Actually there is a couple of techniques out there to blacken aluminum,you have to expose fresh metal before using aluma black, aluuminum corrodes quickly & forms a protective layer (the black stuff on your hands after playing with your saber)if you sand the metal to remove the layer aluma black will work well. to get the same effect as a nice blued steel rifle isnt possible with aluminum unless of course you go with a black electro plate($$$$$). The technique that I would use to chemically blacken a hilt without destroying your house or alot of nasty fumes would be to use a caustic soda soak (drain cleaner AKA Lye).. let the metal pit a small amount , rinse it in cold water very well (& use rubber gloves in a garage or outside)& then soak the part in birchwood casey aluma black, the part will hold the color well with this technique. to keep it looking good, a bit of oil on occasion , or if you want it shiny, a clear coat of either spray on enamel clear or a clear powder-coat (this is one of the tricks the high end smith's are using SShhhhh! dont tell anyone!!!
That sounds like it would be good for the whole hilt, but I'm really only looking to add some accents to my Aeon. xD If I wanted a second dominix V2 I Would have ordered it. lol But this sounds like it would work, prep work and all. I assume I could tape off the parts I don't want to be coated? Maybe? I doubt it now that I think about it.
Aluma Black seems to be the big hitter, and its pretty cheap. I don't want to destroy my hilt though. Thats the thing.
Arioch, I know how bead blasting looks on knives (Beautiful finish) but I don't know how It would look (Or feel) on large pieces of aluminum. Here is a picture I dug up online, with what looks to be un-touched aluminum (After milling) and then bead blasted. I think for components in the future (Such as pieces of the hilt, like on the Consular)
