Black Oxide Wrenches
- Thread starter ET16
- Start date
- Status
Some do and some don't, many are just coated over chrome. I had a set of coated wrenches years ago from Walter but it was not black oxide it was some dark grey coating and ugly as sin itself. I gave them to a guy who needed tools to use in a salt water marine environment and these were just the ticket, he told me that what the coating was for, use in harsh environments and very desirable around salt water.
"Black Wrenches Matter"
I have unfinished tools from 60 yr old bug tool kits. I used spud wrenches at the shipyard that were older than I was. They don't rust, they develop a patina. The chromed BMW tools are great but they rust easily. Proto and Armstrong were US brands.
Good tools for inside a trunk, yes they don't rust easily.
I'm more concerned about how well a tool works, not how pretty it looks.
Other posts are baffling to me. This is the exact opposite of my experiences if talking about real "black oxide".
Black oxide has the benefits of being less slippery, and a tool can be made to higher tolerances without deformation issues in use because the black oxide layer is thinner and the result is a higher near-surface hardness than chrome plating. It is best reserved for tools that benefit most from a tight fit on a fastener, for example flare nut wrenches are an ideal tool for black oxide, or uses where being less slippery are important.
On the other hand, the black oxide coating wears and the tool rusts far more easily. I have to keep all my black oxide tools oiled to reduce rust. Then there is a black zinc process that's seldom used for tools at all because the zinc is the softest coating yet it is quite rust resistant if nothing ever comes in contact with it.
Now contrast that with black chrome/other plating, where the metal is not just oxidized (may not even be oxidized at all) but also an additional layer, metal or lacquer or polymer is added. They're not at all the same coating except for the general color. Black chrome/other is usually shiny and slippery, and is quite rust resistant, and less likely to shear/flake off than regular chrome. It is common on impact sockets but rare on ratchets and wrenches themselves.
Black oxide has the benefits of being less slippery, and a tool can be made to higher tolerances without deformation issues in use because the black oxide layer is thinner and the result is a higher near-surface hardness than chrome plating. It is best reserved for tools that benefit most from a tight fit on a fastener, for example flare nut wrenches are an ideal tool for black oxide, or uses where being less slippery are important.
On the other hand, the black oxide coating wears and the tool rusts far more easily. I have to keep all my black oxide tools oiled to reduce rust. Then there is a black zinc process that's seldom used for tools at all because the zinc is the softest coating yet it is quite rust resistant if nothing ever comes in contact with it.
Now contrast that with black chrome/other plating, where the metal is not just oxidized (may not even be oxidized at all) but also an additional layer, metal or lacquer or polymer is added. They're not at all the same coating except for the general color. Black chrome/other is usually shiny and slippery, and is quite rust resistant, and less likely to shear/flake off than regular chrome. It is common on impact sockets but rare on ratchets and wrenches themselves.
Last edited:
Some are not real black oxide or black zinc phosphate but a black coating over chrome as on this Gearwrench socket (Amazon photo). Regardless of the coating or plating the steel used will have chrome along with vanadium or moly and quality wrenches and sockets have a much thinner layer of chrome on the working surfaces.
Some Stahlwille wrenches for example are made from a special alloy and use no visible plating.
Some Stahlwille wrenches for example are made from a special alloy and use no visible plating.
- Status
