Mick,
this seems to be a potential solution (sorry, bad pun) but I’m always a bit skeptical when there’s no obviously available MSDS.
stainless steel, patina
www.caswelleurope.co.uk
not cheap, either. Then again, a litre would do a few locos, I guess..l
This confirms your suggestion that hot (and acid) is necessary
Chemical coloring is one of the oldest methods for coloring stainless steel. This technique involves dipping the stainless steel into a chemical solution that interacts with the metal's passive film, causing it to grow and produce different colors.
www.klscladmetal.com
as does Wikipedia which states
Hot black oxide for
stainless steel is a mixture of caustic, oxidizing, and sulfur salts. It blackens 300 and 400 series and the precipitation-hardened 17-4 PH stainless steel alloys.
however, it goes on to note
Room-temperature blackening for stainless steel occurs by auto-catalytic reaction of copper-selenide depositing on the stainless-steel surface. It offers less abrasion resistance and the same corrosion protection as the hot blackening process.
it would appear that there are cold blacks for stainless available. How toxic they might be is a consideration.
best
Simon