44070

I need a durable black coating for stainless steel [Utah] 

February 19, 2007

Hi I have been looking for a durable black coating for stainless steel frets like on a guitar. It would need to be durable, as it is in constant contact with steel strings. No one has ever made black frets, so I thought it would be very cool if someone did make them. If there wasn't a coating that would work, then maybe there would be a coating that would work on a different kind of metal. I'm not sure, but titanium sounds like it wouldn't wear down after a lot of use. Can you anodize titanium? I am in 11th grade.

Ryan K.
hobbyist, student (11th grade) - Holladay, Utah, United States

Whatever you do will be fairly temporary, Ryan. The frets themselves wear down, so any coating on them will wear down. But you can anodize titanium quite easily with very mild electrolytes. And I see no reason you couldn't repeat the process regularly with a brush plating procedure that would not necessitate any dissassembly. Black isn't easy, but blues, golds, greens, and even red aren't that hard to do.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Try black chromium-but you must find nearest plating shop-that is job for professional plater.Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia

http://www.basscentre.com/cat/product_info.php?products_id=1338

This site (in London) offers black frets as well as gold and bronze. They may be able to help you with frets that are already designed for guitars. Whether they are plated or not will require correspondence with them.. Tom

Tom Castleman
- Lake Elsinore, CA, USA

Black metal was created in an optics lab last year at the University of Rochester by Dr. Chunli Guo.

I was fortunate enough to read of the discovery and contact Dr. Guo regarding the process. Guilford Guitars (google them) is currently building me a guitar which will have the worlds first Black Metal frets (the guitar is dubbed, "The Black Rocket").

You may wish to also contact Alan Wald at Buzz Feiten Design, I believe that Buzz Feiten will be featuring the guitar on their website when finished. It may also make an appearance at NAMM in 2008. There is a possibility that Buzz Feiten may offer Black frets in the future - depending on the market for them and the costs involved in bringing the idea to market.

Larry Martin
- Gainesville, Fl. USA

Thanks, Larry!

Although this particular thread is about guitar frets, the site is about metal finishing -- and this is indeed a very exciting development in metal finishing!

Ted Mooney, P.E. 
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey

Please feel free to contact the University of Rochester Office of Technology for more information on the Black Metal Process. They were extremely nice people and are looking for products that can utilize the "Blackening" process.

Aside from the black guitar frets (which I am pretty sure was NOT their primary market) Dr. Guo's process should have many, many uses in the future and I imagine in 5 to 10 years it will be a fairly common process to many metal finishers. So be the first on your block to own a Femtolaser and start blasting away!

:)

Best always,

Larry Martin
- Gainesville, Fl USA

Is there a fairly easy way to blacken guitar frets, including stainless steel? Not on the guitar, but prior to installation. Do blackening agents penetrate the surface or are they a coating?
Thanks in advance.

Bill Miltenberger
Hobbyist - Temecula, CA, USA