how do i make chrome black?

[dirtydeeds]

if this is in the wrong place please move it


i cant find a black window stay of the type i need, ive ordered a quadilent and now find it wont work. the fixing points are paralell to each other and i need the fixing points at right angles.

the only option i can now see is to take a hafele chrome lid stay and blacken it.

my thinking is that black paint wont stick to chrome, so i have to chemically blacken the chrome

alternativly, does anybody know of such a fitting

 

[TonyW]

Strangely enough I came across a product recently called Black It which seems to blacken steel etc chemically. No idea if it would be suitable for chrome. Link Below
http://www.black-it.co.uk/?gclid=CIf_l__ks48CFQ5DMAodcBViJg

As black paint is not likely to stick to well to chrome what about trying to chemically etch the metal to give it a key. Not sure if it would work but you could try something like citric acid. Failing that Hydrochloric will work - although nasty to work with and not sure who would supply

Cheers
Tony

 

[p111dom]

It depends what kind of black you want. If you want very glossy black you could dismantle the stay and get it powder coated like a bicycle frame. Or you could get it anodised in the darkest colour possible. Look in the yellow pages under electroplaters or powder coating.

 

[Alan Smith]

Dirty Deeds can you post a piccy or sketch of what you need? I may have sources!!

 

[ivan]

There is a electroplated finish called 'black chrome', usually a black matt (actually a v. slight gloss) If the job's important ask your local metal finisher (Yellow pages) Dilute acids won't etch for paint, you'll have to have the chrome stripped. (done electrically too)

 

[dirtydeeds]

alan thanks i like a man with sources

the slightest problem is that the window frame and sash were "thoughtfully" disposed of complete with the piece of ironmongery

HOWEVER

the piece looks very similar to hafele

http://www.hafele.co.uk/Hafele35a1/Temp ... vy+version

 

[dirtydeeds]

for better information, the ironmongery is in a house built in the 1930s

it almost wasnt a standard piece of vernacular ironmongery at the time. this reasoning is based on the quality of the house, the skirting internal mitres are housed, only the moulding is coped


for accuracry the ironmongery had different charateristics to the hafele item

the arms were a lot shorter and the pivot isnt fricton based


the action of the original ironmongery is as follows


from the casement shut position

you push out the casement out until the mechanism clicks (the click is a stop dropping inside the mechanism) as you release your hand presure the casement drops back slightly as the stop engages

from the casement open position

you push out the casement the mechanism clicks again (the click releases the stop in the machanism) and the casement closes

 

[lemonjeff]

You can remove chrome with dilute hydrochloric acid 12.5% at 50C or use higher dilutions at lower temps.
Once the chrome's stripped rinse in water and dip in a mild alkaline solution, otherwise it will rust in seconds.
The acid will etch the steel slighty, enough to key it for painting.
Chemical blacking on bare steel will rust over time.

Jeff.

 

[Alan Smith]

DD had a look in my salvage shed and I have nothing that matches. Have you tried the various salvage yards? Drummonds at Hindhead are good for this sort of thing but v. expensive.

 

[dirtydeeds]

thanks for all your suggestions

but in the end the customer was more than pleased with the hafele fitting


what a bugger

he was quite specific about liking the "good quality" original fitting and rather insistant that i replaced like with like (at my expense of course)

BUT

as soon as he used the hafele it was a case of "much better than the worn out original fitting"

and no question of wanting it black