Question: How to blacken an engraved stainless steel engraving

[Sanderover]

Hi,

I'm looking for some tips concerning making an engraving, black.
I've seen that people use a form of paint?
Also I've seen black metal oxidizers, but that stuff looks nasty and not very friendly to the skin.
It's mainly for bracelets and ring engravings, so it has a lot of contact with the skin.
The engraving is done by a Redt Magic 50 machine, using a diamond tip.
The metal used will mostly be stainless steel.
I hope you guys can help em out! Thanks!

 

[monk]

if rotary engraved the paint (rustoleum flat black) will work nicely. if done by diamond drag, i'd try cold blue found in most gun stores. if the cold blue oxidizes the metal, then diamond drag would work well. this would be an experimental situation on the stainless. good luck. let us know how this works out.

 

[Sanderover]

if rotary engraved the paint (rustoleum flat black) will work nicely. if done by diamond drag, i'd try cold blue found in most gun stores. if the cold blue oxidizes the metal, then diamond drag would work well. this would be an experimental situation on the stainless. good luck. let us know how this works out.

Unfortunatly I live in Europe, so we don't have any gunstores around where I can pick sometinhg like that up.
It is done by a diamond drag and not a rotary tool.
Would you happen to know what the chemical name is of the cold blue oxidizers.
I did find this: Liquid Pavón for Perma Blue Birchwood Casey-weapons. Is that it?

 

[Sinterklaas]

You can find the gun blue in Europe! What country are you in?

Also a black marker/sharpie can do the trick. You can wipe away the excess with a damp cloth with acetone.

There are multiple brands.
Birchwood-Casey
Balistol
Tetra gun liquid blue

 

[Sanderover]

I'm in the Netherlands, that little country
The filler with a sharpie is not really an option, since they jewelry will be sold and I don't want complaints about it losing it's black color.
the Birchwood says it's not suitable for stainles steel, but I guess that is when it's untouched by a diamond tip. Plus I don't know why the text is now bold

 

[monk]

Unfortunatly I live in Europe, so we don't have any gunstores around where I can pick sometinhg like that up.
It is done by a diamond drag and not a rotary tool.
Would you happen to know what the chemical name is of the cold blue oxidizers.
I did find this: Liquid Pavón for Perma Blue Birchwood Casey-weapons. Is that it?

bichwood casey is worth a try. you will want to pursue a chemical known as selaneous acid. this is commonly used by machine engravers. not sure of specific brand names.many engraving supply houses sell "oxidizers". these are almost always of selaneous acid. the acid isn,t deadly to handle. it is a bit odiferous. wear latex gloves-- you'll survive.

 

[Sinterklaas]

I worked for a jewelry company and we used sharpy to blacken laser engraved images. It wont rub out. But if you have to engrave wide lines then it might rub out.

Also Stainless steel and blackening in my search, I found this:

Black Oxide for Stainless Steel | Black Oxide | Electrochemical Products, Inc

Want to buy black oxide solutions for stainless steel? EPi offers Insta-Blak SS-370, Insta-Blak SS-370 Gel, Ultra-Blak 407, and Ultra-Blak 407-L for stainless steel.

www.epi.com

Or you can try to use carpaint. The real stuff. Not from a spray can. It is very aggressive and will really hold well on metal.

Here some dutch suppliers of the gun blueing. They are gunstores, they do exist here

Gun Liquid Blue | Tetra Gun

Tetra Gun Liquid Blue. Eenvoudig zelf je geweer of pistool koud blauwen. Voorkomt corrosie en behandelt krassen en vlekken - bestel nu!

www.shogun.nl

Koud blauwsel 50 ml

Dé manier om uw buks opnieuw te blauwen. Uiteraard ook zeer geschikt om beschadigingen weg te werken. Door ons als beste getest!

www.metura-schietsport.nl

Klever Koudblauwsel 50ml

Flesje koud blauwsel van Klever. Inhoud 50ml

www.mh-schietsport.nl

Webwinkel - Noordhaghe

Bij Noordhaghe wapenhandel Den Haag kunt u terecht voor Luchtdruk Wapens, Geweren, Kogels en allerlei accessoires.

www.noordhaghe.nl

Blauwsel Abbey Blu Gel 75 gr.

