[SEL] patina on brass

[Rob Skinner]

On Nov 18, 2006, at 7:41 PM, Bob Matthews wrote:
> What method may be used for making new brass look old?  I have a  
> friend who wants to make some new cabinet hardware look like the old.

Hi Bob,
The quickest method I've used can be dangerous if you're dumb, so  
think it over thoroughly before you do it.

Do the work in outside when there is no breeze.  Do NOT do this in a  
basement, a closed shop, or in your closet.  Wear goggles, and it's  
best if you don't breathe during the process.

Into a plastic container (one gallon size might work), pour about a  
tablespoon of household bleach.  Move the bleach container away from  
your work area.  Now take about a tablespoon of muriatic (pool) acid,  
stop breathing, and add the acid to the bleach.

You're now generating deadly chlorine gas.  It's heavier than air, so  
you have a little time to work.  Take your part, which is already  
clean and dangling on a wire, and hold it in the plastic container  
above the liquid.  You'll see the color turn in seconds.

If you're fast, you can do a couple parts.  When you're done, leave  
the area and give the gas time to dissipate.

In WWI, chlorine was used as a chemical weapon.  You can not make  
mistakes.  Keep your large jugs of chemicals separate, by eight feet  
or more, so if you managed to spill BOTH containers, the contents  
would still not mix.  If you somehow manage to mix large quantities,  
there is nothing you can do except evacuate the area immediately.