Making Stainlees Steel Look Like Tin

Just got a stainless steel canteen and cup. Are there any suggestions to make stainless steel look more like tin?

Maybe some fine sandpaper to knock the shine down then use them and let them get dirty on the outside. Browning or blueing won't stick unless it has a low nickel percentage and then probably only in spots.

That is what I was considering but was unsure as to what grade sandpaper to use. Any suggestions?

I don't know, it stays bright and shiny forever... that's why it's called stainless! Of course, tin is bright and shiny too. My tinware is ALMOST as bright and shiny as some of my polished stainless steel stuff. I'm thinkin' just rub it a little with some steel wool to dull it ever so slightly.

Hot dipped tin that I have seen has a sort of wrinkly texture, and I don't see you simulating that at all.

I ALMOST bought a stainless canteen a few weeks ago (I would have steel wool'd it), but I have a nice big copper one that I have had for years, so it was not a really big "need to have" item.

If you want to just darken it, I might half-jokingly suggest to cover it with Unique and set it on fire. :haha: It colors my S.S. revolver cylinder dark blue and does NOT want to come off!

OK Maybe I'll try the steel wool first. I ordered a tin plate that hasn't arrived yet, but when it does I'll have something for comparison. Will most reenactors accept the stainless? Thanks.

Get Naval Jelly from home depot type store in Paint section. Apply NJ in coats brushed on and let dry. After several coats the SS will have a dull light grey color.

Wow! That sounds really good and simple. Thanks.

A few questions if you'd so indulge. Is this method food safe? Will the effect wear or wash off when the jelly wears or washes off? How does nj react to heat? If used on a pot or kettle that is put in a fire or on coals will it be a problem?

Naval Jelly contains an acid that etches the steel (I believe it's phosphoric acid, don't remember), it doesn't really add anything to the surface of the metal, it's not really a "finish". You put it on, it does its thing, you wash it off.

I'm sure it's quite poisonous if you drink it, but you're gonna wash it off, and you definitely don't want it inside the canteen!!!

Excellent. Thanks. Wouldn't put it in a canteen but I hate anything shiny when in the woods. Would use it on a plate, or the outside of my stainless water bottle which I also boiled water in.

I am thinking of making a wool cover for my stainless steel canteen ....

I tried the sandpaper thing, but with the high polish on the canteen it just doesn't work well. Ends up just looking like a scratched mirror. Also tried the naval jelly, but to no avail. Maybe next thing will be to just spray it with gray primer.

Again, tin plate is ALMOST as bright and shiny as polished stainless, it's not gray, so there's not a huge difference in the shine quotient between S.S. and brand new tin. Painting it or otherwise turning it dark would not make it look like tin.

:wink:

Still, slowly, working on my canteen. I decided to try green Scotchbrite and am fairly satisfied. For some reason, it looks a lot more like tin in sunlight as compared to artificial light but in either case it appears to be acceptable.

I used my SS cup to cook in over the fire, eventually it got sooty and used looking, fits in now sorta .

LongrifleDoc said:

Just got a stainless steel canteen and cup. Are there any suggestions to make stainless steel look more like tin?

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What style canteen is it? If a drum canteen, you could simply paint it.

If one cared to go to the trouble, a stnls canteen could be tin coated with plumbers solder, much like tinning in prep for soldering. It might take a good bit of flux. Muriatic acid and water make a cheap flux. I have re-tinned the inside of copper cups, and coated brass nose caps, but nothing larger. Same basic process, just more surface to cover. Probably look more like hot dipped than the cheap common tinned products.

I agree with Mr. Ellerbe I. Have soldered miles of ss after you flux with food safe flux then food safe silver solder it looks like hot dipped tin..

How about a little instruction on how to do that, I tried to line a small pot but it came out rough and uneven just couldn't get it to come out the way it should. Duane

Scuff with the brillow pads and use them they will soon dull up .