Surefire way to paint chrome screwheads black?

[currygoat11]

I have some chrome screwheads on my cabinet. Is there a tried and true way to somehow paint them black?  I'm looking for some type of spray-paint-on solution here which would be resistent to scratches/muffs. Any info would be appreciated.

p.s. purchasing black hardware is a non-preferable option right now. Thanks.

[javeryh]

Don't bother painting them!  Buy a screw cover - it's much much cleaner and they are like $0.07 each.  I used them on the screws that attach my speaker grills to my cabinet and they give a very professional look/finish.  Here's the comparison:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/992/1469/1600/speakercovers.jpg

[javeryh]

p.s. purchasing black hardware is a non-preferable option right now. Thanks.

Oops... didn't see that...  I still think it's the best option though...   

[Fozzy The Bear]

p.s. purchasing black hardware is a non-preferable option right now. Thanks.

You can't just paint chrome.... The paint will not stick to the surface properly. It will peel and chip and scratch.

A few black screws are way cheaper than a can of paint!!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[currygoat11]

A few black screws are way cheaper than a can of paint!!

well, where do I get them? I mean I'm using some thin screws (w/ bolts) to secure my Midway style speaker covers on the cabinet. If I could locate where to purchase that would be awesome. thanks.

[cj1]

A few black screws are way cheaper than a can of paint!!

well, where do I get them? I mean I'm using some thin screws (w/ bolts) to secure my Midway style speaker covers on the cabinet. If I could locate where to purchase that would be awesome. thanks.

Get thee to Home Depot.  In the fastener aisle there should be a section with a bunch of drawers - specialty hardware and such.  I believe I found them in either "Decorative Screws" or "Switchplate Screws" drawers, IIRC.  Mostly smaller screws/bolts.

[Sizzler]

Don't bother painting them!  Buy a screw cover - it's much much cleaner and they are like $0.07 each.  I used them on the screws that attach my speaker grills to my cabinet and they give a very professional look/finish.  Here's the comparison:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/992/1469/1600/speakercovers.jpg

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[javeryh]

[Sizzler]

Those screw covers do look sweet.  Where'd you buy them?

[Ken Layton]

Mikesarcade.com has the black screws you need in the "Midway cabinet" parts section.

[javeryh]

I got them at Home Depot in the screw aisle.  There were a ton of different colors to choose from - I guess people cover screw holes in stained wood too!  They actually have the "+" sticking out on the back so they just snap right into place with a slight tap of a hammer.  No glue or anything is required and they are all very secure. You need to slide a razor or something underneath the edge to pop them off.

[Sizzler]

I got them at Home Depot in the screw aisle.  There were a ton of different colors to choose from

Thanks.  I'd seen screw covers before but the ones I'd see looked like they'd sit up high, while yours look just about flush with the surface.   

Looks nice.

[Rocky]

The best way to get chrome carriage bolts to be black is with gun blueing solution.

Check out Prok's web page on this subject. I've done this and it works great.


http://www.rgvac.com/restoration.asp?projid=17

[joecitizen]

The gun blueing solution sounds good.  How about black oxide?

[Animeka]

How about you keep it simple... Use nailpolish.

[fiscap]

If screw covers are an option, I used Pro-Dec to buy mine. I tried Home Depot, but they only had a few in stock at each location I checked.

[javeryh]

If screw covers are an option, I used Pro-Dec to buy mine. I tried Home Depot, but they only had a few in stock at each location I checked.

Nice link!  I guess the ones I bought would be the "Tap Caps" - in black.

[shardian]

The best way to get chrome carriage bolts to be black is with gun blueing solution.

Check out Prok's web page on this subject. I've done this and it works great.


http://www.rgvac.com/restoration.asp?projid=17

I would really like to try this, but I can buy like 50 brand new black bolts from divemaster for the price of the bluing kit. Would still be a good use for those hard to replace bolts on original machines.
Anyone else do this and have pics?

[TOK]

How about you keep it simple... Use nailpolish.

Thats what I was thinking. Get a black paint marker and color them. I did this on my speaker grills, and they look great.

[MikeDeuce]

I have a few #6 screws holding the acrylic down on my little single player cp.

I scuffed the heads and pushed them into a thin cardboard box, primed them, baked them under a halogen work lamp then painted them with a gloss black and baked them again. They haven't scratched or chipped, but they aren't under a lot of direct abuse, since they're countersunk in acrylic. When screwing them in I was just careful and didn't let driver slip out, and screwed it in by hand of course. You could probably paint up 20-50 of them at a time and store them in the same position poking out of a box in case they ever start to show signs of wear.