A TIP - About A-WEST products - BLACKEN IT

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Techniques
1

I am posting this here so everyone can give it a go . This product , which is used to blacken or darken brass and solder joints on Stained Glass hobby projects is great for ,Guess What ? Darkening All metallic tank tracks that are sold aftermarket .Now it doesn’t stop here .Do you want aged britannia metal ship fittings without using paint ( so you have an aged metallic luster .) Well this product is just what the doctor ordered .

I believe a similar product is available through MICRO-MARK or SQUADRON but I haven’t checked . Now the beauty of this product is this ,if you use a PYREX or CORIAN bowl it won’t ruin the container . I haven’t tried to use iit in plastic because of the copper and other metallic salts in it , Plus the etching acid . Nice part is this .Dip your part in there and watch it get dark and aged looking .You can let it stay till the solution stops getting any blacker . then lift the parts out with STAINLESS tweezers and rinse in a bowl of water and Dawn detergent . Rinse with clear water (Warm ) and then let air dry on a paper towel .

You will have a part , nicely age blackened and you didn’t have to use washes or paint to get there .This is not intended to do away with those steps , but , to make them easier if you don’t want to load the piece with paint in the first place .Now step back and admire those nicely aged parts , knowing you didn’t have to take steps you are not ready for or don’t want to do .

2

I bought a bottle of blacken-it and was disappointed that it didn’t seem to work for me. What types of metals does this work on? I tried it on brass tube. Am I just doing something wrong? The tube looked just as shiny as when I started. Alex

3

Your brass tube would begin to tarnish in the package if it didn’t have a protective coating of some sort.

I am not sure what chemical would disolve it, perhaps laquer thinner… but a decent rub with non-woven or very fine sandpaper or even steel wool wull cut through it. THen you should degrrease it, even oils from fingerpints will protect the metal- you will see them! Some use vinegar ( acid), i’d use laquer thinner or whatever cleaner is usually paired with the blackened solution- or both. There are directions for this.

To get an even, no suprise nice tone… the prep clean is critical. This is your issue.