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Tue Jun 16, 2020 2:20 pm

I was wondering if anyone has used one of the black oxide kits available from Caswell Plating or Eastwood?

I'm considering buying the Caswell black oxide kit to use on things like the shock bolts in the back, valance bolts, pedal pan bolts and washers, etc. My beam was already rebuilt and the person who rebuilt it had a plating shop black oxide the hardware to make all the bolts, etc black. That said, I have many pieces of hardware for the bus that are rusty.

The Caswell kit comes with the black oxide concentrate, the penetrating sealer which is an oil of some sort, or there is an option to get a Caswell sealer that is considered dry. Anyone use this specific product, which sealer did you like better oily or dry?

Am I correct in my belief that the hardware I mentioned above was originally black? Or, were the rear shock bolt, washer, and nut just bare metal? When I checked the repo stuff from WW the shock bolt is black and the nut and washer are just metal. I'd considered buying all new bolts, as mine were rusty, but I have a blaster and thought if the black oxide kit works, why not save some money and reuse the original hardware.

Below is the kit I was looking at through Caswell.

https://www.caswellplating.com/metal-finishing-sol...5-gal.html

Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:09 pm

Think it is one of those, it depends on the year. Black early, plain zinc later.

Do beware of blasting the threads, you can easily end up with fasteners that self disassemble when vibrated.....

Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:52 pm

You can try removing the rust with a rock tumbler. I use aquarium gravel and dawn soap to clean coins I find metal detecting. Cleans them well and doesnt mar anything up. You can also try some other tumbling media too. It takes a little time but works great and I dont think it will mess up your threads if you use something softer than aquarium gravel.

Sun Jun 21, 2020 7:56 am

Thank you for the information and suggestions. I ordered the Caswell kit with the penetrating oily sealer. Once it arrives, I’ll report back here with some information and example pictures.

Sun Jun 21, 2020 6:27 pm

I sandblast the heads of bolts then heat them with a torch and dip in oil. Makes them rust resistant with a nice black finish depending on the type of oil you use. I've been using linseed oil.

Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:33 am

I bought the Caswell Black Oxide kit, they had it on sale. I figured I’d give it a whirl after talking to another member who had good results using it.

The kit came with an oxide concentrate that you mix with distilled water and the penetrating sealer. I chose the oily sealer based on the member’s recommendation. I did read online that several folks use motor oil, but I just went for the Caswell formulated sealer.

The directions suggested 5 minutes for the oxide bath, then a rinse in distilled water, and then into the penetrating oil for 5 min. After the oil bath, the treated part is to air dry.

I decided to do a quick test with two rear shock bolts. The bolts were cleaned by media blasting. I placed them into the oxide bath for 5 minutes and they were black, but I decided I’d go a few minutes more,and they turned a little darker. I may experiment tomorrow and leave something in for 10 min. After the oxide, I gave them a quick rinse in distilled water, and then into the penetrating oil. I let them soak in the oil for 5 minutes per the instructions, Then I pulled them out to air dry on a towel.

Overall, I think the results are good. I’ll experiment a little more and report back if any results change drastically.

Below are the results in Pictures.

Sat Jul 04, 2020 2:24 am

Those look great. Thanks for the update.
I'm curious how they'll hold up to the elements over time. I suspect they'll do well.

Sat Jul 04, 2020 5:08 am

Nice job Spitty1974, this should be a sticky.

Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:50 am

edgood1 wrote: Those look great. Thanks for the update.
I'm curious how they'll hold up to the elements over time. I suspect they'll do well.

I hope it helps someone looking to do the same process. Maybe others out there have experience using this product, or a similar product, and can add in their experience in regards to the longevity.

The member I spoke to mentioned they used the treatment a few years back, and last they checked, all the treated pieces looked good.

All the hardware I treat will go onto my bus that’s getting a full restoration. I’m not sure I’ll have it in bad weather conditions for too long, and it’ll be garaged. That said, I agree with you that it should be good for a long while, but time will tell...

Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:52 am

LAGrunthaner wrote: Nice job Spitty1974, this should be a sticky.
:D

Sat Jul 04, 2020 7:43 am

Spitty1974 wrote: I bought the Caswell Black Oxide kit, they had it on sale. I figured I’d give it a whirl after talking to another member who had good results using it.

Effin-A! You’ve resolved all of my concerns but one: what’s the longevity of going this route? Looks badass. I’d assume it’ll protect hardware for years. Great work and thanks for the overview of the process.

Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:38 am

end result looks great, I was trying to figure out what to do with all my bolts and nuts I sandblasted for my front and rear brakes rebuild, now know what to do.

Thanks for sharing:
here is the casswell link for folks in CANADA: https://www.caswellcanada.ca/black-oxide-kit.html

Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:04 pm

After the 20 minutes of drying do they feel oily or are they dry dry.

Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:46 pm

Eric&Barb wrote: Think it is one of those, it depends on the year. Black early, plain zinc later.

What’s the rough cutoff date between the 2 finishes?

Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:21 am

I've been doing this for years, unfortunately the longevity varies.

Tried all kinds of sealers, even flat clear....nothing has held up.

Sun Jul 05, 2020 10:37 am

BarryL wrote: After the 20 minutes of drying do they feel oily or are they dry dry.

Slightly oily, but not bad. There was a fan going in the garage, but not directly over the parts.

Sun Jul 05, 2020 10:39 am

Douglas Denlinger wrote: I've been doing this for years, unfortunately the longevity varies.

Tried all kinds of sealers, even flat clear....nothing has held up.

Has this been the case across the board with parts regularly exposed to the elements (daily driver) versus a garaged vehicle not out in the elements daily?

Sun Jul 05, 2020 12:49 pm

Sick work they look great I've had some done for a cashbox tranny I built and they make the KAMAX bolts have a whole new life.

Mon Jul 06, 2020 1:20 pm

Spitty1974 wrote: Douglas Denlinger wrote: I've been doing this for years, unfortunately the longevity varies.

Tried all kinds of sealers, even flat clear....nothing has held up.

Has this been the case across the board with parts regularly exposed to the elements (daily driver) versus a garaged vehicle not out in the elements daily?

My latest batch started to fail sitting in the parts bin.

A restoration that I did 10 years ago recently arrived back at the shop....some held up, some not. That vehicle has been on the road, kept outside.

Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:01 am

I have done this too. You don't need a kit. The process does indeed leave a nice uniform black coating, but it is far inferior to electroplated zinc. In order for a coating to protect, it must either form a barrier or it must be sacrificial in that it gives up its ions before the base metal does. The black zinc coatings don't really do that, so consider this process as something for appearance only. I would never do it on any part exposed to water or humidity for any period of time. It will just rust again.