This new technique was developed by the commercial gun blue manufacturers as a more environmentally friendly system than the commonly used hot application. Parts requiring blackening are simply placed in the liquid at room temperature, no electrical power is required.

Convenient - Easy to do in house. No waiting for heatup of blackening solution. No waiting for the unpredictable return of parts from an outside vendor. Eliminates high outside vendor costs. Retain control of production and quality. Ideal for high volume or short runs. Works especially well for blackening large volume of small parts in a rotating barrel.

Higher Productivity - Parts can be blackened in two minutes vs 15 to 30 minutes for hot oxide. Normally twice the amount of parts can be blackened in the same amount of time as with hot oxide.

Controllable - Long bath life, blackening solution may be replenished indefinitely with periodic additions of fresh concentrate.

So easy to install and use that you can now economically apply a pleasing decorative, sales-appealing black corrosion-resistant finish on parts previously left unfinished.

Versatility - Blackens cast iron, forged steels, mild steels, hardened tool steels and powdered metal parts. No white salt bleedout as is common with hot oxide.

Dimensional Control - No heat distortion. No smutty rub-off as with other room-temperature blackening processes.

Energy Cost Saving - Blackening is done at room temperature vs hot oxide blackening done at 290°F.

Safety - Blackening solution uses odorless, mild water-dilutable chemicals that require no venting vs hot oxide. No hazardous caustic chemicals with fumes that present health hazards and no spattering of hot, skin-burning chemicals.

Low Maintenance - Longer Equipment Life - No expensive pollution control equipment. 

Parts Coverage - 600 to 1200 sq. ft. of surface area blackened per gallon of concentrate.

How to achieve professional results in minutes:- Thoroughly clean the part to be blackened by either sandblasting, wire brushing, wire wool abrasive cleaning, or by scrubbing in 'VIM' or 'COMET' household abrasive cleaner. Make sure you have removed all rust, paint, oil and grease.

Immerse the part in the mixed Black Oxide Solution and swirl around for between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Alternatively, the part may simply be placed in the solution for 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the part from the solution and rinse in fresh water.

Immediately brush on or dip into the Penetrating Sealant, and allow to soak in the liquid for 5-10 minutes. Shake off any excess and allow to dry thoroughly before handling. Penetrating Sealer imparts a slightly oily feeling to the parts. If a non-oily finish is desired, do not use the Penetrating Sealer after blackening, and instead use Caswell Sealer.

Black Oxide works on steel or iron parts only and will not blacken Stainless Steel - use Stainless Steel Blackener.

Caswell Sealer

Use Caswell Sealer instead of penetrating sealer to inhibit corrosion on blackened parts without imparting an oily feel. It is a clear, acrylic based lacquer. It is a mildly alkaline water based solution used to deposit a corrosion inhibiting hard, clear, glossy dry finish. It can be used on all bare metal surfaces and all types of conversion coatings, black oxide, antique/oxidized and phosphate finishes. It can be used at full strength or diluted with up to an equal volume of water. The coating is approx 0.09 mil thick and the solution covers approx 2900 sq ft per gallon. Dry time is 10 minutes at room temp.

Product can be applied by dipping, spraying or brushing.

For Stainless Steel:

Stainless Steel Blackener 370 is an acidic liquid concentrate used full strength or diluted with up to 3 parts water to blacken stainless steel at room temperature. Recommended for color coding parts and blackening engravings on stainless steels. Produces a pleasing dark gray/black finish. No sealer required.