Does anyone here scrape brass mounts to final finish?
I have used it some in the past, but It always left a kinda rough finish. However, I have been filing a sand cast yellow brass guard that was initially pretty hard. I annealed it once at the beginning and then to solder a crack that probably formed due to the brass not annealing in that spot. Anyway, I happened to try my normal wood finishing scraper on it to define the facets better. It took off the brass just like it was wood leaving a mirror surface. Actually, it seems way too shiny for period work, but some period gunsmiths must have tried this. Have any of you?
As long as the brass is annealed, I could realistically finish it without any abrasives. Of course, there are places that you want it work hardened for strength like the patchbox hinge and lid, and the butt piece.
Just wondering.
