Black Oxide Plating

Find the best black oxide services for your small business
By Betsy D. Vanderslice, Freelance Black oxide plating has become a valuable resource for helping tools and machine parts last longer and operate more efficiently. Black oxide finishing can help you and your employees by reducing glare on hand tools, helping with eye fatigue. Parts treated with black oxide also run more smoothly because of the after-finish.

As a small business owner, you may opt to use black oxide kits to treat your metal tools and parts yourself. You could also enlist the help of black oxide providers to do the work for you. No matter which method you choose, there are many other advantages to black oxide coatings to keep in mind:

1. A black oxide finish provides a decorative touch.

2. Depending on the post treatment applied, black oxide coating can give parts corrosion resistance equivalent to 400 hours of salt spray exposure.

3. There are no fumes when welding parts with black oxide coatings.

Order black oxide kits if you are able to perform the service yourself

You can handle small jobs yourself by ordering the correct black oxide kit. Choose a company offering a variety of black oxide coatings, post treatment finishes and application forms with knowledgeable representatives to help you make the right decisions about your project.
Try:  Have a Heatbath Corporation representative contact you to learn more about their black oxide conversion coatings. John Schneider and Associates, Inc. (JSA) offers black oxide in immersion or brush/swab forms.

Decide between hot or cold black oxide plating

Cold black solutions are typically more suitable for touch-up applications. Hot molten baths, operating at high temperatures, are difficult to control and they do not consistently produce a uniform color. Choose based on whether you will be doing it yourself and what type of finish you need.
Try:  EPI — Electrochemical Products, Inc. offers both hot and cold black oxide processes. Barrel Plating Service also offers both hot and cold black oxide processes in their plant.

Select black oxide plating businesses to make your job easier

If you have a bigger job, or if you do not have the space necessary to do it yourself, working with a provider of black oxide services can help your small business get the job done.
Try:  Cleveland Black Oxide is the largest commercial black oxide company in the United States. They specialize in the processing of steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, bronze, die cast zinc and powdered metal parts. Metlab-Potero is a commercial heat treater providing the industry with a variety of heat treating and surface treatment, including black oxide finishing.

• The cold black oxide finish process does not meet military or automotive specifications. Be sure you choose the process to meet your industry standards.