In article ,
"SteveB" wrote:

I want to make some hinges and stuff that look old, but are not. Could I
take chisels and the round end of a ball peen hammer, and other striking
devices and make marks on the metal cold, or should I heat and soften it
first?

Steve

Chisels are going to have a rather crude effect - looking more like it's
been vandalized with a chisel than like it's "old". If you learn to use
a ball peen hammer, you can create a "nice" effect. Cold works fine if
the metal you are starting with is not harder than the hammer. An anvil
or reasonable substitute really helps. Hit often, rather than hard.

Blacksmiths black finish is fairly easy - some more complicated methods
have been posted - simply heating and wiping with linseed oil gets you
there, though you have to experiment a bit with "hot enough" and "too
hot" for that to work, so the oven method might work, but it might also
tick off your spouse or smoke detector, while the simple method can be
done outside with a torch (or forge if you have one).

Heat (for making the finish work) is well below red.

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