4:03 pm
February 7, 2017
Hello,
I'm just starting out with my blacksmithing journey, and I was wondering about what I should use(and where to find it, and how to use it?) in order to prevent finished pieces from rusting. I had a suggestion for a type of wax written down somewhere, but I lost it. Also, I plan to forge a nice pair of salad turners as a gift. What should I use for those, as to not poison my giftees? If you have suggestions, please let me know.
Thank you all,
André L
6:58 pm
August 19, 2015
Lots of different options for finishing out there. I'll share my limited knowledge:
Outdoor use, clear polyurethane or similar
Indoor: Johnson's paste wax, beeswax or hot oil finish
I'd only do beeswax or a food oil finish on something that was touching food. Another option for this would be to forge stainless but that would be a lot more work.
10:42 am
February 7, 2017
8:41 am
NWBA Member
Board Member
April 26, 2010
6:37 pm
February 7, 2017
4:59 pm
March 22, 2023
12:13 pm
NWBA Member
January 17, 2023
In my limited experience - There are some challenges with working with stainless in that it's more brittle at cooler (i.e., dull red glow temps) so you can easily cause it to crack or break if you work it too cold. So you definitely want to make sure you work it at hotter temps and stop working it when it begins cooling. Otherwise, it works pretty much the same way mild steel does but requires a little more hammering and is "stiffer" to bend making it slightly more work to deal with but not bad if you make sure to work it hot (i.e., bright orange or better). then using a wire brush wheel on a bench grinder to give your finished product a nice brushed stainless finish works just fine unless you want to do the extra work to really polished it to a bright shine.
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