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A TIP - About A-WEST products - BLACKEN IT

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  • Member since
    August 2008
A TIP - About A-WEST products - BLACKEN IT
Posted by tankerbuilder on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 1:24 PM

        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 .

  • Member since
    November 2004
  • From: California
Posted by designkat1969 on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 11:10 AM
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
  • Member since
    February 2022
Posted by RIchieC on Monday, February 14, 2022 9:06 AM

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. 

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