restoring patina on brass

C

cgwbear

Joined
Dec 22, 2002
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hi folks, i have a number of brass fittings--guards, butts, thick spacers--and a couple of them looked like they had a few small spots of glue or rubber cement on them. i knockd the glue off with my thumb nail, and now i am looking at bright brass in those areas. the spots are only about 1/8" to 1/4", but they ruin the overall dark patina. anyone know how to spot treat the fresh bright brass to darken it to match the rest of the fittings? these pieces are new from the knife supply--10 years ago or more--so there is no damage. thanks in advance...........b
 
I'm thinking the only way to get an even patina is to polish it all up and start over. I've accelerated the patination on brass with a mild bleach solution, but that can be dicey. I hope someone else has a better idea. Good luck.
 
ok, since i didn't get too much info on my question about brass, i would like to ask the same question about bronze. thanks in advance for any info......b
 
When you use the parts on a knife, you will have to sand and polish them when fitting. Why do you want a "patina" (tarnish) on them?
 
The only difference you'll have between BRASS, an alloy of copper and zinc, and BRONZE, an alloy of copper and tin, is the speed or ease of patination. Bronze patinates more than brass.

I'm sorry we've not been more helpful, but I think we're a little unclear about exactly what you are trying to accomplish. :confused:
 
Clean it with Brasso or a similar cleaning and polish agent. It will then naturally begin to age itself back to an even patina.
If you want to excelerate that process use some of the methods described above.
If you happen to be in to black powder shooting/hunting the residue that you clean off of your weapon will turn it almost over night. I think it may be the sulfer that is in the BP but, not for sure it may some of the other ingredients. Regretfully though an even patina begins with cleaning and poishing not matter how you slice it!
 
Go check out your local craft store. They often have solutions for forcing a patina on brass and copper. You may want to dilute it with distilled water. Also, apply it with a q-tip in an even and rapid manner. when you're done, buff with fine steel wool or a rag. Do some testing on scrap brass before tyring it on your knife.

I personally like a light patina on hunting knives. It doesn't make sense to have a shiny brass fitting on your belt when you are trying to hide from animals.
 
thanks folks for the help. the bronze patina on the pieces i have is over 50 years old. i just dug them out of a box in the garage, and saw the problem on only a few. the spots are no more than 1/8" square; only where i scraped the rubber cement, or glue, or urethane off with my thumb nail. i also have some beryllium/copper with the same problem, and one piece with blue oxidation. any ideas on this material? thanks again, b
 
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