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Reduce reflected glare from SS lid

IrvineHimself

IrvineHimself

Member
Joined
22 Jun 2023
Messages
85
Location
Edinburgh
Okay, I have made a lid from 4 gauge stainless steel mesh. Currently on the Mk III version, with folded safety edges; feeding and maintenance hatches, and, of course, hinges, it ticks all my boxes for usability.

I specifically bought the mesh from which it is made because it has a light transmission rate of 75%. Unfortunately, this means 25% of the incident light is scattered as glare. which makes looking through the top of the lid problematic. As a result, I would like to find an aquarium safe product to reduce the glare that can be easily applied [without drips] to the affected areas. Ideally, it would be something like a felt marker pen, (but matt black), that can be sponged on in thin film layers.

Here is a photo of the problem:
Ss-Lid.jpg


Any suggestions would gratefully recieved

Irvine
 
Pickling paste will do it, but not for use at home. It’s terribly corrosive and extremely dangerous if not handled correctly
Look up hydrofluoric acid. That alone may well put you off
 
fredi said:
Pickling paste will do it, but not for use at home. It’s terribly corrosive and extremely dangerous if not handled correctly
Look up hydrofluoric acid. That alone may well put you off
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Yes, I have used these as fluxes for very specialised welding, soldering and bronzing. It is actually a really good idea, etch the top surface of the lid so that it is pitted and aged. The surface will then scatter and absorb the the light, but, as you say a bit impractical. I was thinking of something more along the lines of stove black, but I have no idea whether it would be aquarium safe?

By the way, if you really want to try dangerous reducing reactions: How about annealing the lid at 1,000 c in an atmosphere of hydrogen. Not as dangerous as you might think, but, even though I have done it, it still sends shudders down my spine.:eek:
 
You could get it plastic dipped, but spray would be cheaper/more DIY. Sometimes people use black spray on outdoor pens to make the mesh less visable. I believe Kylon do a product that is safe for use in the aquarium. If you spray thin coats and do one side at a time it should go on ok. If you aren't comfortable with spraying I imagine you could spray into a pot and sponge in on instead. I'd test it on an odd cut if you have one.
 
I only use it when I have to, don’t do much that needs it now👍
Mostly automotive stuff nowadays, and just myself, friends, and family
 
@fredi's comment got me thinking. All I really need to do is quench it at about 900 c. The oxides of iron at that temp are a bluen/green colour [if it goes over that, then they are a red/yellow]. I am prety sure it works with stainless steel and inox. I could be wrong though. I had an exhausting morning and after la sieste, I opened a cold one.
 
Okay, I have given this a bit of thought and gun blue definately seems like a good solution. If it doesn't work out, I can get temps of 800 or 900 C with a cheap butane plumbers torch.

Thanks for the suggestions
Irvine
 
Wookii said:
Why not just spray it?
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Well, looking at the product safety information. it doesn't sound particularly aquarium safe:
Product Safety
  • Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure. Causes serious eye irritation. Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated. Extremely flammable aerosol.
Danger
  • Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
  • Causes serious eye irritation.
  • Causes skin irritation.
  • Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated.
  • Extremely flammable aerosol.
  • May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways.
  • May cause an allergic skin reaction.
  • May cause drowsiness or dizziness.
  • May cause respiratory irritation.
  • Suspected of causing cancer.
Spray painting is not a panacea, it is messy to do, and, especialy on things like mesh, you will still get unsightly drips. Even worse, on a working surface like aquarium lids, you are going to get little fishfood sized flecks of paint falling into the tank.

It is a few years since I had anything to do with this, but, as I recall, one of the reasons stainless steel never found wider favour in the consumer market is because it is a bitch to get paint, adhesives and other thin film applications to stick to it. From memory, you have to use special primers which, in effect, etch the surface with similar oxides as the gun-blue or heat treatment. However, I am speaking from an aged and fallible memory, so I stand ready to be corrected on this point.
 
IrvineHimself said:
However, I am speaking from an aged and fallible memory, so I stand ready to be corrected on this point.
Click to expand...

Well allow me 😜

Krylon paints are well known as being aquarium safe, and have been used for aquariums and terrariums for a long time - they are the main recommended paint for the purpose. The list of issues you have given from the Product Safety Sheet apply to anything in aerosol form. Once it is fully dry and cured (24 hours) it's perfectly safe for aquarium use, even submerged.

I've used both black and brown variants, and its very good stuff. It doesn't need a primer, covers well, and doesn't drip easily unless you go far too heavy with a single coat.

I also work with stainless steel in my day job (I run a stainless steel fabrication factory) so I get lots of things made from stainless for home and aquarium purposes, and I've used the Krylon numerous times to cover it in both above water and fully submerged applications, and it bonds well to stainless steel (and plastics), and doesn't tend to come off even submerged for well over a year.
 
Wookii said:
Well allow me 😜

... and doesn't tend to come off even submerged for well over a year.
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It's the "doesn't tend to come off" bit that concerns me.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying you can't paint stainless steel. 50 years back, when I was an engineering apprentice, I would paint stainless steel welding jobs all the time. What I am saying is that in a high tolerance environments like, for example, the automotive industry, [because of it's lack of 'stickiness'] simply spraying SS with the engineering standard of 'red lead' acrylic paint wouldn't pass quality control.

Also, this is a lid with 3 hinged maintenance hatches which are used several times a day. In addition, I usually have reason to remove the entire lid at least once a day. So, there is a lot of flexing and other forms of wear and tear going on.

Actually, i am surprised. If I was in a fabrication shop at this minute, I would have had the heat treatment done, finished and wrapped up within about 3 or 4 minutes of thinking about it.:)
 
Apologies for taking so long to get back with the results, I was distracted with a minor re-design of my flats' layout to maximise the efficiency of my new robotic cleaner.:)

I tried the gun blue, but the SS was far to high a quality and the acids didn't even look at it. So, eventually, I decided that the most cost effective way of administering the heat treatment was to use a butane/propane mix with a small camping stove. Here are the results:
HeatTreatment.png

There is still glare, but most of this residue is being reflected off the tank water. So, as far as I am concerned, since I can inspect the floaters a and tank surface without having to remove the lid, this is a success!

By the way, among my numerous degenerative eye conditions, I have Fuchs' Corneal Dystrophy, which makes me very sensitive to bright light.
 
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