Galvanized steel chain maille problems and safety issues

A. This is not a good idea, Anthony. The galvanizing has probably been treated with hexavalent chromium. While the odds of it actually giving you cancer would probably be extremely remote, hexavalent chromate shouldn't be on anything you wear.

A. I would avoid steel that has been treated with chromate (a rust inhibitor).

A. I was informed of my information being falsely used.
The previous response was not by me; however, it was received from a computer that I had used. The cookies were enabled, and automatically filled in my information.

As far as blackening the steel, a propane flame such as that from a stove will only distort the color and put a film of soot over the metal. A special type of flux or acidic compound is needed to obtain the desired coloration.

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Ed. note: we appreciate the heads up, Aaron, but your name is not on any previous posting, so we're a bit confused :-)

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A. 50 gm sulfuric acid, 200 gm sodium thiosulphate ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , 1 liter water, 30 °C -- this should work.

A. I have found that Jax black for steel works great. I'm currently hunting a solution for sealing the patina however. Microcrystalline wax seems to work but I'm trying to find out the curing time. Lacquers and other waxes - floor and car are supposed to work as well. I would love to hear what solution you find for sealing the patina - if you go that route.

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A. Hi,Wayne
Conventional hot black oxide treatment would probably quickly dissolve the galvanized coating and contaminate the black oxide solution. Cold black oxide offers very little corrosion resistance and is terribly smutty for something you would wear. I think you'd be better off stripping the galvanizing in muriatic acid before a hot black oxide treatment and waxing or oiling. These are fairly dangerous chemicals so if you can't get hands-on instruction, at least get a couple of metal finishing books and proper PPE. Good luck.

A. Hi, Paul
It may be possible to use a simple black patina for zinc rather than stripping and hot black oxiding, but I haven't tried it on galvanized coatings. I don't think galvanized chain maille is a good choice, not only due to possible chromate issues, but also because galvanizing isn't particularly aesthetic after exposure to salty sweat. Best of luck.

Regards,

A. Hi, Stephanie. Galvanized metal often receives a chromate post treatment. Although there is very very little chromate in it, it's just not appropriate for skin contact (because chromate is considered carcinogenic). I don't think zinc itself is considered dangerous for skin contact (a million things are made of or coated with zinc). Rather the issue is that it inappropriate for skin contact because sweat and such will make it corrode it quickly.

Unfortunately, if you need to know current scientific opinion on a matter, you will only get that from medical conference proceedings, peer reviewed articles in respected medical journals, and NIOSH proclamations. The internet is fun and fast and may steer you in a good direction, but in the end it's just people talking. One reason prescription medicines are so expensive is that to truly know the effects of something (divorced from anecdotes, coincidence, self-induced psychological effects and the taint of vested interest), you must conduct extensive, repeated, double-blind testing. Nobody is going to do that kind of study for galvanized chain maille.

Regards,

A. More info please....

Is this a mark or stain that rubs off the galvanizing?
Sounds unusual. Its common to get a white mark rubbing off, thats zinc oxide, zinc carbonate, mixture, and these oxides are unavoidable.

Black "rub off" might perhaps be dirt?

Q. When I put on the hauberk to test for size, it leaves a black "stain" on clothing and skin. It will wash off of skin, but it is harder to get out of light-colored clothing. I have washed the rings with soap and water, and I tried a white vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] bath that someone recommended, but nothing stops the staining. Also, you could say that the staining is more "grey" than "black"

-Criss

A. You can coat it with some good metal lacquer,before that you can clean it with neutral solution of ammonium citrate(5% pH 7).Hope it helps and good luck!

A. I wonder if this staining is from the natural acids and oils that seem to be present on the skin and hair, and which form zinc products which then rub off and stain.

There probably isn't an easy solution for this one, maybe even means the wrong protective coating for the job.
I've seen this type of chain maille in uncoated steel before. Yes it will go rusty brown if wet, but if worn regularly and lightly oiled seems ok.

If you wanted to strip off the galvanizing, you could do this with dilute (say 5%) acid. Hydrochloric, sulfuric, even acetic. (If you're not familiar with using acids, get someone who is experienced to do it.)