Blacken It and Hobbydesign PE

[MockTurtle]

Anybody know what Hobbydesign PE is made of? Aluminium I guess?
My blackening solution (FastBlack 181) isn't working on it... am guessing Blacken-It won't work either?
btw. FastBlack 181 worked fine on Eduard PE...

[freakray]

I actually believe it's stainless steel, but different manufacturers use different grades which will effect how well it reacts to chemical blackening.
Eduard uses brass a lot and will coat it for the steel look depending on the complexity. Do you know what material the Eduard was?

[willimo]

This leads to a question I have too - I want to coat some Hobby Design rivets which I assume are aluminum. Is paint my best option? I don't know any chemical blackeners that work on aluminum.

[360spider]

Chemical blackeners act by oxidizing the metal (in other words, making them rust), so any metal that does not typically rust (aluminum, stainless steel, etc) will not be affected by blackeners.

[JeremyJon]

Blacking chemical won't work on aluminum or brass, nor some stainless steel even, as is a specific oxidation process happening

For P/E you can alternately sand the surface for adhesion, and paint, for small parts (like rivets) or recessed portions that need colouring, I've found that light sanding (sometimes not even necessary) and a fine felt marker can work well too

[Vette Modeller]

I've been able to blacken PE by spraying it with Tamiya TS Semi-Matte Black. In most cases I've decanted the paint and sprayed it with the airbrush to allow for a thinner coat. It seems to result in a fairly stable finish. Giving the PE a light sanding seems to improve the adhesion a bit.

[GirchyGirchy]

Caswell sells some Stainless Steel blackener. I haven't tried it personally...wanna be the guinea pig?

http://www.caswellplating.com/metal-...r-gel-kit.html