# How to blacken brass the easy way.....



## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

All,

First of all I hope this belongs here so if it needs to be moved to another forum, please do so.

Anyway, I was looking for a way to blacken brass wheels I had purchased and I was reading many of the forums and general google model sites and did not run across a general purpose product that seemed to do the job easily. I finally thought about gun blueing so I stopped in at the local Gander Mountain store and talked to the gun smith there and he said "Try Brass Black by Birchwood products". So I figured, let's go for it so I ordered some (you can find it for about $8 a bottle shipped if you look but you will have to look in sporting good stores, NOT model shops!). 

I found the product very easy to use and VERY fast to work with. After experimenting around here is the final process with some tips.

First of all, here is what the product looks like:


 
The next pictures shows the brass wheels prior to blackening:



 
I used alcohol to clean the wheels the first time but found a slight polish with steel wool worked just as well!



 
I then applied the alcohol using a Q-Tip.



 
I found it took about two coats to cover properly and by using a little elbow grease with the Q-Tip it went on better.



 
As you can see by the second coat it is much better. Do not be afraid to leave it on to dry.



 
This was how I applied it to the inside.



 
Last coat on this side.



 
Final coat on top.



 
Here is what the final result looks like. This is what the results looked like after drying one night .



 
I hope you find this useful.


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

That is awesome! Those wheels really came out nice. It will be nice to see how they hold up over time. If they continue to look like that over time, then that process looks like a real winner!

Ed


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

Ed, 

I contacted the manufacturer and they said any place it gets scrapped hard can come off just like scraping a good paint job. Now here is the interesting thing. It did not reduce the electrical conductivity of the brass one bit. When I talked to their chemist they said that the brass still tends to age underneath but it is really slowed down. I might try some on a section of brass track (two things, get it black and make it easier to keep clean).


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

Birchwood-Casey makes blueing, browning, blacking solutions for all types of metal, an as near as I can tell, any of 
it will turn brass or Aluminum black... A lot of us have been using it forever, one tip though, it works much better and 
quicker if U totally immerse the piece in it... Any gunshop worth its salt will have all the various types too...
Paul R...


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## tommyheadleycox (Oct 15, 2010)

Oh boy, could the "browning" version of this be the long-awaited solution for turning Aristo-Craft yellow track to a prototypical brown? That would be a huge development.

Regards,
Tommy


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

Cleaning it good, then throwing it out in the backyard to weather for a few weeks would probably be better, 
and definately a lot cheaper... Browning solutions R intended for steel, never tried any on brass...
Paul R...


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Go ye to the alchemist shop and ask for Liver of Sulpher, it will turn non ferrous metal blackish. Sometimes addidding a little steel wool to the liquid will help speed up the process. A tip of an exacto blade can help darken recesses. Be carefull not to touch the blade to the object lest ye scratch off the color. 

For brass rails use a sponge brush to apply to the sides of rail. Rinse off after it's dark enough. 

John


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