Internal cast iron vents - finish

[castiron]

We supply most of our cast iron vents in a gloss black finish.
On occasion we get asked to supply them in bare metal for customers/installers to finish at home but someone has asked if we can supply them bare metal "finished".
Bare metal cast iron goods will go rusty, even if indoors but I've seen wrought iron goods "finished" with a wax coating, does anyone know what sort of wax it is and where to get it?
This is for internal vent grilles only (not external) ie. to supply air for log burners etc.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

castiron - could you drop the link from your post, as it is starting to look like advertising, which is frowned on here on the forum?
Thanks

 

[Feltwell]

I'm not sure you'll be able to do that sort of finish on cast iron Adrian.

I'm not a blacksmith, but I *think* that the black wax finish on wrought iron is simply beeswax - the black bit coming from the forge itself! After being forged the metal is naturally blackened.

I guess you can get one of your items unfinished from the foundry and try coating it in beeswax, and see how it looks. The more obvious finish though I would have thought would be to try some grate blacking - "black lead", Zebo/Zebrite or similar - as used for countless years on cast iron fireplaces and ranges, so you know it's fine for internal use on cast iron.

By the way, for external use have you thought of offering your products in a satin or lower sheen gloss black paint finish? I had a look at your items on your stand at the NEC show, and whilst I'm sure many like them as they are for me personally they were a bit too shiny. Just a thought.

 

[castiron]

By the way, for external use have you thought of offering your products in a satin or lower sheen gloss black paint finish? I had a look at your items on your stand at the NEC show, and whilst I'm sure many like them as they are for me personally they were a bit too shiny. Just a thought.

Yes I think the matt finish would be good. You may find it hard to believe but some of the items at the NEC were finished in matt black - the only difference I can tell between the matt and the gloss was the matt was less shiny!
I'm going back to the makers of the paint to find out why the matt had a sheen?

 

[FamilyWiggs]

- the only difference I can tell between the matt and the gloss was the matt was less shiny!

There are other differences?

 

[Feltwell]

Oy, I'm being misquoted here!

Adrian, I too would expect matt to be, well, matt and not at all shiny! One for your paint supplier as you say.

I had my garage windows powder coated when I got them (they're cast iron) in satin black, and it was definitely a mid sheen finish somewhere between matt and gloss, as you would expect.