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i am in the process of blasting the chassis bolts from my 65 442, most are in good condition so replacing them isn't exactly necessary. the decision of how to re-coat them is now upon me, and i am debating on just painting them, or doing an oxide coating process. have any of you done the casewell black oxide process? did it work well? or am i over thinking this, and should just paint them, and touch them up when done assembling the car? i am thinking some sort of anti seize will be applied to help prevent any future rust in the threads, the car will not be driven in the snow and ice so not too concerned about that but i am sure to get caught in the rain from time to time.
At one time Birchwood Casey made multiple types of cold blue and cold black kits for Gun restoration. I don't know if they are still in business or not.
At one time Birchwood Casey made multiple types of cold blue and cold black kits for Gun restoration. I don't know if they are still in business or not.
They are still in business. (877) 269-8490 I got some "black" I want to test on bolts, just haven't had time to do it.
Cold blue is not near as good as hot blue method, more for a touch up cosmetic use. Phosphate coating would be better. But I would just paint it.... Tedd
I tried blasting and the Caswell kit on some bolts and the rust reappeared within a few months even though the parts were in my garage. Full disclosure here, Houston, Tx is a very humid environment and any metal left uncoated will develop surface rust in a matter of days. I also learned that media blasting removes any residual coatings left on the bolts. A better process is to remove the surface rust by soaking overnight in Evap-o-rust followed by a good cleaning with dish soap and a nylon brush (not a wire brush). This will preserve any original coating. The Evap-o-rust uses chemical Chelation to remove the rust without damaging the coating on the part like blasting or acid washing will do. To further protect the parts, I spray Rustoleum Metallic paint and oven bake at 200 degrees to harden the paint coating. I used "Dark Steel" and "Flat Soft Iron" for colors. Flat Soft Iron looks very close to the factory grey phosphate bolt color. Rustoleum has some newer colors that were not available to me when I did my bolts; specifically "Gunmetal Gray" and "Black Stainless Steel" so you might try one of these colors as well.
To hold the bolts for painting, I drilled several under-sized holes in a short section of 1x6 to serve as a support base for spraying and baking. Drill the holes slightly smaller than the bolts so they will fit snugly in the holes and hold them upright for painting. Space the holes a few inches apart so you can easily spray around the bolt head. A light misting coat followed by a heavy coat has worked best for me. Baking at 200 degrees is not hot enough heat to hurt the wood so you can move the bolts directly to the oven after 30-60 minutes to let the initial solvents flash off. The bolts I've restored in this fashion are not rusting and some have been on & off the car several times during the process of my restoration without any visible deterioration. I hope this info is helpful to you.
thanks guys. all of the bolts have been sand blasted and are bare, ready for recoating. i will just paint them, starting with an etching primer, followed by some cast iron paint. i like the baking idea, i will keep that in mind as i prep and prepare. i have been hanging the parts out in the hot sun for a couple of hours but the oven will be much better. i have some metal mesh that i was going to use, that way majority of the bolt will be exposed. thanks for the assist
Came up with decent idea for coating bolts, use some tie wire and wrap it around, easy to hang, and you can hit all areas with paint. Plus, I can hang the wire from the rack in the oven so they’re not touching anything. I’m going to do the same with my washers and nuts.
When you don’t have the space to really store a blasting cabinet, when you’re not using it, you make a temporary one out of stuff you have in the shed. Lol only expense was the replaceable plastic for the window, and the right gloves, the rest is card board, plexiglass and some scrap plywood. The wire shelves have been around for over 20 years and have been used for many things. Lol
When you don’t have the space to really store a blasting cabinet, when you’re not using it, you make a temporary one out of stuff you have in the shed. Lol only expense was the replaceable plastic for the window, and the right gloves, the rest is card board, plexiglass and some scrap plywood. The wire shelves have been around for over 20 years and have been used for many things. Lol
Love the ingenuity!thanks, that's something i take pride it for sure.
Rodney
Originally Posted by Bryan Burch
I'd just buy new bolts and move on to something important. But then I'm not here for concourse de elegance, either.
new bolts rust too. little bit of my time and 10 bucks, these bolts look like new. i even used my old smoker to bake them. i tested one by tapping on it with wrench and it didn't chip.
Originally Posted by Rallye469
Hey what are those bolts with the ovular heads on the right of your first picture?
they look familiar…something to do with axle?
axle flange to brake backing plate. my rear disc brake conversion is actually going to take place of those bolts i have since found out. lol they're painted and ready though. now if i could just get that darn trunk pan, i could set this thing back on the frame with in days if i had a trunk pan in place.
Last edited by 65droptop; Jun 25, 2022 at 09:19 AM.
