Best Method to Age brass(patina)

Any help here appreciated.....I know how to ammonia fume but was wondering if there is a quicker and safer method to patina the brass on my ML

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I did some brass with ammonia in about 2-3 hours teh other night and I do it in an enclosed plastic ice cream bucket. Pretty fast and safe to me. Maybe some cold blue but in my opinion the ammonia with a watchful eye and some lamp black in the "grooves" gives a more realistic and honest look.

 

[jtmattison]

Paste made of baking soda and water. Coat the parts and leave overnight.

HD

 

[Goldhunter]

Wipe the brass with a dirty cleaning patch covered with black powder residue.

 

[Fishhog]

I picked up an old TC Hawken 2 months back that was a kit that someone went to town with crappy inlays and brass tacks everywhere.The tacks kinda looked good being they were small round headed.Redid it all pulling the tacks out redoing the stock by scraping and sanding the inlays out,wanted an older looking gun .Did the multi coats of danish after 1 coat of old Birchwood Casey colonial red.Made the stock really look good being it was light walnut..Now on with the brass.Always hate messing with the polished brass and wanted this one to look like iron .Blackpowder residue works but takes a while and I wanted darker brown/black but not fake looking..Was on a site about faking antiques and tried one guys Easy off method..I tell you it looks great and doesn't come off easily at all! Shoot it on the brass off the gun.Put it on heavy let it sit an hour or two till it dries ,wash off and do it again if you need to..Polished brass actually took the look quicker than already aged stuff...Did every screw.ramrod tips and all and it really changed the look of this gun....Ray

 

[Razz]

I laid out the part on a concrete block outside in the yard, sprinkled a little 4f on it, about the same amount as for priming, and lit it off. Then I used a patch to rub it around and left it to age.Worked just fine for me.

 

Wipe the brass with a dirty cleaning patch covered with black powder residue.

I'll second Goldhunter. Do this everytime you shoot and clean your rifle and the brass takes on a nice patina. I think it looks more natural than using paint or cold blue (which I have used both)

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Wipe the brass with a dirty cleaning patch covered with black powder residue.

Ditto! Works fast and easy.

 

[mazo kid]

Wipe the brass with a dirty cleaning patch covered with black powder residue.

Ditto! Works fast and easy.

Yep, what they said. Just make sure your brass doesn't have a protective coat of wax, varnish, etc. or it can turn out blotchy looking.

 

[jbtusa]

Birchwood-Casey makes a "Brass Black" fluid that worked on the ramrod tips on my Lyman GPR.

 

[Coltsmoke]

Check out this web site: www.sciencecompany.com
Look under patinas. There is a list of how to get any color you want.

 

[Fishhog]

Here are some pics of the parts with the easy off method.Compare the color to the brass tacks that were done with blackpowder residue.Got to dab eack tack with the E O when I get a chance hopefully I can keep it from leeching on the stock..Ray

 

[ricklandes]

This really works...I have a "back room" in which I brew quite a bit of homemade wine. I happened to leave a newly polished Lancaster in there for a couple of weeks. When I got back to it the brass had aged (darken) quite a bit. By way of comparison, I have a outside building that is minimally heated, in this the brass would have been "out" a year or more to reach the same color. The air borne tannins, acids and various out gassings from the wine working are the cause.

And, before this post becomes "Flintlock Builder's Gone Wild!", this was observed BEFORE a wine tasting! :grin:

 

[ricklandes]

Maybe a bit of EO on a Q-tip will help "daub" those tackheads, also put a bit of paste wax around the tack on the wood first...

 

[Fishhog]

I hear you,was also thinking of punching a small hole in some plastic to put over the head and clean between each use..When I did this gun I had all the tacks pulled out and replaced them ,then I tried the Easy off before I put the rest together DUHH ..Ray