Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Blackening process named BLACK-T
Q. Does anyone know a blackening process named BLACK-T? It is a mixture of polymers, Teflon and graphite and has very good corrosion resistance. Sara
Sara Michaeli
Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel
1996
A. I am not familiar with "Black T". However, by your description it sounds like a brand name for a permanent dry film lubricant. Typically these products are a blend of fluoropolymers (i.e., Teflon®), molybdenum disulfide, graphite, and/or pigments in a polymer resin binder system.
adv.
At Luke Engineering, we apply Everlube brand products from E/M Corp. and Xylan brand from Whitford Corp.
Other manufacturers have similar products.
Chris Jurey, Past-President IHAALuke Engineering & Mfg. Co. Inc.
Wadsworth, Ohio
1996
A. Black-T is a process of applying Teflon polymer as a coating on firearms. It is known in the custom gunsmith circles as having been developed by William Birdsong. Other than that, I don't know much about it.
Harold Mayo1999
A. W.E. Birdsong & Assoc. Inc. Black-T (tm) is NATO Black. Some claimed basic Stats: ASTM G87 Kesternich Cabinet (Acid): greater than 60 cycles; ASTM B117 (Salt): greater than 4000 hours; Surface COF: 0.08; Thickness 18 to 22 microns.
Steve Weinert1999
A. Black-T is a coating by a company called CRT (Corrosion Resistant Technologies).
Mark Musselman- Troy, Michigan
2001
Q. Hi,
I am a materials engineer for an electro-optical company, we have been using black oxide MIL-DTL-13924 [on DLA], and BLACK T (VICKERS SPEC VS-1-3-1-165) on stainless steel bolts for some time now. The BLACK T has always proven superior in both corrosion and wear resistance, but we now have a customer who will not accept processes that are not MIL or other int'l spec (ASTM/SAE etc.) Is anyone familiar with a MIL Spec equivalent to the Black T, or any other black coating with higher resistance than black oxide?
Thanks,
Baruch B [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]Materials R&D Engineer - Modi'in, ISRAEL
2003
A. Hi Baruch. Salt Bath Nitriding, or QPQ (quench-polish-quench) salt bath nitriding, is a process available from many vendors which offers hardness, wear resistance, black color, and good corrosion resistance. With respect to firearms, Glocks use the Tennifer brand name for this process.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 31, 2012
RFQ: What is a Black-T Coating per VC-1-3-1-165 Class 2, Type 1
I'm interested to contact companies who are capable to proceed with this coating.
- Garland, Texas
2006
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
Q. Does anyone have information on the optical properties of this coating (such as reflectivity/emissivity)?
Ron Fourier- Yokneam, Israel
January 7, 2009
Q. Is there any detail spec to be found on internet? Or there any replacement for such coating?
Jason ChenKodak - shanghai, PRC
November 30, 2009
A. Hi, Ron; hi, Jason.
As far as we see, Black-T is a trademark for a proprietary technology so I think a "replacement" for a secret proprietary would be an oxymoron. But if you tell us what properties you are looking for, I'm confident that there are other coatings which offer the properties that you seek.
Why does the question come up? Is it spec'ed on a drawing or a P.O.? Thanks!
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 1, 2009
Q. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the specification for Black T finish (VICKERS SPEC VS-1-3-1-165)?
Mark SheridanMechanical Engineer - Ramat Gan, Israel
June 23, 2010
A. We have in our company few years of experience with Black-T coating, using it to coat steel parts for mechanical and hydraulic applications.
It is a very good coating for steel hydraulic manifolds, and due to its small thickness and teflon additive it is also very good for shafts coating.
- Tel Aviv, Israel
December 31, 2012
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Ed. note: Thanks for sharing your positive experience, Steve, Baruch, and Yoah. But, readers, we don't want testimonials. They're usually overly favorable due both to vested interests and justifiable fear of hearing from a company's lawyers over negative comments ... so they distort the balance we seek, and result in advocacy. They encourage phony "plants" from (ahem) "satisfied customers". Plus, how fair is it to ask our supporting advertisers to pay for the promotion of their competitors' products? :-)
Q. I would also like to know if anybody knows where I can get a copy of the specification for Black T finish (VICKERS SPEC VS-1-3-1-165)?
Thanks,
- Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
December 3, 2013
A. Hi Tom. Vickers is part of Eaton Hydraulics, so you should be able to get a copy from your Eaton buyer. If the work is not being done directly or indirectly for Eaton, I'm having a hard time understanding why people are trying to process to that spec. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
December 3, 2013
A. Dear Sara,
We are representing Everlube products in Israel and have a solid film coating that can replace Black T.
- Kfar Saba
December 17, 2014
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