1900's Masonry Hammer Restored with a Custom Etched Black Magnetite Finish

Send pictures of your own etched black magnetite tools to [email protected]!! I love seeing all the unique patterns and will feature them on the Instagram page (if you’d like)!

A brief history of W. Bingham Co.'s history: https://case.edu/ech/articles/w/w-bin.... Today, Bingham’s largest warehouse from the early 1900’s still stands in Cleveland as a US Historical Property and has been converted into apartments called ‘The Bingham’.

I purchased this masonry hammer for $1 from a flea market. The hammer is stamped with a “BBB” – indicating it was likely made and sold in the early to mid-1900’s as that is when the company stamped that brand name on all their tools. Due to where Catalyst Restorations’ workshop is located in the US’s Midwest, BBB tools are frequently found in old 1800’s barns, and this hammer is authentic and vintage to the time period.

________Timestamps _______
0:00 – 0:38 Overview
0:39 – 1:30 Disassembly
1:31 – 3:46 Rust removal on hammer head
3:47 – 5:29 Sanding hammer head
5:30 – 6:58 Making a new handle
6:59 – 11:32 Etched Black Magnetite Finish Process
11:33 – 12:51 Reassembly
12:52 – 12:51 Before/After
13:52 – 14:31 Testing
14:32 – 14:41 Thanks for watching and please like and subscribe!

_______ Written Steps and Tips for Etched Black Martensite Finishes __________
This surface finish process can only be performed on non-stainless steels. Different grades of steel and every part you treat with this process will yield a one-of-a-kind etch pattern to that particular piece of steel. The process is essentially identical to the “slow rust bluing” process that is used for bluing firearms, but without any harmful chemicals and stopping treatments after only 1-2 coats instead of repeating the process until the entire part is uniformly black.

Note: inhaling vinegar and hydrogen peroxide fumes can make some people nauseous, so it’s best to perform this entire process in an area with proper ventilation, preferably outdoors.

Consumable items you will need:
• Sandpaper (60, 150, 220, and 400 grit)
• Plain 5% vinegar
• Salt
• Hydrogen Peroxide (3% or stronger)

The 10 Simple Steps to the Etched Magnetite Process:

1. Sand the part to a 400 grit surface finish (roughly progress through with 60, 150, 220, and 400 grit sandpapers) – you don’t need to go any finer, the outcome doesn’t change. You can use flap wheels, Dremel/drill drum sanders, or an angle grinder to make quicker work of sanding but be careful to not let the part get too hot or burned.

2. While wearing clean disposable gloves, clean the sanded part thoroughly with acetone. Do not touch the part with bare hands from this step onward until the entire process is finished.

3. Make a bath of vinegar and heat it up to hot, but not boiling. Submerge the part in the hot vinegar for at least 10 minutes. This step lightly etches the part’s surface and makes it better accept the hydrogen peroxide and salt solution. This etching step works best on a freshly sanded part (within a day or so).

4. While the part is etching in vinegar, mix 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide with 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir thoroughly and heat the solution in the microwave until just before boiling. Pour it into a spray bottle. Use an all plastic spray bottle, if possible, as anything metal inside the spray nozzle will instantly rust.

5. Remove the part from the vinegar and hang it so it is accessible from all sides. Begin spraying down the part with the hydrogen peroxide and salt solution, thoroughly coating the part. It will be messy, so put out some towels or aluminum foil to catch rust drippings.

6. Let the first spray coating dry. You can let it air dry or accelerate it by using a hair dryer or heat gun.

7. Repeat with another round of spraying. Let the solution sit for a few minutes before drying if you are using a hair dryer or heat gun. You should be seeing a black pattern start to emerge under the rust. Repeat with another spraying round if you don’t see any pattern yet.

8. Boil a pot of water large enough to fit your part. Make sure you account for the amount of water that will boil away in 15 minutes. Submerge the part and boil for 15 minutes.

9. Remove the part from the boiling water and set on a cookie sheet to cool. After it’s cool enough to handle, rub on an oil of your choice with cotton balls or pads. In this video I used mineral oil, but you can use just about any oil. The oil brings out the sheen and pattern of the etched black magnetite.

10. Use your new tool! The surface finish prevents rust but will slowly wear off with heavy use. You can simply reapply more hydrogen peroxide and salt and re-boil it if you need to. Oil also helps keep rust at bay in small bare steel spots.

Electrolysis tutorial:    • Infinite Rust Removal? DIY Electrolysis Se...  

_______Catalyst Restorations Social Media _______
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