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Why do your own in-house blacking?

  • low cost

  • simple, safe and fast
  • flexibility
  • in-house quality control
  • fast turn-around of finished stock

A blackfast finish provides

  • No Dimensional Change Many machined parts are manufactured to a tight tolerance, which means plating or painting are not acceptable.
  • Corrosion Resistance The black surface absorbs wax, oil or rust-preventative sealants to give corrosion protection.
  • Sales Appeal A durable black finish enhances the appearance and value of a wide range of manufactured articles.
  • Safety By reducing light glare from moving tooling or machinery, it eases fatigue and contributes to operator safety.

A process developed for safe and reliable use in factories and workshops

A simple and cost effective process for chemically blacking iron and steel at room temperature is now available, requiring no chemical. The process is suitable for engineering works, workshops and toolrooms. By straightforward immersion in a series of tanks precision engineered components are rendered a deep matt black with no change to their overall dimensions. The benefits are lower cost, fast turn around of finished product, reduction in component stocks, flexibility and inhouse quality control.

The simple nature of the room temperature process means a Blackfast line is equally suitable for factory production employing a fully or semi automatic line or for a manual line in a small workshop or toolroom.

Unlike the conventional method of blacking, whereby components are immersed for 30 minutes in cauldrons containing chemicals boiling at 140 C, the room temperature process is much safer and is quick and easy to use.

The owner of an efficiently run Blackfast line will benefit from a number of cost savings. Firstly completed production no longer has to leave the facility for metal finishing out-house, which will avoid production delays and reduce stock holdings. Quality control is maintained in house. A cold blacking line gives the operator a high degree of flexibility and when not in use the solution can be left without deterioration. Start up is instant.

Those companies that operate their own hot blacking line, or are considering changing their finishing process, can benefit in the following ways by adopting a room temperature blacking line. There is no expensive capital equipment required – plastic or rubber lined tanks will do. Extraction equipment is either minimal or not necessary as there is no damage to the fabric of the facility – a common fault given the corrosive nature of the fumes from the hot blacking line. There are no heating costs, the solution can be used immediately and does not require 2 hours to reach operating temperature. There are no salts that subsequently leach out into holes and small orifices. A short dwell time allows rapid throughput of production and high coverage per gallon.

The Blackfast solution control is simple and replenishment is achieved by topping-up. Dumping is not necessary as with other systems. The Blackfast process is convenient and can be located anywhere without the need for ventilation or complicated control procedure. The solutions are stable, reliable and surprisingly easy to maintain.

A uniform black finish of steel components is, today, extremely popular and adds considerably to the perceived value of the product. This, combined with the unique quality that component dimensions are not altered and an even colour is achieved over blind holes and threads, makes it a must for any precision engineer.

Any precision engineering company manufacturing metal parts which require colouring and corrosion protection without resulting in dimensional change would benefit by installing their own Blackfast, room temperature blacking line.