How can I blacken stainless steel spokes?

Nowadays with all the spoke options I am hard-pressed to keep, or
indeed, find stock of all the permutations. How do they blacken spokes
and can this be done in a workshop as and when needed?

Johan Bornman wrote:
Nowadays with all the spoke options I am hard-pressed to keep, or
indeed, find stock of all the permutations.

Get a tool to cut&roll your own?

How do they blacken spokes and can this be done in a workshop as
and when needed?

Not in any durable way that would compare to the manufacturer.

--
MfG/Best regards
helmut springer panta rhei

Thanks for all the helpful comments.

Carl - enamelling is not an option, but nice try. I love your links.

Peter suggested I just buy black spokes. Easier said than done. I'm
not in the US or UK but in South Africa. It's a small market and
finding non-standard spokes are difficult. I often have to repair X
wheel with two black bladed spokes that need replacement or someone
wants a Z wheel that matches his PowerTap or some other oddity. Buying/
importing a box of those specific spokes is not viable and secondly,
they're not locally available. As it is, I'm cutting and threading to
compensate for the lack of bladed spokes in the country, now I'm faced
with the additional problem of black too.

I'm looking for something whereby I can quickly/reasonably quickly
colour a silver spoke to match that in an existing wheel. I've checked
out the local electroplaters but I had no success. The only place that
seems to do it is an armaments company and they're not interested in
my half dozen spokes.

Johan Bornman wrote:
Thanks for all the helpful comments.

Carl - enamelling is not an option, but nice try. I love your links.

Peter suggested I just buy black spokes. Easier said than done. I'm
not in the US or UK but in South Africa. It's a small market and
finding non-standard spokes are difficult. I often have to repair X
wheel with two black bladed spokes that need replacement or someone
wants a Z wheel that matches his PowerTap or some other oddity. Buying/
importing a box of those specific spokes is not viable and secondly,
they're not locally available. As it is, I'm cutting and threading to
compensate for the lack of bladed spokes in the country, now I'm faced
with the additional problem of black too.

I'm looking for something whereby I can quickly/reasonably quickly
colour a silver spoke to match that in an existing wheel. I've checked
out the local electroplaters but I had no success. The only place that
seems to do it is an armaments company and they're not interested in
my half dozen spokes.

For the occasional odd piece, we use a black paint pen.
http://www.marvy.com/product_details.aspx?ProductID=40

Faster than you'd expect.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Johan Bornman wrote:

I'm looking for something whereby I can quickly/reasonably quickly
colour a silver spoke to match that in an existing wheel. I've checked
out the local electroplaters but I had no success. The only place that
seems to do it is an armaments company and they're not interested in
my half dozen spokes.

Try Plasti Dip black spray. It may make the colored spoke a tad larger
diameter, but it's less likely to peel or chip than paint, as the spoke
flexes. However it's possible that the spoke surface is too smooth for
it to adhere.

black anodized steel is a common thing, all you have to do is find out how
it is done and do it on a small scale for spokes.
hope this helps
greg
"Johan Bornman" wrote in message
...
Nowadays with all the spoke options I am hard-pressed to keep, or
indeed, find stock of all the permutations. How do they blacken spokes
and can this be done in a workshop as and when needed?

On 5/12/2009 1:42 PM wrote:

black anodized steel is a common thing, all you have to do is find out how
it is done and do it on a small scale for spokes.
hope this helps
greg

I'm pretty sure that anodizing isn't used on steel.

"Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys,
although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, and niobium.
This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon steel because
these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron oxide (also known as
rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the underlying metal to corrosion."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodize

I wonder how stainless parts are made black, commercially... some Googling
turned up:

"...there is a commercial proprietary product available for blackening
stainless steel based on copper-selenium chemistry. It is used at room
temperature. More information can be obtained by doing an internet search
under the term “blackening process.”

http://www.pfonline.com/articles/cli...cl_plate3.html


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

he
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.


link he

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm#stainless

========

This is a posibility.

There is a mention that there is a process of applying aluminum to stainless
steel and then anodizing it the color you want:

December 10, 2008


You can also treat stainless steel with IVD - ion vapour deposition - to
give an aluminium coating. You can then anodise it in the same way as
aluminium.

