Replies

1. 
   JimGG_ | Mar 02, 2002 02:25pm | #1

   *
   Ball & Ball brass is available bright or antique. You could return them and ask for the antique finish. Or you could do what they do: fume them with ammonia gas. Take a large glass pot and position the brass above the ammonia liquid. Cover the pot. The ammonia gas will react with the brass slowly and make the brass darker with the passage of time. Use clear household ammonia from a supermarket. B&B warms the ammonia liguid on a hot plate to drive off more gas. Also, there are commercial liquids which give patina colors to metals. Craft stores sometimes carry them. The easy way is to return them to B&B (although with additional shipping costs).

1. 
   Froed_ | Mar 02, 2002 03:12pm | #2

   *Will B&B take them back if the finish was stripped off? I don't think I would. How long would it take to fume the pulls to a sort of "average" patina? Don't forget that even supermarket ammonia requires precautions.

1. 
   JimGG_ | Mar 02, 2002 05:08pm | #3

   *The time depends on the concentration of the gas in the chamber, 30-45 minutes should do. If you have safety concerns, put the pot outside (it's 40 degrees F. here today, so it would take longer outside).

1. 
   jack_nissen | Mar 02, 2002 05:22pm | #4

   *see the most recent issue of (bite my tongue) "american woodworker"jack

1. 
   JimGG_ | Mar 02, 2002 07:00pm | #5

   *Regarding B&B taking them back: if they were sent back to B&B with a request that they be antiqued, B&B would give them the antique patina, and return them to the customer.

2. 
   Scott_Braun | Mar 04, 2002 06:02am | #6

   *besides the ammonia tricks, I've had great luck with a product called Jax - they make it for a wide variety of metals, and even specify whether you want the patina to be brown or black. I buy it at Janovic paint stores, but I'll bet it's available at craft or hardware stores, too. makes quick work of this kind of thing...SB

3. 
   Rickk_ | Mar 04, 2002 07:59pm | #7

   *Birchwood Casey has a product called brass black which can found in most gun shops.