Black oxide was just a conversation coat of the bare steel with the intent of providing a inexpensive coating from the factory so the bolts, etc just don't turn to rust right away. Never meant as a durable coating.
I have used the caswell system as well as going to a legit metal treatment company.
The coating of the metal treatment company was much better then the caswell but stiil after some years things had surface rust again, and this is in non-humid california.
In some of the blackening systems there is a conversion coat (acid) and a "sealant" well the sealant is nothing more then an oil held by the "roughness" of the black oxide coating and over time it washes off, etc and rust appears again.
I've used paint to restore some metal pieces like a cast iron brake master cylinder which I cleaned, degreased, bead blasted, etc and used a "cast iron" color spray paint. Over time I see even this paint flaking off and the ugly rust appearing once again.. You can't win..
Black oxide was just a conversation coat of the bare steel with the intent of providing a inexpensive coating from the factory so the bolts, etc just don't turn to rust right away. Never meant as a durable coating.
I have used the caswell system as well as going to a legit metal treatment company.
The coating of the metal treatment company was much better then the caswell but stiil after some years things had surface rust again, and this is in non-humid california.
In some of the blackening systems there is a conversion coat (acid) and a "sealant" well the sealant is nothing more then an oil held by the "roughness" of the black oxide coating and over time it washes off, etc and rust appears again.
I've used paint to restore some metal pieces like a cast iron brake master cylinder which I cleaned, degreased, bead blasted, etc and used a "cast iron" color spray paint. Over time I see even this paint flaking off and the ugly rust appearing once again.. You can't win..
I do my own plating with dark charcoal gray manganese for black and gray phosphate parkerizing for gray. I have used this for over 30 years and have great results. If done correctly they will not rust-period. Everybody wants something simple,clean it dip it and put it onthe car. Correct plating takes time and a method and is the only way to get parts correct and will last. The chemicals used last forever if kept out of sunlight. The gray phosphate I'm using was mixed in 2013 and still works like a champ. These chemicals do require heat and stainless or glass pans . Anything worth doing is worth doing it right. I used to offer the service of plating but nobody thinks it's worth the costs,so I quit doing it.
I do my own plating with dark charcoal gray manganese for black and gray phosphate parkerizing for gray. I have used this for over 30 years and have great results. If done correctly they will not rust-period. Everybody wants something simple,clean it dip it and put it onthe car. Correct plating takes time and a method and is the only way to get parts correct and will last. The chemicals used last forever if kept out of sunlight. The gray phosphate I'm using was mixed in 2013 and still works like a champ. These chemicals do require heat and stainless or glass pans . Anything worth doing is worth doing it right. I used to offer the service of plating but nobody thinks it's worth the costs,so I quit doing it.
this sounds enlightening. Would you be willing to share your "process" and where you obtain supplies from???
I do my own plating with dark charcoal gray manganese for black and gray phosphate parkerizing for gray. I have used this for over 30 years and have great results. If done correctly they will not rust-period. Everybody wants something simple,clean it dip it and put it onthe car. Correct plating takes time and a method and is the only way to get parts correct and will last. The chemicals used last forever if kept out of sunlight. The gray phosphate I'm using was mixed in 2013 and still works like a champ. These chemicals do require heat and stainless or glass pans . Anything worth doing is worth doing it right. I used to offer the service of plating but nobody thinks it's worth the costs,so I quit doing it.
Originally Posted by FStanley
this sounds enlightening. Would you be willing to share your "process" and where you obtain supplies from???
i'd be interested in knowing this myself. i have only done a handful of the bolts necessary to put this car back together. i'm all about doing things right
this sounds enlightening. Would you be willing to share your "process" and where you obtain supplies from???
Here's the eBay link for the chemicals. Look under sellers other items to see his other chemical. There's the manganese and the phosphate. Buy the quarts,not the 16oz. size. The gray makes about 5 gallons and like I said it will last forever if kept out of the sun light.. The manganese takes 14oz. to make a gallon and will also last. When I get time I will post how I do it but the chemicals come with instructions. The guys name is Scott Owens dba Palmetto Enterprises and his phone # is 864-386-6331. His dad Vernon Owens has passed but that man taught me more about how to plate. He once told me that phosphates were actually designed for ocean going ships to prevent rusting. I figured Eric Jensen would chime in as I turned him onto this stuff and he liked it. You may can search phosphate plating on this site as I posted about it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/27478669906...IAAOSwgStbAcsH
I found an old thread where I explained my process and some other guys chimed in on the subject. If anybody has any questions post them and I will try to help. https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...oatings-63759/
Last edited by 66-3X2 442; Jun 25, 2022 at 09:01 PM.
