So we're refreshing our kitchen and the cabinets are getting painted. The current handles/hinges are steel, and if there's a good way to be able to make them black, then I'm interested in keeping them.
So, any recommendations?
Paint seems iffy since the hinges move.
Powder coat also may not work well with the movement of the hinges, and would probably need sand blasted first.
Metal Blackening? I've seen some videos of metal furniture that was chemically blackened and looked great, but I don't know much else about it.
I'm also not opposed to new hardware, but I think I'm going to have a hard time finding hinges that will work the same. The door surface is roughly 1/4" outward from the cabinet face, not very common.
As always, any help is much appreciated!
Cold blue or heat red hot and drop in oil.
In reply to maj75 (Forum Supporter) :
How dark will that get?
Would I need to clean them to bare metal first?
You can heat steel parts to around 550F (in the oven, or with a torch) and then plunge them into a food grade oil, like peanut oil or canola oil.
However, the parts need to be bare steel...in the picture it appears they have a copper tint to them, are they painted now, or plated?
They make cold blue pens that would probably work
Cold blue also comes in a little bottle, but it's not very food friendly so I don't know that it would be appropriate in a kitchen. Also, it needs to be oiled after application, and to be honest it's not very long lasting - I've used it on various bits and bobs, and after time they'll start to rust if they aren't regularly oiled.
I think you would be fine with the shade black of your choice in a spray can and then clear coat it. I spray painted a shower rod with a spray can and there has been no issue with movement with the shower curtain moving about it everyday.
stuart in mn said:
You can heat steel parts to around 550F (in the oven, or with a torch) and then plunge them into a food grade oil, like peanut oil or canola oil.
However, the parts need to be bare steel...in the picture it appears they have a copper tint to them, are they painted now, or plated?
I'm not sure what the coating on them now is. I'll have to see what I can do to get one down to bare metal.
dxman92 said:
I think you would be fine with the shade black of your choice in a spray can and then clear coat it. I spray painted a shower rod with a spray can and there has been no issue with movement with the shower curtain moving about it everyday.
I have the exact same handles on some of my upstairs cabinets. I hit them with a wire wheel and then black spray paint, and they seem to be fine ~1 year in. No real need to overthink it. Worst case, if the paint peels in a year or two, you can spend another $4 on a can of paint :)
In reply to classicJackets (FS) :
Thanks for the feedback. You're probably right. ;)
Agreed. Black spray paint. I do it all the time in theater knowing that I don't care if the paint rips at the hinge... but it never does. Just dust it, don't lay on a thick coat. Save the thicker coat for the door pulls that see constant touch, but the hinges will be fine.
There also has to be some kind of dye, like machinist blue dye but in black. Liquid sharpie, more or less. I was thinking Stove Black, but it is specifically designed to soak into the pores of cast iron and doesn't stick well to steel. It is basically leather dye, but a water-based version.