Andrew Pridmore
- Gillingham, Kent, UK

link he

http://www.finishing.com/245/20.shtml



Good luck, cause some of this stuff you would have to buy it, and the cost
is high compared to the need for black spokes.

hope this helps

greg

"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" wrote in message
...
On 5/12/2009 1:42 PM wrote:

black anodized steel is a common thing, all you have to do is find out
how it is done and do it on a small scale for spokes.
hope this helps
greg

I'm pretty sure that anodizing isn't used on steel.

"Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys,
although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, and niobium.
This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon steel because
these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron oxide (also known as
rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the underlying metal to corrosion."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodize

I wonder how stainless parts are made black, commercially... some Googling
turned up:

"...there is a commercial proprietary product available for blackening
stainless steel based on copper-selenium chemistry. It is used at room
temperature. More information can be obtained by doing an internet search
under the term “blackening process.”

http://www.pfonline.com/articles/cli...cl_plate3.html


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon

wrote:
he
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.


link he

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm#stainless

========

This is a posibility.

There is a mention that there is a process of applying aluminum to stainless
steel and then anodizing it the color you want:

December 10, 2008


You can also treat stainless steel with IVD - ion vapour deposition - to
give an aluminium coating. You can then anodise it in the same way as
aluminium.

Andrew Pridmore
- Gillingham, Kent, UK

link he

http://www.finishing.com/245/20.shtml



Good luck, cause some of this stuff you would have to buy it, and the cost
is high compared to the need for black spokes.

hope this helps

greg

"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" wrote in message
...
On 5/12/2009 1:42 PM wrote:

black anodized steel is a common thing, all you have to do is find out
how it is done and do it on a small scale for spokes.
hope this helps
greg
I'm pretty sure that anodizing isn't used on steel.

"Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys,
although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, and niobium.
This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon steel because
these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron oxide (also known as
rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the underlying metal to corrosion."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodize

I wonder how stainless parts are made black, commercially... some Googling
turned up:

"...there is a commercial proprietary product available for blackening
stainless steel based on copper-selenium chemistry. It is used at room
temperature. More information can be obtained by doing an internet search
under the term �blackening process.�

http://www.pfonline.com/articles/cli...cl_plate3.html


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon



you guys, with respect, are smoking crack. the per-item cost to do all
this stuff is just ridiculously high compared to purchase of the
requisite parts form an expert manufacturer that will not weaken or
fatigue or corrode their own product. just buy the freakin' things and
quit this ridiculous festival of ignorance.

On 5/13/2009 6:01 AM jim beam wrote:

wrote:
he
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.


link he

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm#stainless

========

This is a posibility.

There is a mention that there is a process of applying aluminum to
stainless steel and then anodizing it the color you want:

December 10, 2008


You can also treat stainless steel with IVD - ion vapour deposition -
to give an aluminium coating. You can then anodise it in the same way
as aluminium.

Andrew Pridmore
- Gillingham, Kent, UK

link he

http://www.finishing.com/245/20.shtml



Good luck, cause some of this stuff you would have to buy it, and the
cost is high compared to the need for black spokes.

hope this helps

greg

"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" wrote in
message ...
On 5/12/2009 1:42 PM wrote:

black anodized steel is a common thing, all you have to do is find
out how it is done and do it on a small scale for spokes.
hope this helps
greg
I'm pretty sure that anodizing isn't used on steel.

"Anodic films are most commonly applied to protect aluminium alloys,
although processes also exist for titanium, zinc, magnesium, and
niobium. This process is not a useful treatment for iron or carbon
steel because these metals exfoliate when oxidized; i.e. the iron
oxide (also known as rust) flakes off, constantly exposing the
underlying metal to corrosion."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodize

I wonder how stainless parts are made black, commercially... some
Googling turned up:

"...there is a commercial proprietary product available for
blackening stainless steel based on copper-selenium chemistry. It is
used at room temperature. More information can be obtained by doing
an internet search under the term �blackening process.�

http://www.pfonline.com/articles/cli...cl_plate3.html


--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon



you guys, with respect, are smoking crack. the per-item cost to do all
this stuff is just ridiculously high compared to purchase of the
requisite parts form an expert manufacturer that will not weaken or
fatigue or corrode their own product. just buy the freakin' things and
quit this ridiculous festival of ignorance.

The OP just asked how if it could be done. Maybe he's a home hobbyist who
likes to tinker. I ain't judging him, man.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
Bend, Oregon