Darken engraved brass?

[Onojutta]

Is it more appropriate to darken engraved brass on an early style longrifle, or leave it to patina naturally?

 

[Onojutta]

bump

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Real brass will tarnish rapidly so really don't need to do anything to it. If you want the engraving to stand out you can go over it with a wash of black paint and then sand the paint off the surface leaving it in the engraving.

 

[LRB]

Real brass will tarnish rapidly so really don't need to do anything to it. If you want the engraving to stand out you can go over it with a wash of black paint and then sand the paint off the surface leaving it in the engraving.

No need to sand. Wipe off the surface before it dries. Many engravers use Rustoleum flat black, or similar paint.

 

[Onojutta]

No need to sand. Wipe off the surface before it dries. Many engravers use Rustoleum flat black, or similar paint.

That's typically how I do it, flat black paint and wipe off, but wasn't sure if that would be right on a brass patchbox.

 

[rich pierce]

Cold blue works too.

 

[ord sgt]

Let the brass age on its own. Natural patina looks better.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Boil and egg. Peel it and rub the brass with the cooked yolk. It'll tarnish right before your eyes.

 

[Col. Batguano]

I use a Birchwood Casey product called "Brass Black" It helps me see if my engraving is too shallow so I can deepen it. I probably wind up doing that 5-6 times on every part I engrave. As Rich said, Oxford Cold Blue works just as well.

Put it on the area and darken the whole thing. It'll be dry in just a few minutes. Then take fine sandpaper (600 grit is fine, but remember to use a backer or else it will dig in to your sharp edges) and remove it from the high parts you want shinier. You need to sand the area anyway to get rid of the burrs your gravers made. Repeat until satisfied. Final polish may be with finer sandpaper, depending on how shiny you want it, but I generally don't go finer than about 1000 grit. The finer the grit, the longer it will take to age and get that "yellow mustard" look to it.

 

[LRB]

That's typically how I do it, flat black paint and wipe off, but wasn't sure if that would be right on a brass patchbox.

The objective is to make the engraving more visible even if the ambient lighting is poor or at a poor angle.

 

[Art Caputo]

IMO, the easiest, and fastest way to darken brass is to rub your wet(black powder residue soaked) cleaning patches on the brass part. Blend the finish with very fine(4/0) steel wool/ScotchBrite. Make sure your brass is bare…. isn’t coated with varnish/stock finish. I think letting the brass age naturally can take quite a long time. Artificially done well, it can accentuate nice engraving, give a naturally aged appearance, and(most important to me), reduce glare when hunting.