From: fmg@alpha.smi.med.pitt.edu (Filip Gieszczykiewicz)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Al and Steel : some questions
Summary: "discoloring" Al, plating Steel, yes... SCA involved
Keywords: metal, hitting, lasting, color, uhm...
Date: 5 Jan 93 05:59:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: blue.1389
Followup-To: rec.crafts.metalworking
Organization: Medical Informatics


	Greetings. My first post here so be gentle in your approach :-)

	1) I am making some of my armour at a local armorer. I have also
	   been folowing a long and heated thread on rec.org.sca about
	   how "Aluminum does not look/is authentic"... Since there is
	   no way back (and the reduced weight is my goal) I would like
	   to do something to make my armor look more like period "stuff".

	   a) I can paint it - but it will look nice for the first few
	      blows (yes, my armor will see "action" :-) I could always
	      reapply the paint but this will make it a nightmare.
	   b) I can anodize it - yes, but how and how good is the result.
	      I would also like to point out that we fight with duct-tape-
	      covered-rattan (wood) not (ouch) live steel. How well does
	      anodized Al stand up to abuse? Also, I would be interested
	      in COLOR... (being into electronics) I have some Al heat-
	      sinks that are black - coal black. Even if this DOES look
	      better than shiny Al... I don't even want to think how well
	      it absorbs the suns rays on a good summer sunny day! So,
	      what are my options? I was thinking of anodizing my armor and
	      then (since the surface was very rough) painting it with
	      metal enamel... will this work?

	2) I also have many steel armor parts. Here my concern is not with
	   color as it is with rust. We practice on wet grass and even on
	   light rain days (picture of the wizard of Oz's Tin-man comes to
	   mind :-) Most folks I know wax their metal. I've seen it and
	   it does work. It does, however, need reapplication every few
	   blows as it comes off quite easily. I know, I know, even the
	   best plating will need reapplication now and then... but not as
	   OFTEN! So, my options are:

	   a) Paint it (as it is now) but it comes off a lot. I used one of
	      those "bronze" $2/can metal enamels from a local plumbing
	      store and it allows me to spray it every now and then with no
	      bad effects. BUT: I do have to spray it every practice...
	   b) Plate - how and how good? More basic: I know I can plate
	      copper and bronze but what about steel? I guess my ideal
	      would be either SS or (yeah, right :-) gold. Since I have no
	      idea if anything can be plated to steel, I won't BS anymore
	      however - I've heard that attaching strips of Zinc in the
	      vicinity of steel works (sounds more like alchemy to me). I
	      believe that that's what's used by the Alaskan pipeline to
	      keep the pipes from corroding. No idea how feasible that
	      would be (maybe put the zinc on the inside?)

	3) I'm using nylon tape (no one seems to know what I'm taking
	   about so let me explain) which looks like an elastic tape but is
	   made of nylon and is NOT that elastic. I basicly use copper
	   rivets and washers to join the Al plates in my shoulder armor
	   together. I have looked all over Pittsburgh (locally) and have
	   not been able to find any shops that carry it. Does anyone have
	   a favorite mail-order place for this stuff? I would prefer to
	   use black but, being desperate, I'll settle for pink with green
	   dots ;-) Oh, I need 1" width and about 10-20 yards (but if more
	   is necessary I know others who need it too...)

	4) (with all that metal-related stuff above maybe I can get away
	   with this one :-) Has anyone come across a source of plate
	   Lexan? I think that's the spelling. It's like Plexiglass but
	   VERY durable. (for the SCA folks about ready to scream - no,
	   this is not related :-) I know a few folks who have made cases
	   from said materials for their camcorders. I have a cheap, old one
	   that I plan to snorkel with and don't feel like shelling out $5K
	   for the "real thing(tm)". I need about 5 square feet and up to
	   1/2 inch thick. Anyone?

	Thank you for your replies in advance. I plan to make a summary
	avaliable not only here but also in the r.o.s newsgroup - if there
	is interest. This might take me a few weeks.

	Take care.
-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Filip "I'll buy a vowel" Gieszczykiewicz. | Best e-mail "fmgst+@pitt.edu" |
| All ideas are mine but they can be yours for only $0.99 so respond NOW!!! | 
| I live for my EE major, winsurfing, programming, SCA, and assorted dreams |
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking