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-----:Making other materials look like stainless steel
Q. I am working on an art project for a class that I am in and I want it to look like stainless steel. It is made from wood and steel. Is there any paint or plating techniques I can use to get a "stainless steel" look?
Mike N [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]1998
A. To me it sounds like you need something fast and cheap. Your project sounds much like other theatre props I have made. I recommend spray painting your part. There are a lot of silvery spray paints out there. Try at your local hardware store or try in an automotive shop. I have seen special sprays for restoring wheel hubs.
If you want other ideas try to look at a discussion forum on theater props. There are several at www.dejanews.com, which is a free archive. They are the experts in make-believe situations like this.
Sincerely
Karsten
Karsten V. NielsenEd. update: Dejanews does not exist anymore, but if you have the patience for "Google Groups", there are groups you can join that follow these subjects and which have archived some old discussions.
Q. I am looking for the companies which make stainless steel paints. Please help. We are ready to buy.
Babak Sedehi[Trading Company] - Vancouver, BC, Canada
2001
? Dear Sir,
What is it exactly you are looking for stainless steel? Is it a clear coating to protect the steel? Is it colored paint to apply over the steel? Is is a paint to look like stainless steel? Will this steel be exposed to the elements or be inside? Hope to read your response.
Regards,
Jake KochG. J. Nikolas &Co.,Inc.
Bellwood, Illinois
A. THE COMPANY THAT SUPPLIES STEELIT PAINT ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] IS STAINLESS COATINGS INC. THEY ARE IN MA. THE COATING CAN BE SHIPPED UPS
DOUGLAS WHITE- NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA
A. Hi, Babak. There are different types of stainless paint, depending on whether you are looking for a paint like the Rustoleum appliance enamel to make an appliance look something like stainless steel (please see thread 218/94), or whether the aim is to put real flakes of 316 stainless steel on a surface with a product like Steel-It ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
or Seymour's product ⇨
Please get back to us with your situation.
Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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Stainless look featured on "Trading Spaces"
Q. I am looking to use the stainless look in my kitchen. I saw an episode of Trading Spaces, where Geniveve used some kind of metal or stainless rub. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE PRODUCT IS CALLED?
Tina P [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA
2003
A. Hello, Tina, Trading Spaces offers DVDs of their episodes. There are "metallic wax rubs" (Rub n Buff ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] ) that may be what you are talking about but I didn't see the show. Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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A. For those of you looking for that film from Trading Spaces, I found it, or something very like it. If you do a google search for "faux stainless steel," the website www.glassdecorandmore.com ⇩ comes up. They have stuff that may be what you're looking for there.
Cheerio,
- Graham, Washington, USA
2006
Ed. update: Sorry, that URL is now just a link farm.
A. Thought I would give my thoughts on the subject. And to answer Tina's question I have seen Design to Sell use a film on their show and Trading Spaces used a Spray of some sort. I am hoping to find it in local hardware stores but so far no luck, looks like it will have to be an internet order.
Lori C [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Atoka, Tennessee
Q. We need to refurbish some meat grinders and have seen aerosol spray giving 'stainless steel' finish. The best we have seen so far is manufactured by 'Wurth'. Can anyone suggest other makes of imitation stainless steel spray.
TARAS T [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
2003
(approved for incidental food contact)
on Amazon or eBay
(affil link)
A. Hi, Taras. Amazon and other mail-order places have real stainless steel paint ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
that you might want to investigate. But I'm not so sure that paint would meet expectations for actual use in a meat grinder, although I am of course not fully picturing your intentions.
You need to determine if there will be no food contact or "incidental" food contact or if you need a true food-safe finish and make sure any paint is rated for that. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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Q. Where can I find stainless steel spray paint. I had some made by State Chem., but they no longer manufacture it. I'm looking for a paint with 100% 316 L stainless steel pigment, not just a color match paint. Also, I do not want an epoxy paint for stainless steel.
