Black stainless pins

U

Usingmyrights

Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
31
I'm in search of some black stainless pins and tube. Anyone know where I can find some? A metallic gun metalgray would work as well. Just looking for some darker metal pins in dark gray or black. Thanks
 
I can't say that I've ever seen black stainless pins. If you want black colored pins and tubes you could use carbon fiber. There are plenty of those on ebay.
 
You'd have to coat the stainless with something after it's finished... otherwise you'd need a material that is true black all the way through.
Are you talking pins for a constructing a full tang knife or something like premachined pins for a folder?
 
Usingmyrights said:
True. I was wanting them to be polished though. I'm sure they're out there, just gotta find them.
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By nature, stainless won't stain. Steels are darkened when a patina (layer of rust) is formed and it is hard to get stainless pins to rust - they are made not to rust. The only way I can think of to get what you want is to use non stainless mild steel pins, polish them with the handle, then force a patina on the pins using an acid. But be sure to protect the handle when using the acid (Ferric Chloride or gun blue/brown does good). It doesn't matter so much with synthetic handle material, but the acid could darken wood, ivory, etc.
 
Heat will darken it, though it leaves it a little more vulnerable to rust if it's not kept oiled. Not a shiny finish, too.
I have some stainless tie down hooks on my truck bed that just look like regular black forged steel, but don't rust.
 
Looking for pins for a full tang knife. I'm picturing the same color as the black stainless Springfield 1911. I want to patina the blade, but want the pins to be the same color throughout.
 
He said stainless, not carbon fiber or zirconium.

Caswell Electroplating makes an excellent affordable product called, of all things, stainless steel blackener. Do a quick search and be happy.
 
Andy Lewis said:
He said stainless, not carbon fiber or zirconium.

Caswell Electroplating makes an excellent affordable product called, of all things, stainless steel blackener. Do a quick search and be happy.
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Sorry..I'm not a maker, I've just modded some Opinels, :rolleyes: but I wanted to say the Caswell blackener works good.
It's just like cold blueing carbon steel.

Here's an example of a blackened SS lock ring next to an untreated one.

DSCN2437.jpg


And here's a lock ring I took some 000 scotch brite to after blackening it for a pocket worn look.(bottom knife ;))

I didn't clean or polish the blade and applied the blackener with a wet Q-tip to dilute it so the finish would look more like a patina.
DSCN2587.jpg


The only negative is the blackener leaves a stink worse than cold blueing, but it do fade after awhile and on something as small as a pin head it shouldn't be noticeable on the finished knife handle.
 
Because you can't blue/blacken stainless steel gun parts/barrels, most companies electroplate the parts with black Chrome or black Nickel. Surface treatments to produce a blue or black color on steel actually produce an artificial rust (but not red). Bluing steel involves a molten Sodium Nitrate bath which leaves an Iron Nitrate (blue) finish on the steel part. More recently cold bluing products based on Selenium have been marketed. Hot and cold bluing won't work on SS.
A still more recent surface treatment involves chemical or physical vapor deposition of colored ceramics on metal surfaces. Titanium Aluminum Nitride is a charcoal colored deposit that is used on knife blades. TDLC and CBN yield similar results.
 
Ok, so it sounds like I need black chrome or nickle. The SS blackener looks good, but I was hoping for a bit more shine. I'll have to keep it mind though for future reference.
 
Usingmyrights said:
Ok, so it sounds like I need black chrome or nickle. The SS blackener looks good, but I was hoping for a bit more shine. I'll have to keep it mind though for future reference.
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You dont seem to be understanding.
besides the afformentioned carbon fibre and zirconium, the only other way you're going to get a remotely shiny black metallic look its a surface finish.
Theres no black steel, black chrome or black nickel bars.
The caswell one is the only thing you're gonna be able to apply to an assembled knife.
I'd use the CF since its readily available in rod form
 
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