#1 resource for Cigar Box Guitars, Free Plans, How-To, Parts & More!

Wanted: A quick way to tarnish (oxidise) brass

Hi. I am making an adjustable bridge for my third instrument (Roadkill 3). It has a brass base plate which is starting to look a bit art deco. Thing is, I would like it to look tarnished but in working it I have had to file and paper it and it is now bright and shiny. I read that vinegar works, but it didn't work for me. I tried heating with a blowtorch but that didn't achieve much either, and nor did lemon juice. Any suggestions how I can get it to oxidise quickly? Thanks in advance. John

0 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on March 6, 2011 at 11:18am

Can't help with the aging process, but that is a neat looking bridge John.

Permalink Reply by Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw on March 6, 2011 at 1:19pm

Hi Murray.

Thanks for the information. I threw all my darkroom chemicals away many years ago. Didn't think that I would be likely to use them again. Things like potassium ferricyanide are probably best disposed of and not left lying around the house.

Hi Michael.

Thanks for that. Hope to have it on in a day or two.

Permalink Reply by JonBouye on April 11, 2011 at 10:41am

Interesting discussion going on. If I may suggest trying some of your commmonly found liguid drain cleaners. I know many of them have label warnings stating they are not to be used on different types of metals.

From personal experience I know how they will tarnish stainless stain when my daughter poured some down the kitchen sink to fix a grease clog. Cost me more than a few bucks and a weekend to replace it.

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on July 3, 2011 at 9:36pm

Michael,

Old chemistry coming back...the suggestions for bleach (chlorine gas) and urine (ammonia) are not bad. Another one that's cheap and available is Coca-Cola (phosphoric acid). Try this: get two 1-liter bottles of Coke. Put your brass in the first one for a week. Remove, expose to air. Look for etching, discoloration (no, not itching and discoloration!). If no joy, on day 7, drink the other liter of Coke, starting at 7 AM so you don't stay up all night. At around 8 or 8:30 AM, put your (hopefully) phosphoric-acid-etched brass in Bottle 2. Release the pressure on your bladder by peeing into Bottle 2. Wait another 24 hours. Empty nasty-smelling container into your obnoxious neighbor's prize begonias, and blame it on the cat. Expose your brass plate to the air for 24 hours.

You should have developed a patina. Your neighbor certainly will have :-)

Permalink Reply by Penny Nelson on July 3, 2011 at 10:08pm

Check out my latest build I had a very shiney tin sink drainer. Used spray on olive oil and cooked on high for about an hour. the coating on the sink drianer was pretty thick so it looks more like shellac. But a very light coating aged the fittings really well.

I know not a genuine patina but chemical free and gives the look for cheap.

Permalink Reply by DJ Johnson on May 30, 2012 at 9:32am