Redoing the blacksmith finish after stamping my maker’s mark.

Reapplying paste wax on a forged cross after burning off the previous finish so I could stamp it with my makers mark.
The steel is heated to a black heat (500-700 degrees Fahrenheit) and then the paste wax (or beeswax) is applied. At that temperature, the molecular structure polymerizes and binds to the steel making a durable black finish. The finish is referred to as a “blacksmith finish”.
Please share your questions in the comments!

[@elijah3807]

If you are living in the United States, that bottle of MAPP is not actually MAPP gas. There is no longer production for methylacetylene propadiene propane gas. The last source of production stopped around 2008. It is now mostly just propylene. Some companies sell methylacetylene propylene but it isnt true MAPP. Modern MAPP subs now only burn a little hotter than plain old propane. Save yourself a couple pennies and just buy propane.

[@dwwoodbuilds]

You are absolutely correct! And I use both. There are time that little extra bit of heat from "MAPP" is helpful for isolated heating. For normal stuff, I use propane (like my forge!). In this case, the "MAPP" torch was handy, so I grabbed it. Thanks for watching and commenting!