Tarnishing brass

[Bob Reichel]

Have three new brass finials for a pillar/scroll that are far too bright. What are your methods of applying a bit of tarnish to make them look older.

[Bob Reichel]

Have three new brass finials for a pillar/scroll that are far too bright. What are your methods of applying a bit of tarnish to make them look older.

[craig]

Bob,
Birchwood Casey makes Brass Black. I wonder if you may be able to dilute it and get satisfactory results. Walmart carries it.

[Sooth]

:smile:

Hi. I don't know how great my advice for this will be, but here goes:

I find that brass tarnishes rather fast on it's own. If you got the finials new, I suggest you make sure they don't have a clear lacquer or any type of protective coating on them. Then, highly polish them (they will get very bright and almost white looking). Then that's it. Install them, and I guarantee you than within a year they will look dull. In two years they will start to oxidize even more and will eventually turn brownish. If you want to stop them from going that far, lacquer them once they reach the desired effect.

Oil from your hands also helps to age the brass faster.

This isn't the fastest method, but it will work.

[lpbp]

Both Van Dyke's catalog (vandykes.com), and Master's Magic catalog (1-800-548-6583), carry chemical brass darkening material.

Larry Pearson, *FNAWCC #35863

[leghorn]

There is a product made by a company called JAX.
The item is called, Green Patina; for use on brass, or bronze. It leaves an' antique green' finish,if that's what your after. Merritt's clock supply carries it.



leghorn

[Steve Cunningham]

A very old mentor of mine said that direct sunlight would patina brass best. But if you don't want to wait that long, I suggest two methods. One, put the finials in a clear plastic bag. Add to that bag a plate with sulphur crystals in it. Seal the bag. Watch it, and when it's as dark as you want (probably a few hours), remove the finials. If you're in a bigger hurry, instead of suplhur, use Liver Of Sulphur. The fumes will work in a matter of minutes, and probably less than 30 minutes. But again, use a clear bag, so you can see the amount of darkening and remove the parts when you're happy.

[stewart]

Hello Bob

I have used Drain-eze (a drain cleaner with sodium hydroxide) available from ACE hardware. This is alkaline some drain cleaners are acids. It will turn new brass brown. The more you put on the darker. Wear gloves its caustic. Rinse with water to stop darkening.

Stewart

[Dana Armour]

Bob,
There is a product on the market with the highly original name of "Brass Darkening Solution". I've used it for years (same bottle)and have been very happy with it. The degree of darkness depends on the amount of time you leave the part immersed in the chemical. I can only assume it is still available.
Contact WSI Distributors 405 N.Main St.
St.Charles,Mo.63301. The active ingredient according to the label is selenious acid (less than 0.4%)
Dana

[Dana Armour]

Bob,
I searched for WSI on line to no avail. However,if you go to www.antique-hardware.com (http://www.antique-hardware.com) and click on "chemicals and solutions" you will find the exact product I recommended.
Dana

[RL]

I will have to agree with Sooth on this one. In time brass will tarnish on its own. I have never owned any brass object that would stay clean/shiny looking on its own forever. It probably boils down to whether time is a factor or you would just as soon let it have a natural patina of it's own over a period of time.

[bangster]

At a local crafts shop I picked up a bottle of "Maid-o-Metal" liver of sulfur (turns brass & copper black) and a bottle of "Maid-o-Metal" patina (turns brass & copper green). Used them on some brass bookends, and they work admirably. Made by St Louis Crafts, Inc. They probably have a website.

bangster

[Bill Ward]

The patinating solutions mentioned are available at stained glass supply stores. But they usually give a rather unsubtle effect, even if diluted. MRB's jocular suggestion does not rely on the prayers of the nuns, but the chemical effect; this has a long tradition (outside the convent!) I believe it's mentioned by Vasari in the 1500's. It used to be a tradition in the sculpture ateliers to celebrate the successful casting of a major commission by a keg party with an ulterior motive. However, this method produces the green verdigris patination seen eventually on outdoor bronze.
A slight tarnish on some alloys of brass can be accelerated by simply baking in air for a short time. Be sure to clean off all coatings and, especially, fingerprints (with acetone) beforehand. Just as will eventually happen in air, the oils in fingeprints will blacken and stain the metal. Watch the effect carefully. If it's not successful, the fingerprint effect can be put to work by coating the part with oil and baking it. Don't overdo it.
This blacking technique can also be used at a high temperature on steel to produce a rustproof coating, like blueing. It's thicker than blueing, though, as it's really a paint, i.e. a polymerized oil. On brass, it needn't be so thick.
My recollection is that the NAWCC Library has an excellent tome on surface treatment and patination of metals, but it might be reference only. It has photos and recipes for thousands of effects.

[mrb]

i was not joking! nun's urine was highly prized as it was believed to produce a better effect than the common. it has long been rumoured the Catholic Church profited from the sale of nun's urine.

[Mike306p/Ansoniaman]

Gun Blue ? I think I tried it before but can't seem to find my blue to test it again on brass. Mike