Birchwood Casey aluminum black?

[Ragnarok]

Does the BC aluminum touch-up stuff work very well?

Any other suggestions for a durable touch-up to fix the finish on a alloy front sight I filed-off?

[str8wal]

I've used it to touch up aluminum scope bases that I have chopped and it works well.

[Ragnarok]

I wonder if a BC paint-pen or some other paint pen might be a viable answer...?

Have already tried a 'Sharpie'...and it don't last

[bangerjim]

I use is all the time to blacken aluminum on various scientific instruments I repair and build. It is NOT paint. It darkens the metal chemically. I apply it with a Q-Tip.

Can be used to create a big black spot on the ends of your Al molds to allow you to get a relatively accurate read with an IR temp gun! You MUST have the black spot for it to work.


It is very inexpensive........just buy a bottle and try it!

banger

[Lee]

bangerjim..... Excellent point!!! And if you can "black" the side/top/edge of a pot/mold/etc the possibility exists that might work also. At least to give a general indication of temperature..... Lee

[johnson1942]

i found that it didnt work very well on a aluminum 3/8 rod i got from true value and made a ram rod out of. however it worked perfectly on a trigger guard i restored on a old savage. so it will depend on the type of aluminum you have.

[David2011]

It worked well for me recently. A scope adjustment knob had to be drilled out and rethreaded for new setscrews. The new shiny threads were pretty obvious. BC Aluminum Black made them disappear.

David

[bangerjim]

i found that it didnt work very well on a aluminum 3/8 rod i got from true value and made a ram rod out of. however it worked perfectly on a trigger guard i restored on a old savage. so it will depend on the type of aluminum you have.

Many types of Al rod are extruded and the process forms a layer on the surface that the stuff may not work on. Molds are generally "raw" dead soft aluminum.

One of the aircraft grade aluminums I use for lathe work does not react at all. I use an electro deposition/plating process to blacken that alloy.

bangerjim

[Newtire]

I tried it on a "pot metal" trigger/guard assembly from a Remington 1100 and it did not work at all. Primer and paint solved that problem.

[fouronesix]

Nothing can really replace original anodized finish. Never tried the BC liquid aluminum black. Did try the BC aluminum black "cover or finish" in a pen.... worthless waste of money!

[Newtire]

Nothing can really replace original anodized finish. Never tried the BC liquid aluminum black. Did try the BC aluminum black "cover or finish" in a pen.... worthless waste of money!I agree. Wonder how powder coat would work?

[Cmm_3940]

I tried to use it on a banged-up aluminum .22 receiver and it just made a mess. I ended up using flat black high-temp enamel instead.

[bangerjim]

I tried it on a "pot metal" trigger/guard assembly from a Remington 1100 and it did not work at all. Primer and paint solved that problem.


The old term "Pot metal" is usually die cast zinc.

banger

[bangerjim]

Most of the above descriptions of items that failed are "used" items and have been "naturally anodized" by exposure to air and usage.

The black liquid works on FRESH just machined aluminum alloys 90% of the time. You just cannot slap it on any old piece of AL and expect it to work, as there is an oxide coat that builds up on the surface, dependent on the alloy, that prevents the liquid from getting down into the molecular structure of the base Al.

It does work very well.......just not for what you guys tried it on!

bangerjim

[fouronesix]

I agree. Wonder how powder coat would work?

Good point and I've thought of that before but a need to try it has not presented itself recently. In the past for non-exposed/non-wear areas of scratched/filed aluminum, I've just used black paint or permanent marker.

I can imagine the issue with any of the powder coats including the more recent baked-on finishes available for steel would be the "bonding", but some types might work very well. After all, anodization of aluminum is a similar process. If anyone tries it or has tried it, sure would be good to hear the results- especially in the wear areas over time.

[DCM]

Most of the above descriptions of items that failed are "used" items and have been "naturally anodized" by exposure to air and usage.

The black liquid works on FRESH just machined aluminum alloys 90% of the time. You just cannot slap it on any old piece of AL and expect it to work, as there is an oxide coat that builds up on the surface, dependent on the alloy, that prevents the liquid from getting down into the molecular structure of the base Al.

It does work very well.......just not for what you guys tried it on!

bangerjim

+1 area must be very clean and free of oxides that occur very quickly on AL. solvent then clean steel wool then brake clean Etc. then blacken.

[Newtire]

+1 area must be very clean and free of oxides that occur very quickly on AL. solvent then clean steel wool then brake clean Etc. then blacken.
If I still have any left, I'll give that a try on a Lee Mould block.

[Bent Ramrod]

I tried it on an aluminum buttplate that looked pretty out of place on the single shot rifle somebody had put it on. It blackened the aluminum nicely, greatly improving the looks of the rifle. With use, the black is wearing through to the aluminum on the edges, but it has held up a lot better than I thought it would. It's definitely more long lasting than a Magic Marker. When it gets sufficiently shiny, I'll treat it again.

[Rick Hodges]

I tried it to touch up scratches on an aluminum receiver Mossberg 500 shotgun. Didn't work at all.

[bangerjim]

I tried it to touch up scratches on an aluminum receiver Mossberg 500 shotgun. Didn't work at all.


Because there is dirt, grease, and oxidation in those scratches that prevent the raw aluminum from reacting with the liquid. Fresh scratches many times will work, but if old, probably not.

It's all metallurgy and chemistry!

bangerjim