Abbey Blu Gel geeft een diepe en egale blauwing en kan worden gebruikt voor lopen en andere stalen onderdelen. Onderdelen met krassen en beschadigingen kunnen worden bijgeblauwd met deze eenvoudige methode van koud blauwen. Het traditionele warm blauwen geeft ten opzicht van koud blauwen betere...

www.krale.shop

Search for: "koud blauwsel"

Groetjes van je buurman uit het kleine kikkerlandje

 

[MoldyJim]

Sharpie makes an industrial version of their black markers, it will last, especially in a recessed area.
They have red lettering denoting the industrial version.
Google Sharpie, Industrial. You will find what you can use.

 

[Sanderover]

I worked for a jewelry company and we used sharpy to blacken laser engraved images. It wont rub out. But if you have to engrave wide lines then it might rub out.

Also Stainless steel and blackening in my search, I found this:

Black Oxide for Stainless Steel | Black Oxide | Electrochemical Products, Inc

Want to buy black oxide solutions for stainless steel? EPi offers Insta-Blak SS-370, Insta-Blak SS-370 Gel, Ultra-Blak 407, and Ultra-Blak 407-L for stainless steel.

www.epi.com

Or you can try to use carpaint. The real stuff. Not from a spray can. It is very aggressive and will really hold well on metal.

Here some dutch suppliers of the gun blueing. They are gunstores, they do exist here

Gun Liquid Blue | Tetra Gun

Tetra Gun Liquid Blue. Eenvoudig zelf je geweer of pistool koud blauwen. Voorkomt corrosie en behandelt krassen en vlekken - bestel nu!

www.shogun.nl

Koud blauwsel 50 ml

Dé manier om uw buks opnieuw te blauwen. Uiteraard ook zeer geschikt om beschadigingen weg te werken. Door ons als beste getest!

www.metura-schietsport.nl

Klever Koudblauwsel 50ml

Flesje koud blauwsel van Klever. Inhoud 50ml

www.mh-schietsport.nl

Webwinkel - Noordhaghe

Bij Noordhaghe wapenhandel Den Haag kunt u terecht voor Luchtdruk Wapens, Geweren, Kogels en allerlei accessoires.

www.noordhaghe.nl

Blauwsel Abbey Blu Gel 75 gr.

Abbey Blu Gel geeft een diepe en egale blauwing en kan worden gebruikt voor lopen en andere stalen onderdelen. Onderdelen met krassen en beschadigingen kunnen worden bijgeblauwd met deze eenvoudige methode van koud blauwen. Het traditionele warm blauwen geeft ten opzicht van koud blauwen betere...

www.krale.shop

Search for: "koud blauwsel"

Groetjes van je buurman uit het kleine kikkerlandje

Thank man! I'll give this a go!

 

[Mike Cirelli]

This stuff may work for you. It'll probably depend on what type of stainless

 

[oniemarc]

I've always used enamel paint to blacken lines when machining. Never lost one yet. I use the tiny tins from Revell, which you can buy in almost any country I guess, as it is meant for model painting.
Like Sinterklaas said, not a problem finding gun blue in the Netherlands, plenty of gunshops out here too.

 

[dms]

I found the web site a while back but never got around to trying any. It is chemical pigment or dye. He has email/phone to ask directly. https://steelfxpatinas.com. Also a friend that has a gun shop and does cerakote just started hot blueing tanks. He had told me the blueing he uses will do stainless. You might check with gun shops to find hot tank blue. If you can get a small vial of the solution tooth pick it into the cuts, it should blue but takes a lot longer cold.

