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i use birchwood casey cold gun blue on the steel parts. works great.

I would assume that most of the "Gun Blues" are very similar. However I have tried several brands here in the US and found this particular type to work the best (most uniform and blackest). I was able to get similar results with other brands, it just required more work (more "coats", and a better starting surface). -Jeff

My main hobby is model railroading. I have to blacken things from time to time. Don't use gun blues. They won't work well for you. I use a product called Blacken It. It doesn't work on stainless or aluminum but does work on steel, brass, copper, and nickel silver. The longer the part sits in it, the darker it gets. You don't just brush it on and expect it to go black immediately. Typically I soak my parts. If I am going to a rust color, it doesn't stay immersed very long. Sometimes I have even had to dilute it so it didn't change very fast. For tie rods that are going to be black, you could just drop them in the bottle for about 5 minutes. Then pull them out, wipe them off and take a look. If they were thoroughly cleaned of any dirt and skin oils, they should be black. If they weren't clean they may not color all that well. If you pull them out and find they should be darker, soak them again for a little while. Here's a link to the product. Hopefully this helps. Micromark I believe also carries it.

http://www.historicships.com/Paint/BlackenItMetal.htm