tarnishing brass

[A.Merrill]

    Getting ready to tarnish, age, antique, some brass. How would you go about it ?    AL

[HIB]

There was a similar question on this site several weeks ago. Along with the answers were a blue zillion ideas and experience stories. I think you'll find the posts very helpful. My only experience has been with ammonia. It is nasty stuff but providing you take all the surface oils, wax and other contaminants off the brass first you will find a really neat aged surface. I wouldn't polish the brass first as a little mottled look will put you closer to the desired look of an old surface. Most have variances over the entire surface.

Scarf a glass bowl from your wife kitchen cabinets large enough to contain the ammonia and suspended brass parts from a cover you make out of plywood or heavy cardboard. Suspend the parts over the liquid ammonia and let set for 12-24  hours. The bowl should be covered tightly to keep the fumes inside and the brass you are aging should not touch the liquid.

Your problems will be four fold: getting all the oils off the brass parts, explaining to your wife why you are rooting thru her cabinets, not breathing the ammonia fumes and patience. I have started over several times but you'll have to learn that on your own. Best of luck. And remember ammonia is a nasty product. Be careful.   Regards, HIB

[Gaeckle]

Cold blue will turn brass black.........a little work with a rough peice of burlap or coarse canvas will polish off the high spots. Steel wool works good too in the polishing department.

[T.C.Albert]

Fume it in a lidded cooker over "warm" vinegar...condensed steam droplets will tend to run and streak the finish, so vent the steam.
A crock pot on low will work...jusr suspend the brass over the warm vinegar and let it work...an hour or so will turn parts of it green...
TCA

[David Rase]

Using ammonia fumes for tarnishing brass is bad juju.  Ammonia fumes can erode the brass as well as cause embrittlement and crumbling, that is why Brasso is never used to tumble modern cases, it contains ammonia which causes the cases to break down.  Some brasses will turn green under ammonia fumes.  In my opinion the best way to tarnish brass is to use it and let it tarnish naturally.  If you  must "fake it" I would use dirty cleaning patches.
DMR

[Meteorman]

http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Do-It-Yourself-Patina-Formulas-W12C672.aspx#3
I've used formula #1 with good success on brass.
If you get the part too hot, it just sizzles off, re-apply as it cools until it gets to the right temp window.
lightly buff it back with XFine steelwool or burlap to desired patina.
5 minute total process once you have the FENO3 crystals in hand (which I use as source for my aqua fortis stain).
/m

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

There was a similar question on this site several weeks ago. Along with the answers were a blue zillion ideas and experience stories. I think you'll find the posts very helpful. My only experience has been with ammonia. It is nasty stuff but providing you take all the surface oils, wax and other contaminants off the brass first you will find a really neat aged surface. I wouldn't polish the brass first as a little mottled look will put you closer to the desired look of an old surface. Most have variances over the entire surface.

Scarf a glass bowl from your wife kitchen cabinets large enough to contain the ammonia and suspended brass parts from a cover you make out of plywood or heavy cardboard. Suspend the parts over the liquid ammonia and let set for 12-24  hours. The bowl should be covered tightly to keep the fumes inside and the brass you are aging should not touch the liquid.

Your problems will be four fold: getting all the oils off the brass parts, explaining to your wife why you are rooting thru her cabinets, not breathing the ammonia fumes and patience. I have started over several times but you'll have to learn that on your own. Best of luck. And remember ammonia is a nasty product. Be careful.   Regards, HIB

Dave Rase is right... Ammonia can ruin your Brass.. . Don't ask how I know that!!   And HIB is right. Using Ammonia does the best job I have seen and by far the best I have been able to do.One suggestion, building on HIB's advice.  I have a big Can that has a large top that seals.. So I lay the bras parts in the can and put a cotton ball soaked in Ammonia (not enough to run much) in the bottom of the can, but not touch the brass...... about 12 hours or overnight seems to work best for the color I like.....I left one piece two days and it was so brittle it was unusable...... I take the brass out and clean off the high spots with denim, steel wool or plastic Brillo pad

[Longshot]

I've found that Miraclegrow plant food [copper sulfate?] can also produce some interesting results.  Mix up a small, concentrated solution, slather it on the brass fitting and let it dry thoroughly; then rinse and rub out with coarse cloth till you achieve what you're after.  Repeat as necessary
~Longshot

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I used a product for the first time yesterday that I really like a lot. It's called "Brass Darkening Solution J-3498" by WSI distributors. It's for antiquing furniture fixtures. I bought it a Highland Hardware in Atlanta, thier web address is  http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/
It's a liquid similar to Birchwood Casey's Brass Black but much less agressive. You imerse the part and can see it changeing slowly from Bright to Very black and all shades in between in about 4 or 5 minutes, stop it when you get the color you want. It give you much more control that Brass Black. When I was done I just rebottled what I didn't spill on the floor and I'll try using it again.

Oh by the way Brass Black works on steel as well as brass, so if you want to darken small parts go for it.
Micah

[A.Merrill]

    Thanks for the info guys. Looking forward to trying these out. Micah, sounds like some good stuff I would like to try it.    AL

[wattlebuster]

Ive used 2 methods. first is just plain ole fowled cleaning patches on the brass an 2nd is the 44/40 barrel blue. just wipe it on an off till you get the color you want

[Leatherbelly]

  What Dave Raze says!