How to tarnish/age stainless steel

[RedReaver]

I came across a great thread where Chuck Burrows discussed his metal aging technique combining super gun blue and bleach on carbon steel. I love the effect.

I have found a blackening solution for stainless steel and wonder if it would work with bleach as well. Does anybody have any experience getting that kind of aged look on stainless steel?

[Ray Rogers]

As far as i know there is no way to age - or even blacken - stainless steel. It can be painted or coated in various ways and sand blasting will change it's appearance but it is called 'stainless' for a reason. Of course, stainless steel can get rust specs and it might oxidize very faintly but it doesn't do it to any degree or in any way that could be said to look 'cool'.

If you know a way to blacken stainless steel besides painting it, please tell us about it ....

[RedReaver]

I'm waiting delivery of a product from Caswell Industries supposed to be a gun bluing solution to "blacken" stainless steel. That will be my first attempt. Depending upon the success of the effect of the bluing process, I will then try to incorporate it with the technique of accelerating the tarnishing using bleach. If that works as well as the process does on carbon steel, I will be satisfied. But I am fearing it won't, so we'll see.

After that my next test will be to expose the blade to muriatic acid fumes, just the fumes. If those results don't get me there, my final approach will be to prep the metal with a coarse bead blast to try and create a roughened and pitted surface. At that point, I will try some of the earlier steps again on the altered steel surface.

I was just wondering if anyone had tried Mr. Burrows technique of combining the super gun blue/bleach process. I'm open to any input, and will post the results of my "experiments"

[Ray Rogers]

Ordinary gun blue shouldn't have much effect on stainless steel and neither should bleach. Keep us posted on what you find out. Sometimes experimenting is the only way to get an answer to some of these questions ...

[graveyard]

i have read of using a gun blue than ruffing it some thsn into bleach to age carbon .never seen it on ss ,, do post what ever you get

[argel55]

Use ferric chloride to etch the blade. Check out Davison knives for some of his made ATS-34 with etched blades.
I have darken D2 with ferric . Turned very dark gray.