Thanks,
- Marietta/Atlanta, Georgia
2003
A. Hi, Rick.
I find these two 316L stainless paints --
• Seymour ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
and
• Steel-It ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
They come in spray cans like other paint. They're based on particles of 316L stainless steel. The Seymour says it'd UV & weather resistant, so it's surely not epoxy; the Steel-It says it's polyurethane based.
Good luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
(approved for incidental food contact)
on Amazon or eBay
(affil link)
Q. I am looking for local suppliers of Steel-It in the Philadelphia, PA metropolitan area.
Maybe you finishing experts who might be reading this could guide me in the right direction. I have a stainless steel Thermador cook top in my kitchen which is starting to show its age (approx. 30 yrs) and rather than replace it, I would like to try to salvage it. Does anyone know if there is a spray or finish out there that will replicate the stainless steel look. Right now it has a lot of rusty spots which I can sand out, but those spots will just return unless I can protect the surface somehow. I'm not looking for a Rustoleum product; I am looking for a stainless steel resurface.
2004CJ Floria
- Media, Pennsylvania USA
Ed. note: Steel-it is a product of Stainless Steel Coatings, Inc., South Lancaster, Massachusetts ⇨
A. Steel-it is a trademark of Stainless Steel Coatings in Lancaster Massachusetts. Although the paint is made of pure stainless steel, it does not look like a polished stainless steel surface. Its appearance is a medium-dark gray matte color. It is probably unsuitable for refinishing your Thermador cooktop.
The coating is available in a polyurethane, and two-part epoxy system, and although USDA approved for incidental food contact, would probably be subject to excessive abrasion on a cooktop.
- lancaster, Massachusetts, USA
January 10, 2011
(this entry appended to this thread by editor in lieu of spawning a duplicative thread)
Q. I hope I'm posting this in the right place. I tried searching the archives for an answer to my question, but I get tons and tons of false positives having to do with how to coat stainless steel. I'm interested in finding out about stainless steel coatings (the one I'm looking at contains 316L stainless) that are intended to be applied over carbon steel, somewhat like "cold galvanizing."
My question is how effective these coatings are, and how difficult they are to apply. I'm interested in the stainless compounds because I need to protect mild steel that'll be exposed both to the elements (located outdoors) and to high temperatures (perhaps 1000 °F). Cold galvanizing -- and even hot dip galvanizing, for that matter -- won't tolerate the sorts of temperatures I'm dealing with. The stainless steel coatings are available with maximum temperatures up to 1200 °F, which should be enough -- but how much corrosion resistance do they provide? Can a hobbyist apply them easily in the back yard?
Hobbyist - Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
July 13, 2008
A. Hi, Matt. We named two products above. They are easy enough to apply since they come in spray cans like other paint. It's just that they include flakes of stainless steel.
My own feeling, though, is that decorative effect is a large part of their attraction because I don't understand why their corrosion performance would be expected to be superior to more conventional paint. Stainless steel does not offer cathodic protection to carbon steel like zinc galvanizing does.
Although I don't know the specifics of your application, my feeling is that a high temperature (1200 °F) aluminum paint ⇨
would generally be a better idea.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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"Liquid Stainless Steel"
Q. Anyone try Thomas' "Liquid Stainless Steeltm -- www.liquidstainlesssteel.com? ⇦ Answer?
Andrew Christenbury- Mooresville North Carolina USA
August 9, 2012
Ed. update: Thread 218/94 includes several quite favorable reviews of Thomas/Giani "Liquid Stainless Steel". Unfortunately we believe the product to be discontinued.
Plating to look like brushed stainless steel
Q. I am making table legs for a customer out of steel and am requested to have them plated to look like a brushed #4 stainless finish. What would the procedure be?
Matt HaasW. J. Haas mfg - Hastings [Minnesota]
May 31, 2017
Ed. note: This RFQ is outdated, but technical replies are welcome, and readers are encouraged to post their own RFQs. But no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?).
A. Hi Matt. Brushing the steel to the same #4 finish and then nickel plating should be close, but don't mix & match. Presumably this furniture is for indoor use? Better clearly label it, as we just posted two scathing letters from customers who put their tables outside and ruined them; standard nickel plating won't do for outdoors. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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