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Black Oxide Finishing - Better for the environment than chrome?

Hello-

We are a company that is considering the switching a number of our consumer products from chrome plated finishes to black oxide finishes. Our purpose of making this change is to reduce our environmental impact by minimizing our production of chrome plated goods.

Our question is...does Black Oxide Finishing overall have a lower or minimal impact on the environment across the board? From set-up to production to disposal to consumer use and disposal.

Some of our customers are resistant to change due to the aesthetic properties that chrome holds. Is there a consultant resource that we could contact that could help us in preparing an un-biased assessment of black oxide vs chrome plating, as well as, reviewing our company's step-by-step description of our black oxide process to confirm it is being prepared properly.

Thank you

Curt Reynolds
Production mgr - Houston, Texas, USA
May 7, 2009

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Hi, Curt. Yes, our consultants directory includes highly experienced consultants (these consultants make the site possible so we can't print names of any others). The life of a chrome plated finish exceeds that of black oxide so greatly that it's hard to compare them. That's really step one. If you have determined that your particular components will be okay with black oxide, then your question is a good one!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 8, 2009

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First of two simultaneous responses --

The only way to get any rational useful time out of the finish would be to lacquer it. If you are going to do that, why not just do it in a choice of colors?

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
May 11, 2009

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

I once asked a guy from the office of AEPA, Alberta Environmental Protection what the best method was to discard of depleted bluing salts which is basically Sodium Nitrate [affil links] (fertilizer) and sodium hydroxide (lye, soap or drain cleaner). He had three solutions to offer me. The first was to dry the salts out and mix • gallon of vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] to each gallon of salts and then pour it down the toilet. The second was to save it and use it as drain cleaner. Pour 1 cup down each sink every other week. The third was to save it and add 1 cup to ten gallons of water and spray it on the lawn once a month. Claimed it would make the grass grow like hell. I wasn't sold on putting lye on my lawn but he claimed to have an MS, BS and a PhD. To me those acronyms stand for More Shot, Bull Shot Piled Higher and Deeper but what the hell do I know !
Black oxide is just a form of rust and as I understand, it naturally occurs when steel breaks down. I have been bluing for 25 years in the middle of cities and they have always tested my cold water tank tailings and bluing baths and have always simply shrugged their shoulders and told me not to put my fingers in the tanks before they left. As far as I have been told and from what I have learned on my own bluing is only harm full to the guy that has to add the water to cool the tanks down and no one else.
I know absolutely nothing about chrome or if the process is harm full to anything. In fact, this is the first time I have ever heard of anyone mentioning that it could in some way be environmentally hazardous. I don't get out much. I am sure about bluing though. Trust me, I live in communist Canada. We have tree huggers, bunny humpers and green peacers behind every bush and hiding under every rock. Even here in Edmonton, 1000 kilometers away from the ocean we get weirdo's walking around with posters bemoaning evil Norwegians and Japanese for killing whales even though the Canadian government dropped out of the IWC in 1982 and does not really give a rat's patoot if people kill whales or not. If bluing was bad women would be spitting at me and little kids would throw rocks at me. They don't!
Mooney is correct about comparing bluing to chrome though. Bluing on a car bumper would last until the first rain and then it would be toast. Rather like comparing lipstick to polymer paint. Both items are quite useful but hardly interchangeable ! :o)

Rod Henrickson
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
May 12, 2009