Blacken-It

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

There are elements in my life that are just too bright-- so in a bid to bring out my inner bleak I bought a bottle of “Blacken-It” to dull up my day…

I have a number of locos that have bright and shiny valve gear-- can I just brush this stuff on in-situ, or do I have to disassemble everything to dip or soak it?

John

2

Well, I hope you have better luck than I. I’ve never been able to get it to blacken any type of metal, no matter how it was applied.

Didn’t yours include a small sheet of blue paper with instructions on how to use it?

3

I just ordered it last night and was wondering if I’m going to have to take all the valve gear apart to use it.

4

Overall, through the years I’ve been very pleased with this product. However, the normal approach to employing it is to dip the part to be blacken into a container (shot glass, the bottle itself, etc.) holding the chemical. The item remains immersed in the chemical until the reaction has fully taken affect. I do not expect simply brushing the chemical on to a part will work well. Also, be advised that the item should not remain in the chemical for an excessive period of time and be sure to rinse the item thoroughly, or more will happen than just blackening!

There is a rather less reactive chemical called Neolube #2, sold by MicroMark among others, that does have a brush-on application and is better suited to darkening valve gear without its removal from the locomotive. In addition, it is electrically conductive and thus will not interfere with the loco’s electrical pickup.

CNJ831

5

Blacken-It may not work on all metal side rods. Been there, done that, have the T shirt. Works great for steam loco brass parts. I soak the parts in a small container. If all else fails, follow instructions on the product.

Many times I have had to use Neolube.

Be advised, too much handling and the Neolube rubs off and can conduct electricity under certain applications which may not be desirable.

Rich

6

Thanks, that sounds more like what I’m looking for.

7

If you have trouble with Blacken-it being too weak or slow, you might head over to your nearest gun shop and pick up a bottle of “Brass Black” by Birchwood Casey - same active ingredient (selenium dioxide) but stronger. Haven’t priced Blacken-it lately, but Brass Black will cost you about $10 for 3 oz.

  • You would be wise to first remove all oils , etc, by scrubbing with 91% isopropyl alcohol, several times using cotton swabs.

  • You should remove the valve gear and siderods from the loco, but you don’t have to disassemble the valve gear.

  • Hook the side rods ind valve gear assembly on loops of wire, then dip them for a few seconds in the bottle. Make sure you get all surfaces soaked in the blackener. Lift them out and pat dry with tissue. Repeat as necessary until you get the degree of blackening you want.

  • Reattach the side rods and lubricate. Repeat for the other side of the loco.

  • If you dip the crossheads and piston rods with the main rods, coat the piston rods with grease, so they stay shiny.

Oh, and you might want to wear latex or vinyl gloves - the stuff turns blue when it reacts with the metal, and the blue will stain.

This stuff (selenium dioxide) will blacken almost anything except stainless steel. If it doesn’t work for you, you need to clean the parts better. BTW, you CAN brush it on in situ, but it is a lot harder to get even coverage. Easier and faster to drop the rods and dip them.

Warning: Selenium dioxide is poisonous -

8

I’ve never personally used Neolube, but I’ve seen it used on rods before, and in my opinion the color doesn’t look right to me.

Just a suggestion, but when I’m custom painting a brass steam engine that should have black rods, I paint them. I don’t dis-assemble the mechanism either. Just hook up a power supply to the motor and paint the rods, drivers and valve gear while they’re turning at a medium slow speed.I’ve done about a dozen engines this way and haven’t had any issues with their performance. Using this method keeps the paint out of the places it shouldn’t be, so you won’t run into any of the possible problems you might have if you paint everything individually.

I mainly use acrylic paint, so the wheel treads can be easily cleaned once the paint is dry by running the chassis over an alcohol soaked paper towel. you can also scrap the paint off of things like the cross head guides and piston rod. Just do this as soon as the paint is dry enough to handle. Don’t wait a few days or you will have trouble removing the paint.

John.

9

Neolube #2 is what I have used with good results. It doesn’t ‘blacken’ it but rather turns the metal a dark gray. Perfect for my use.

10

Sounds like its worth getting in any case. I’ll put that on the list. Thanks for the tip!

John

11

Nice pic. That’s what I’m attempting to achieve.