New MICROLOK® AO From Birchwood Casey Provides Robust Corrosion Protection For Iron And Steel Components – Ideal Low Cost, Non-Polluting Replacement For Cold Blackeners

Eden Prairie, Minnesota: Now manufacturers can finish iron and steel components with a low temperature, environmentally friendly process that serves as a low-cost replacement for polluting cold blackening.

Nothing like it — the MICROLOK® AO Process from Birchwood Casey forms a non-toxic, aluminum oxide conversion coating that is 0.000060 inches (1.5 microns) thick, silver/black in color, and tightly adherent to the metal surface. When sealed with a rust preventive, the finish provides robust corrosion protection that is better than cold blackening at half the cost, without undesirable pollution hazards.

Ideal for users of cold blackeners who want a replacement that is safe to apply and avoids the use of EPA regulated (copper & selenium) chemicals. The patented MICROLOK AO solution contains no regulated chemicals – process rinse waters are generally sewerable as nonhazardous discharge. Applying the finish requires only five steps and 15 minutes:

1. CLEAN the metal surface: SAFE SCRUB; 120-140°F: 5 minutes.
2. RINSE in clean water.
3. APPLY MICROLOK AO finish: 120-140°F: 8 minutes.
4. RINSE in clean water.
5. SEAL in DRI TOUCH® AMBER Rust Preventive: 1 minute.

Additional benefits include: anti-galling protection to aid in assembly and startup; temperature stability up to 1400°F; safe 120-140° F operation with no boiling or splattering; no scale or sludge buildup in tanks, bath maintenance is much simpler requiring only pH monitoring.

Applications include: tooling and machine components; automotive parts including tierods, ball joints, clutch and brake components; and large components such as oilfield drilling equipment. MICROLOCK AO is an ideal choice for any component with its attractive, nondimensional silver-black finish, corrosion protection and anti-galling properties.

Most cold blackening lines can be easily converted to the MICROLOK AO process, or new tank lines, of any size, are available from Birchwood Casey at modest cost, ranging from small-scale manually operated lines to large volume CNC operated systems.