What ways are there of finishing metal?

Answer 1

For steel:HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FINISH.

Here's the method I used:

It was a clear, warm day, and most of the surfaces were vertically oriented. I found that applying the HO with a spray bottle worked best. I used a newly opened bottle (for maximum strength) and did not water down the solution at all.

Here's the steps:

1) Clean metal completely. No oils or millscale can be on surface. The way I cleaned the metal was first a degreaser, then cleaning with muriatic acid. Sanding, sandblasting, or rigorous powered wire brushing could also be used.

2) Let the clean, dry piece warm up in the sun (I suppose you could lightly warm the piece with a torch or heat gun, but don't get it hot, just barely warm).

3) Spray on a coat of HO, just enough to wet the entire surface. I found this technique works best if the piece is warm enough to dry out in less than a minute. If any areas stay wet longer (like on horizantal surfaces where it can pool up), gently dab them with a clean rag or paper towel.

4) Repeat step #3 until you have the depth of coloration you desire. Make sure the piece is entirely dry before spraying more on. I found that after five or six rounds, I had a very deep beautiful redish brown color that was incredibly stable (didn't easily rub off). After that, the HO didn't seem to deepen the color noticably.

5) Seal surface with clear lacquer, oil, wax or whatever method you generally prefer. I also did a small test piece that I cleaned and wire brushed to a nice silver color, then gave two quick coats of HO, using the same process described in step #3 above. I then coated in with clear satin lacquer. It is a beautiful coppery red/brown color that still had a translucent quality, keeping the metallic qualities as opposed to a solid rusty coloration. I can't say enough how taken I was with this finish. This is such a cool, easy, non-toxic finishing process that I plan to do a number of more experiments, varying the surface treatment prior to the HO application, (sanded, chemically etched, grinder marks, etc) and varying the application of the HO (sponge, rag, brush, soaked sawdust, etc) to see what happens.

It is a fantastic way of getting different colorful rusts fast without the nasty chemicals. Peroxide works much faster if you add about a 1/4 cup of vinegar to the pint of peroxide and a couple of tablespoons of salt. If you heat the iron so that the solution almost boils off you get absolutely instant rust. You do have to put up with the vinegar smell. Sandblasting works great for cleaning the metal of oils, scale etc and gives the solution a nice surface to bite. Sorry I could only do it for steel! But I thought this was better than nothing. :P

Answer 2

Common ways of finishing metal include polishing, painting, powder coating, electroplating, anodizing, and applying a clear protective coating. Each method offers different aesthetics, corrosion resistance, and durability properties to the metal surface. The choice of finishing depends on the desired look, functionality, and environmental factors.