Black Oxide
Black oxide is used as a temporary protective coating for various products, including screws and tooling. This process is most effective and primarily used on steel, it can also be used with limited success in some stainless steel applications.
- Our hot-dip process gives results that are superior to the room temperature processes used by some shops.
- Does not result in dimensional change, surface build-up or distortion.
- Available with oil or wax, depending on corrosion resistance requirements.
Corrosion Resistance Properties of Black Oxide Coatings
Black oxide is often used to provide shelf-life corrosion protection for parts in storage. The corrosion resistance properties may be enhanced significantly by adding a supplemental corrosion inhibiting treatment. Black oxide coatings can be limited in their ability to provide corrosion protection in mildly corrosive environments.
Optical and Thermal Properties of Black Oxide Coatings
The black oxide process produces a rich black surface. The gloss of the finish can range from flat to semi-gloss and is dependent mainly on the mechanical surface finish. A highly-polished surface will have a much higher gloss than a surface prepared with abrasive blasting.
Dimensional Change of Parts Coated With Black Oxide
Parts processed with black oxide coating will generally not require any special dimensional consideration. Parts can be made to finished size prior to coating. The black oxide process converts some of the surface material into an ultra-thin film much less than 0.0001" (actual thickness varies by alloy and process parameters).
