I have a bunch of big old steam radiators that I’m planning on getting sandblasted and possibly powder coated or just painted. I found a sandblasting place around the corner from me that advertized that they do hot black oxide finishes. The place is more of a metal finishing house than a sand blasting house.
I’m going to swing by the place tomorrow morning, and find out about cost, etc. [http://www.austinmetalfinishing.com/]
I’m not familiar with the black oxide coating. Do you think that’s a good option for a radiator? We were planning on a dark color anyway. Will it scratch?
splat
Replies
Black oxide is basically the same as gun blueing. It's a chemical conversion of the surface, usually done with phosphoric acid with some other stuff. It's just a few millionths of an inch thick, so if something does scratch it, it's noticeable. Offers very slight corrosion resistance - not nearly as good as paint or powder coat.
Don
Aren't piffin screws coated with Black Oxide?
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I haven't heard of phosphoric acid being used in hot black oxide, but even so the process is nasty and dangerous. The finished product is safe and looks cool, but it will scratch and it's not much protection against rust. Powdercoat would work but kinda feels like overkill to me. Paint is cheap and easily repairable.
Pete
Don't mean to sound like I know more than I do. I've used a couple of the gun-blue solutions for touch-up, but we've always contracted out production black oxide work to plating houses (ball & roller bearing components).
I'm pretty sure that naval jelly and the conversion coatings which turn rust into primer use phosphoric acid, and there are a couple processes used to rapidly smooth out steel surfaces which use an acid bath in an abrasive tumbler, which convert the surface to a black iron phosphate which rubs off, taking the high points first.
I'm assuming most of these processes are similar, but there may well be other chemistries which give similar results.
Don
Yeah, the cold products are a different process. They have a few limitations, but they're really good to have in your bag of tricks!
Pete
I don't know about the black oxide coating, but I do know that you want to get primer on the radiators RIGHT AWAY after they are sandblasted. This is to prevent rust, which will start up as soon as they are stripped. And use a non-water based primer, in case that isn't obvious.
Black oxide is the coating typically applied to hex socket head cap screws (Allen screws).
I am in love with either Krylon or Rustoleum hammer-textured spray paint for radiators. It's easy to do, looks terrific, & is easy to touch up if necessary.
I also like that hammer-textured stuff - it looks real '40s. I paint inner metal parts of Hoosier kitchen cabinets with it.
Forrest
Swung by the metal finishing place this morning. The owner seemed to think that the radiator would rust with the black oxide and would need to be painted so we'll skip that and just paint them.>hammer-textured spray paint for radiators
is that one of the types that are marketed specifically as "radiator paint"?Did you prime? The archives have several posts mentioning "self-etching" primer. That sounds like a good thing. I sure as hell don't want to be moving the radiators around again in anything less than 30 yrs.splat
You can use any quality spray paint on radiators. They do not get hot enough for the "high heat" paints....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
No, it's marketed as "texture" paint - also comes in 'wrought iron.'
It's self-priming. Also looks great on the outsides of cast iron tubs, sinks, etc. I also used it on my lawn furniture...
Another idea (depending on the room) is faux copper. I did some in my dining room and I think it can look pretty good with a little practice. I don't have any pictures of my radiator, but here is something else I did:http://blog.bobb-bittner.name/wp/wp-content/fireplace6.jpg
Nice! Is that surround faux-marblized slate? I had 2 of those in my first house, a 1910 rowhouse in Hoboken, NJ.
Yes, it was. But the faux marble was chipping off, so I repainted the whole thing. I tried for weeks to make it look like real marble, then realized I have no artistic ability whatsoever, so I just did that.
sandblast clean, 2 thin coats of primer, 3 coats of hammered finish.
looks sharp, nice clear lines.
American Radiator Co. - Rococosplat
Vrey sharp indeed! I had that style radiators in my first house, but current ones have just plain tubes. Since the house is a very plain 1695 farmhouse, the radiators are more appropriate, but yours are prettier!