you choose will impact the color, sheen, and texture. Blasting with ANYTHING will make it a dull gray. Wire brushing will add a sheen and give it more of a silver color (more so than when new).
With that said, I've seen very high point cars with "plain" hardware that looked more like dull cadmium due to the methods chosen. That indicates the judges generally don't know the difference or don't care. The bottom line is do what pleases you (which you should be doing anyway) and don't worry about the rest.