Making a black blade

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Anthony

If it's actually a metal, it isn't black.

Silver Bromide and Silver Oxide are still metals, but are black.

A silver-containing alloy can be black on its oxidized surfaces.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

Silver Bromide and Silver Oxide are still metals, but are black.

A silver-containing alloy can be black on its oxidized surfaces.

Actually, they are salts, at least in the context that 'metals' is being used here.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by martinl

Actually, they are salts, at least in the context that 'metals' is being used here.

So you're claiming in this context an aluminum bat isn't a metal bat? Because it's coated with such a salt, aluminum oxide.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

I have a character in an RPG who's a fighter, and I thought he should have a jet black sword because of Rule of Cool. How would I acquire such a blade? Paint? Sooting it?

Disregarding but not disrespecting the practical advice so far, how about just making it black via fiat? Unless it is important in the game "how" the sword was made black, a master craftsman/wizard/holy woman/trained sloth did it (possibly with a secret technique) and it cost 12 Quatloos.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

So you're claiming in this context an aluminum bat isn't a metal bat? Because it's coated with such a salt, aluminum oxide.

Being coated with an oxide is not the same as being an oxide. The chemical blackenings mentioned earlier are mostly about coating a metal thing with an appropriately colored oxide. All of these things will be pretty similar to paint, in that they can be scraped off with varying degrees of difficulty, and that the edge will be "clean" and shiny if properly maintained.

Note that Al auto-oxides in Earth's atmosphere, so if you scrape it "clean" it will re-oxide on it's own quickly enough. Al is not appropriate for a sword though, and AiO2 is grey, not black. You can anodize Al black, but it will scrape shiny and oxide out to grey quickly enough...

Making the sword out of solid metal oxide of the appropriate color will most likely result in a sword shaped object rather than a viable weapon.

You might well postulate a metal that auto-oxidized black in atmosphere and was suitable for swords, but I am unaware of any RW examples.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

So you're claiming in this context an aluminum bat isn't a metal bat? Because it's coated with such a salt, aluminum oxide.

Aluminium (the element) is a metal. Aluminium (the substance) isn't. An Oxide is explicitly not an element, nor does it consist solely of metal elements.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by martinl

You might well postulate a metal that auto-oxidized black in atmosphere and was suitable for swords, but I am unaware of any RW examples.

ak_aramis gave you one, Silver. "Tarnished" silver is black. But when ak_aramis suggested a silvered sword the been deliberate tarnished you say you no longer have a metal sword

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Aluminium (the element) is a metal. Aluminium (the substance) isn't. An Oxide is explicitly not an element, nor does it consist solely of metal elements.

Yet you say it fine to called an Aluminium Bat a Metal bat, but a Silver dagger tarnished with silver oxide is not a metal dagger?

[Anders]

Originally Posted by martinl

Disregarding but not disrespecting the practical advice so far, how about just making it black via fiat? Unless it is important in the game "how" the sword was made black, a master craftsman/wizard/holy woman/trained sloth did it (possibly with a secret technique) and it cost 12 Quatloos.

I'll do that if I have to (or invent some black alloy), but I prefer fantasy games that are founded in reality. If there is a real way to do things, I prefer that. I'm definitely more of a 'Low Fantasy" guy.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by martinl

You might well postulate a metal that auto-oxidized black in atmosphere and was suitable for swords, but I am unaware of any RW examples.

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is black enough, but iron typically prefers to form Fe2O3.

Originally Posted by roguebfl

Yet you say it fine to called an Aluminium Bat a Metal bat, but a Silver dagger tarnished with silver oxide is not a metal dagger?

It is, but if you sharpen the dagger, you scrape off the tarnish, and the result is a shiny edge even if the rest of the blade is black. If you don't care about that, a modern black oxide coating is certainly black enough.

[Irish Wolf]

Also, as I understand it, oxidized or not, a silver sword or dagger is only a sword or dagger for one or two uses. Then it's a club. Same as the problem when someone in a game I was in insisted on having his weapons forged from gold - the DM let him have them, but a few moments into our first combat they changed from cutting weapons into bludgeons, then started deforming...