Color of Stainless

[Yorkshireman]

I have some bits of Stainless in a valve gear of a 5" loco.
Highly visible and unseemingly shiny...
What options do I have to get the parts darker/dull ?

Thanks
Johannes

[bogstandard]

Johannes,

You could try this, which Stew did the other day, it shouldn't affect the material quality hardly at all, and it just might dull it down to what you require. The only other way would be chemical blacking, but that isn't really a permanent thing, and tends to wear away.

http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=2032.msg22247#msg22247


Bogs

[Melbourne Phil]

I have just removed a broken Tap from brass and used a stainless steel spoon to stir the solution.

The Stainless steel discoloured to a dull sheen. Uncertain as to how long it will last but is difficult to remove the sheen with stainless steel scourer.

The solution used was Saturated solution of Alum in water apllied over low heat
Alum is available from the swimming pool section of hardwares and may be found as a flocculent and contains Aluminium Sulphate as an active constituent.

Phil