Surface Treatments

Antique, Pewter and Etched Finishes

Acids, heat and moisture are used to chemically changed the color of the metal. Antiqued finishes usually have vertical or horizontal grain lines in it whereas a Pewter and Etched finishes will be more splotchy.
These are the most difficult finishes as we only have certain controls over all the elements involved. No two pieces will ever be identical.

Bead Blast

Bead blasting or sandblasting is a generic term for the process of smoothing, shaping and cleaning a hard surface by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speeds; the effect is similar to that of using sandpaper, but provides a more even finish with no problems at corners or crannies.

Black Oxide

Black oxide is a finish applied to iron and steel. There are two general types of black oxide for iron and steel: hot black oxide (or hot blackening) and room temperature blackening (or cold blacking).

Carborizing

Carburizing is the addition of carbon to the surface of low-carbon steels at temperatures generally between 850 and 950°C (1560 and 1740°F), at which austenite, with its high solubility for carbon, is the stable crystal structure. Hardening is accomplished when the high-carbon surface layer is quenched to form martensite so that a high-carbon martensitic case with good wear and fatigue resistance is superimposed on a tough, low-carbon steel core.

Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless Nickel Plating, or "EN", is a technique used to deposit a layer of nickel-phosporous alloy on a solid workpiece, such as metals or plastic. This plating technique is to prevent corrosion and wear. EN techniques can also be used to manufacture composite coatings by suspending powder in the bath. Electroless nickel plating has several advantages versus electroplating. Free from flux-density and power supply issues, it provides an even deposit regardless of workpiece geometry, and with the proper pre-plate catalyst, can deposit on non-conductive surfaces.

Heat Treat

Heat treatment is a method used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgical. Heat treatments are also used in the manufacture of many other materials, such as glass. Heat treatment involves the use of heating or chilling, normally to extreme temperatures, to achieve a desired result such as hardening or softening of a material. Heat treatment techniques include annealing, case hardening, precipitation strengthening, tempering and quenching.

Nitridization

Nitridization, also known as nitriding, is a process which introduces nitrogen in the surface of a material. Nitriding provides a very high surface hardness (almost 70 HRC), increased wear resistance, improved fatigue life, and enhanced corrosion resistance. It is used in metallurgy for surface-hardening treatment of the steel surface. Nitriding is most effective when applied to steels containing nitride-forming elements such as chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, aluminium. Examples are members of the AISI 4100, 4300, 5100, 6100, 8600, 8700, 9300 and 9800 series. Nitriding is widely used in automotive, mechanical and aeronautical engineering.

Metal Polishing

Metal polishing, also termed buffing, is the process of smoothing metals and alloys and polishing to a bright, smooth mirror-like finish. Generally buffing is a multistage process. First, abrasives are applied at high speed to remove surface defects like pits, nicks, lines and scratches from the articles to be buffed. Then mops of various materials are used to smooth the surface to be buffed. Lastly, cotton mops are used to give a mirror-like finish to the articles.

Painting

We have a 10' x 30' x 20' paint room.

Teflon

Poly(tetrafluoroethene) or Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer which finds numerous applications. PTFE's most well known trademark in the industry is the DuPont brand name Teflon. It is very non-reactive, and so is often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals. Where used as a lubricant, PTFE reduces friction, wear and energy consumption of machinery. Due to its low friction, it is used for applications where sliding action of parts is needed: bearings, bushings, gears, slide plates, etc.

Zinc Plating

Zinc coatings prevent oxidation of the protected metal by forming a barrier and by acting as a sacrificial anode if this barrier is damaged. Zinc oxide is a fine white dust that (in contrast to iron oxide) does not cause a breakdown of the substrate's surface integrity as it is formed. Indeed the zinc oxide, if undisturbed, can act as a barrier to further oxidation, in a way similar to the protection afforded to aluminum and stainless steels by their oxide layers.