Replies

1. 
   Stephen_Shepherd | Dec 02, 2000 02:49pm | #1

   *
   Liver of sulfur (sulfurated potash) will instantly tarnish brass, copper or silver. It has a terrible odor but works well. Remove the lacquer coating and clean the surface of any oil or grease then treat with liver of sulfur. The brass can then be buffed to the desired patina.

   Stephen

1. 
   Drew_Nyman | Dec 03, 2000 02:09pm | #2

   *You can also fume it as you did with the oak. use aqua ammonia for best results.

1. 
   Ed_Hilton | Dec 04, 2000 04:11am | #3

   *SS, I have to ask, where do you find liver of sulphur? Sounds like something out of Merlin's laboratory. Drew, what effect does the ammonia fumes give to the brass? Anything odd, or just nice old brass?

1. 
   Drew_Nyman | Dec 04, 2000 08:46pm | #4

   *Ed; I've used this method of tarnishing brass a few times. Try it. Dont be afraid to experiment a little. try ALL the methods you hear about and use the one that you are the most successful with.

1. 
   Ed_Hilton | Feb 05, 2001 04:45am | #5

   *Drew, the ammonia fumes really didn't affect the brass much. Well, actually, it cleaned them a little, removing what little natural tarnish there was. Tried vinegar - no luck. Saw a note somewhere here about using oven cleaner to age wood, so that sounded promising. Sprayed them with Easy Off oven cleaner. After 15-20 minutes, I wiped one off, and it seemed to have cleaned everything off the brass. I re-sprayed that one, and let them set overnight. Next day the results were almost perfect. Much of the brass had turned a shiny black. Two problems: the underside of the knobs was almostr clean, apparently because the oven cleaner had runn off due to gravity. The second problem was that the top surface was mottled. I suppose it was because the cleaner was a spray, and it set on the brass as a foam, and I think as it dried and the foam dissipated, some areas were exposed to air more than others. The best bet may be to soak the brass in oven cleaner, or re-spray occassionally to keep them wet. I did a light polishing with jewlers rouge, being careful not to stay in one place too long, and they look good now. Good being that they look naturally old.

2. 
   martin_trudeau | Feb 28, 2001 09:11pm | #6

   *Ed, Try using a product called "Gun Blue". It can be found at a sporting goods store. It is used to polish gun barrels or something like that. I had the very same question a year ago, and a furniture refinisher told me her secret. It really works!Good luck, Martin

3. 
   Chris_H | Mar 26, 2001 09:32pm | #7

   *Try a product called "patina". It can be found at stained glass supply shops and is used for aging solder.

4. 
   Bob_The_Boardman | Mar 27, 2001 03:02am | #8

   *EdPlain old hydrochloric acid does the job. It's sold commercially as muriatic acid for etching concrete. The product Chris calls "patina is nothing more than muriatic acid with a touch of another metallic salt in it for color. Use it palin it wil cause a chemical reaction that turns metal black. Add a little copper sulfate it will turn metal a coper color, etc.Good Luck,Bob

5. 
   Stephen_Shepherd | Apr 07, 2001 05:45pm | #9

   *Ed,Try a stain glass studio or a local chemical supply store. You can get it in solid or liquid form. It will immediately darken the brass, but it does have a unique odor.Stephen