Blackening Brass

[tramcar trev]

I did do a search on this and could not find it mentioned..... Soooooo anyone have any good methods of blackening brass without painting it? I have made some trolley poles and they are bright and shiny and would look better more an oxide colour....

 

[korm kormsen]

sulfur.
mix some yellow stones or powder with water and wet your brass.
when you think, it reached the right colour, wash it off with water.

edit: and what the ... is a maggy lamp?

 

[peterbunce]

Hi,

In addition to the ones Ross has mentioned there are the 'gun blacks' which are generally a very dark brown!

All of them need the brass to be clean - they need the inevitable oxides cleaned off the surface with emery paper, they they work fast and follow the instructions and treat the obnoxious, and dangerous stuff with care.

I usually use a 'cotton bud' to put it on, its easier than a brush.

Varnish it after to keep the finish.

Yours Peter.

 

[tramcar trev]

sulfur.
mix some yellow stones or powder with water and wet your brass.
when you think, it reached the right colour, wash it off with water.

edit: and what the ... is a maggy lamp?

Australian vernacular short for magnifying lamp viz: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM3544&keywords=magnifying&form=KEYWORD
an absolutley essential bit of kit for the aged modeller....

Once again Ross seems to have done the trick with Google... he must have a different Google to me, when I entered how to blacken brass I got 1000's of responses none of them relevant...
This one though Ross was the true find; http://www.modelshipwrightsdatabase.com/Articles/MetalBlackening.pdf its comprehensive and practical, I'll try the vinegar and ammonia trick as I have some and a plastic bucket as well....

 

[dunnyrail]

Just take it off and leave it out in the Garden for the Winter. Job done NO COST.
JonD

 

[stockers]

May be too many words Trev. By typing 'How to' you will get answers for those bits as well as 'blacken brass'.