Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Refinishing galvanized hinges

2005

I am refinishing a piece of furniture which uses a non-standard size hinge. I have exhausted options on finding replacements. Any knowledge of these hinges has been disavowed.

The hinges appear to be galvanized, but where the old finish was in contact with the metal, there has been significant discoloration. That combined with years of life mean the hinges are pretty ugly.

The pins are not removable, so I can't disassemble them for finishing. I suspect this means any 'thick' treatment like spray paint is out. It may just clog the hinge & prevent use.

Will a black oxide or tool black treatment work over galvanized steel? Will a shop take on such a small job?

I tried a Sharpie (: Not surprisingly, the result was lackluster. Uneven coverage over the discoloration. Multiple coats were required, but there is difficulty in reapplying (the solvent in the ink removed previous coats). I removed the sharpie with a wire brush.

I may try a Marks-A-Lot tomorrow....

I have a blasting cabinet available to me.

I'm open to just about anything to beautify these hinges.

Thanks in advance,

Rob McDonald
Consumer - Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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2005

If you are looking for a dark finish,here is a procedure I found on another site:
"Please feel free to use my recipe when treating cast iron hardware-I found it to work like a charm! Here it is:

8 parts olive oil
1 part canola oil
1 part lard (bacon fat will work as well)

Put the stripped items in an old pan and cook the whole lot in a slow oven untill the oil turns dark (about 90 min to 2 hours)

Then take out of the oil and bake in same slow oven for 90 minutes untill nearly dry.

Then shut the fire off or take them from the oven to the shelf and let them cool over time (NOT FAST)

Do it on a day when you can open the kitchen door and run a fan, as it smells like dinnertime in hell.

Get rid of whatever pan you cook them-it won't be fit to eat from afterwards. If you have alot of them keep the pan separate-I have a pan with spray painted orange handles for the purpose."

I have also heard of using just lard or olive oil or motor oil and heat to accomplish the same.It is how cast iron skillets turn black over time.

Rod Walters
- DesMoines, Iowa