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-----Make steel black without painting
Q. I am a home hobbyist experimenting in welding metal lamp bases. I made a floor lamp and the part that holds the lamp slides up and down depending on the how it will be used and is held in place by squeezing a central post. The problem is paint scratches. I want to make another one. Is there a way to turn steel (the kind you buy at hardware stores) black without painting? Like some kind of chemical patina. If so, where do you get it?
- Cleveland, Ohio
2003
A. Have you looked at black chrome? this may solve your problems.
WILLIAM SKLAVENITIS- canton ohio usa
2003
A. You could apply a 5% tannic acid ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] solution on a bare steel surface to get a black coloration. The ferric tannate formation being more or less adherent you could apply an acrylic coating (ex : Krylon Crystal Clear) to obtain the final and satisfying aspect.
Jerome R. Morissette- Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
2003
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