So I've been wondering. I was thinking of getting me an Aeon V2 in Consular Green as well and doing the same thing, are there the same preps to do and such?
Hey Zren, that's good a choice of saber for something like this, will look really good
Yup, you'll want to start by lightly sanding the area u want to blacken (groove etc.) with something in the fine grade- I like to use a contour sanding sponge (there's s pic in my post "first custom blade plug" of one ) they'r good because nice and flexible for squishing into tight areas and can be cut into little slivers. Just want to lightly go over and scuff the surface a bit to allow blackening agent to penetrate that much better and also to remove any inconsistencies on the surface of the aluminum and give you a truer black finish. It will actually work just fine without sanding, but then you get a much more blotchy result with browns and greys and unusual chemical patterns visible in the black.
Next swab the sanded area with acetone (q-tips work well), it kinda does same thing as sanding- cleans metal and draws blackening agent into surface better.
Then you tape off the area around where you want to blacken, very carefully and precisely. The first time you tape around a groove is the most important since that will form the actuall edge of the black, so take extra care to form nice clean lines- it helps to stop every little bit and take a ruler or something and press the edges of the tape down thoroughly over and over again as u go. You'll want to wrap many layers of the tape over each other to make sure the blackening agent doesn't get through and work on the spots you want clean.
When your satisfied the area is taped off, before you go to apply the blackening agent, make sure you have a little container of water, some q-tips, and a couple of rags or scratchless cloths. Also it helps to really double check your setup now to be prepared because the aluminum black is actually tricky to work with on this scale- it has a way of getting everywhere lol and every little spec that you don't notice will leave ugly black smudges and specs on the saber- like even residue on your fingers will leave black fingerprints etc. So I found it best to layer a bunch of paper towel/ rags down under the area where I'm working, like do the work right ontop of a pile, so that as any drops fall you can just quickly remove the top rag and then your working on clean surface again and no worries about setting saber down and contaminating.
When ready, use qtip to generously apply blackening agent, lightly pressing/ dabbing/ rubbing it onto the surface as u go. Give it about 45 seconds to a minute to work (if you look close you'll see it sizzling on metal) and then use a clean qtip to douse the area in water all over and thoroughly rinse it- be really careful that any run off water doesn't travel onto clean metal of saber anywhere past where you taped off. You'll want to rinse off quickly though, and then quickly remove all that tape you just painstakingly put on lol, because the aluminum black will actually penetrate the metal at the taped edge no matter how well you taped it and begin to encroach ever so slightly thru your clean edge lines with unwanted black- but as long as you get to it relatively soon u can just wipe it vigorously with cloth like buffing and it will come off, restoring your nice edge. Once you've tended to your edges go back and rinse off the area again, because the aluminum black will continue working in the groove and if left too long will start to look corroded/ blotchy. Rinsing a lot will remove impurities and give u truer black.
Give the area a few mins to sit and cure before repeating the process. Don't worry if it turns all grey/ white as it dries, when you clear coat at the end it seals and instantly goes nice and jet black again like when it's wet. Just repeat the laborious song and dance of taping and applying lol (but it's actually really fun in weird way) being super careful with making your edges and being aware of runoff etc. each time. Stop whenever your're happy with the thickness/ completeness of the finish- I found on average about five/ six passes seemed to be perfect- too much more than that and it actually starts to discolour and form chemical'ish patterns in the finish. Also you will probably want to stop along the way and fine tune- like touch up edges with sanding sponge or if you see any bits that are turning blotchy/ brown rub them down a bit to accept blackening agent better on next pass.
Then just throw on some clear coat with tiny brush. I used an indoor/ outdoor high gloss polyurethane. Found its better to put on several very thin coats as opposed to a couple thick ones, if you put on too thick it will leave an ugly laminated layer on edges and take away from all the work you did forming them clean with the aluminum black.
It's incredibly time consuming and can be difficult at times, but SO worth it! Way more durable than paint, theres no dimensional change so you don't see a layer of anything sitting on the surface it just turns the actual surface black- really ideal for such fine detailing where raised surfaces would ruin look- and it just results in a really cool finished look- the black looks like patina, so deep and layered, it just looks so right for saber, lends authenticity- the look of grooves that blackened ever darker over years of battle vs. the new car look u get with some paint jobs.
Sorry for the novel! Aluminum black isn't a brand name, just the name of the substance, didn't mention name out of respect for advertising rule, but if u look it up will find no prob- hobby shops, industrial supply shops, and DEFINITELY gun shops will have it- used to fix scratches on gun metal etc. Also, should mention that aluminum black is a mixture of powerful acids, and acetone is no joke either, so should be very careful when working with , wear protection and be sure not to contact with eyes/ mouth/ or even skin really, and be mindful of fumes- also never work with in area where kids or pets go, as even trace amounts can mean real trouble for them. Good luck, feel free to shoot with any questions etc
may The Force be with you
