Can you blacken stainless steel?

[vtsteam]

Well the title pretty much says it all. I was just wondering if stainless steel can be blackened. I'd like to darken the outside of the displacer cylinders on my stirling engine, if possible. They will get high heat, so obviously, paint won't last.

I have inadvertently blackened it when silver soldering with flux when that was overheated. But that wasn't a controlled application, and it was spotty. I was just wondering if there was an intentional and more uniform way blackening stainless?

[Joules]

Soot

Heat it with heavy crude oil or really poor quality coal, won't get much blacker.

[Muzzerboy]

There seem to be many products and videos that offer blackening of stainless steel when I google "stainless steel blackening". Did you try any?
https://www.google.com/search?q=stainless+steel+blackening&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB773GB773&oq=stainless+steel+blackening&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCDgwMTZqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[vtsteam]

Thanks Joules, Muzzerboy. 

Joules, crude oil I don't have, but maybe you mean waste oil? Muzzer, I did look at that search but most didn't seem applicable to high heat, and/or were cost prohibitive. I was hoping for an inexpensive DIY process.

I did see one fairly reasonable product, but no idea if it will withstand high heat Ni-black 40 was the name. And nope I haven't tried any products yet.