Tarnishing Brass

[BB61]

I've been trying to tarnish/get a dull finish on my brass on my T/C Hawken I made. I've been succesful on the trigger guard but no matter what I do or don't do I still get the bright and shinny everywhere else. Because I want to hunt with it, I'm looking for ideas. BTW, rubbing a dirty patch hasn't done anything to the shine.

 

Check out the Major Overhaul Photos thread. I used perma blue and you can see the results on the buttplate very well. You have to rub it on for a few minutes for it to even out but it works.

 

[Packdog]

BB61,
My guess is your brass has some sort of varnish or coating on it. You'll need to take the brass part off and polish it with 0000 steel wool or something to get rid of the coating then it will tarnish.
By the way, Jaegermeister's method of perma blue then polishing it back to your likeing works very well.
Packdog

 

Yes, I forgot to mention that you need to clean and polish and degrease the part before the Perma Blue will react properly. I spray the part with a blast of brake cleaner before I tarnish it to be sure all traces of oils are gone for best results. I have also had to redo the whole process on certain parts because of poor surface prep but it's no big deal. The whole project was fun and swiftly changed the looks of the gun.

 

[bob1961]

i used birchwood casey perma blue on my brass and got what i wanted to dull the brass fer hunting................bob

 

[BB61]

Belated thanks to everyone on my question.

 

[mowolf]

I also did the steel wool, degrease and Perma Blue form BC. Works, does require some polishing (I used scrap denim) to even it out and may take several applications to get it where you want it. Wear rubber/latex/vynl gloves.

Waya :m2c:

 

[mazo kid]

If you are just looking for a dull appearance on your brass, clean it as suggested before. The next time you shoot your rifle, save a couple of the dirty bore cleaning patches and use them to wipe down the brass. Guaranteed to darken it! If you don't like the looks, you can polish it off and start over with something else. Costs nothing in materials. Emery