 

[Tuck Minnett]

I don’t know if it might be available outside the US, but I’ve used Duracoat in flat black on stainless steel guns. I have found it virtually indestructible and have filled barrel flutes as well as engraving backgrounds. Once cured for a few weeks, it is resistant to chemicals and wear and would probably have to be ground off.
I use an inexpensive airbrush to apply it, then lightly sand the areas where I want exposed bare metal a few hours after it is dry to the touch. I’ve not tried the new version (Durablue) in an aerosol can, but I plan to use it on a 416 Rem barreled action. Engraving doesn’t fill up, as with a paint, and remains crisp and sharp.

Gun Bluing | DuraCoat Firearm Finishes

Are you looking for gun bluing liquid? DuraCoat Firearm Finishes has you covered. Check out our DuraBlue spray-on bluing liquid.

www.duracoatfirearmfinishes.com

 

[Goldjockey]

There are probably a thousand ways to do what you want to do. I usually just want the best results with the least amount of bother and time invested.

I've been using Rustoleum flat black enamel thinned with a bit of lighter fluid. Learned about it from one of Sam's videos, and it works like a charm. No fuss, no bother.

I do use medical exam gloves when applying, because the stuff gets in the ridges of your fingerprints, and under your nails the same way it works its way into engraving cuts. Once it dries, it tends to be quite permanent.

For instructions on how to apply, I suggest referencing Sam's "Engraving Scrollwork Start to Finish" video. You can purchase it through the following link: https://www.masterengraver.tv

 

[Sanderover]

Thank you all! I believe that the gun bluing is the way to go and we will try out a few different brands to see what works best and how it's best applied with these incredibly small engravings!
Once we have a few samples done, I will let you all know

 

[DKanger]

I do use medical exam gloves when applying, because the stuff gets in the ridges of your fingerprints, and under your nails the same way it works its way into engraving cuts. Once it dries, it tends to be quite permanent.

I used to get all kinds of chemical peddlers coming into my auto shop trying to sell me hand cleaner. They always said it was better than what I used. We devised a little trick to shut them up. We got a can of black rustoleum spray paint and sprayed their hand and one of my employee's, and let it dry. Then both went to the wash basin and washed their hands. His product always failed, but the one I used cleaned up slick as a whistle.

I used a pink lotion hand cleaner and unbeknownst to the salesman, my employee had snuck back and rubbed some of the lotion on to his hands. It always worked. As a matter of practice, we always did this before starting work and repeated it each time we washed our hands. It avoided the black grit and grime that mechanics tended to accumulate. Any commercial lotion hand cleaner should do the trick and it eliminates the need to wear gloves.

 

[Dave London]

I just can’t imagine gold smiths, mechanic, plumbers, electrician etc getting hands dirty. What a strange world

 

[Sanderover]

Hi,

So I finally tried the bluing solution, but it doesn't work on the stainless steel....
I used Abbey Blu Gel - gun solutions but it does...well..nothing.
So, any other idea's? I have seen stuff that should work on stainless teel, but I can't find it here in europe.

 

[Sinterklaas]

Might try to find some type of car-paint. That stuff will stick really well. It is very aggressive paint, it will melt through some plastics.

Stainless steel is made not to oxidize easily, and the blueing is a type of oxidizing-process if I am not mistaken.
I just read that Stainless can only be hot blued

Can stainless steel be blued?

There are many methods and solutions you can use to blue the steel such as hot bluing, cold bluing, niter bluing and so on. However, due to the unique qualities of the stainless steel, you can't simply blue the material as you like. In fact, stainless steel only accepts hot bluing and a limited...

findanyanswer.com

How to Blue Stainless Steel in 5 Easy Steps: Complete Guide

If you want to find out how to blue stainless steel, then you've come to the right place. There are many simple ways to achieve good bluing.

shootingmystery.com

If the engraving is deep enough you can get a long lasting result with a waterproof marker.
Or use a black spray paint and after painting sand the ring.

Or you can look into UV resin/paint. Available from jewelry suppliers in NL.
But black is the hardest color to harden. You need a strong UV light then it will work.
The nail lights are to weak to cure the blackened resin. I have a very stong UV light and it will easily cure the black resin.

- ACRYLHARS (UV) TRANSPARANT 55 GR. (0814176)

- HARS-PIGMENT KLEUR ZWART LED EN UV (081417813)