Help: how was this done

Where did the picture originate? Hopefully if it is an item for sale they would tell you what kind of material it is. It could be: Painted Powder coated Or if steel: Black Oxide like some tools have! Without more info, or a much better picture, hard to know.

Lane

Upon further investigation Found this site:

"If you look closely, you can see subtle weld marks left beh "Material natural steel

Finish Type lacquer"

I guess that it is an oxide finish with a laquer overcoat.

Lane

furniture grade which is fairly smooth and free of handling scratches. I would say the dark patina is probably done with one of the selenium bearing blackening solutions like the number 333. These blackening solutions do a great job ,but the base metal has to be totally clean and water break free. I've used the no. 333 at about 20% concentration and it works very well. Ed Angell

Make the item then finish it is how that got done. Just the typical way of doing things in the right order.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works evevery time it is tried!

(Looks at his near-identical slate and steel coffee table) Just a standard hot oil finish, IMHO.

Make it, grind it smooth.

Use flap disks to grind it all to a mirror surface (40, 80, 120 grit)

Wipe with clean engine oil on a paper towel.

Heat, as evenly as possible. Propane-air works, for big stuff I use a ship-cleaning oxy-propane line burner. Wipe with more oil as you work it. Swear loudly as the paper keeps catching fire. I recommend a silvered glove too, rather than leather, because it doesn't wick the oil.

Wax polish, with a hard furniture wax (Liberon Black Bison in neutral).

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods