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world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


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Need to blacken parts for rust inhibition and for "looks"

2005

I live in Oregon and am helping a couple of friends who are building their "prototype" for a machine that rolls into shape and punches out sheet metal pieces. If we are successful we will start manufacturing the machines on a full time basis. I have been given the assignment of figuring out how to build tanks to clean and then to "hot blacken" some of the parts (punches, plates and rolls) one reason is for reducing rust and another is the boss thinks it "will look cool" :) !
If we are successful after the first machine (if it sells) we may want to continue bluing our selves or we may farm it out. the tank sizes of 24 by 30 inches should be big enough for all of the pieces and the level of the liquid probably need not be any greater than 8 inches deep.
any help or advice on this project would be appreciated as I have never done this before. Also if any one wants to quote a price the only one I have so far is from an outfit on Portland Oregon of 59 cents per pound. a good deal of the parts will be 1 inch thick steel. resultantly the weight will be several hundred pounds.

Daniel P. White
machine for rolling, punching , shearing , sheet metal - Lincoln City, Oregon, USA

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2005

There is no way that you should want to put in a hot black oxide setup for one machine and doubtful of where a break even point might be, since you will not have a good idea of how many total units you will sell in the first year and how many per year after that.
Having zero clue as to what the final product that it will make, I will guess that you will initially sell enough to get sucked in and then the market will be sold out and sales will drop rapidly.
When you do get ready to spend the bucks, go to the list of vendors at this site. Several sell hot black oxide and they will either middle man the tanks and heaters or they will send you to a preferred vendor that does.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida