Jump to content

replicating the appearance of stainless steel on brass


Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

the yacht model I'm building would have mainly stainless steel fittings. Can anyone recommend a way of replicating the pale grey finish of SS on a brass part? I know that SS is really a silver, but at a distance - & especially on a used boat - it tends to look more grey than shiny silver.

 

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

thanks, Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Testors makes a metalizer, as does Alclad. I think they are lacquers and should go on over primers. The Alclad goes over a gloss black or gloss dark gray. Here's Alclad's site: http://alclad2.com/

Ken

Started: MS Bounty Longboat,

On Hold:  Heinkel USS Choctaw paper

Down the road: Shipyard HMC Alert 1/96 paper, Mamoli Constitution Cross, MS USN Picket Boat #1

Scratchbuild: Echo Cross Section

 

Member Nautical Research Guild

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You didn't mention how big your parts are but could you flux it up and then melt solder over it?  I just did that by mistake on some brass parts. They are just as silver looking as they can be.

Sail on...... Mike         "Dropped a part? Your shoe will always find it before your eyes do"

Current Builds:                                                          Completed Builds:

Lancia Armata 1803 - Panart                                   US Brig Niagara - Model ShipwaysSection Deck Between Gun Bays - Panart  ; Arrow American Gunboat - Amati    

 Riva Aquarama - Amati                                           T24 RC Tugboat  ;  Hispaniola - Megow - Restoration ; Trajta - by Mikiek - Marisstella ; Enterprise 1799 - Constructo                             

                                                                   
                                                               

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's what I do, if I want to have brass parts look like steel, but rather use a 'self-tinning' solution. This are solutions that precipitate a very thin layer of tin onto the brass. Some model-suppliers sell such solutions. The surface has to be chemically clean, so degreasing (e.g. with acetone) and possibly pickling in acid are needed.

 

In fact, if a brass part does not have to look like brass and forms a component of something that is going to be soldered together, I always tin the part before - it makes soldering a lot easier.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take your pieces to a jeweler that refinishes old watch cases, they have the needed cleaning and polishing setups for different metals. To chrome I think it involves polishing, nickle plating and finally chroming with neutralizing baths and re cleaning before each new step. My uncle used to replate old time watch cases for people using gold, silver, brass, nickle or chrome, he had thousands of dollars invested in beakers, power supplies, chemical cleaners, anodes, solutions with silver, nickle and gold suspensions plus his cleaning acids, neutralizers and polishing set ups. You could probabley do a little reading and try it yourself, using a stainless steel fork as a sacrificial anode, a solution in a glass container the would pass the low voltage and low amperage from a DC power supply. They say it is the polishing, cleaning and time that really counts, electrolysis is easy to create, just dissimilar metals in contact will do it.

jud

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might give Bare Metal Foil a look:  http://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil.html

NRG member 45 years

 

Current:  

HMS Centurion 1732 - 60-gun 4th rate - Navall Timber framing

HMS Beagle 1831 refiit  10-gun brig with a small mizzen - Navall (ish) Timber framing

The U.S. Ex. Ex. 1838-1842
Flying Fish 1838  pilot schooner -  framed - ready for stern timbers
Porpose II  1836  brigantine/brig - framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers
Vincennes  1825  Sloop-of-War  -  timbers assembled, need shaping
Peacock  1828  Sloop-of -War  -  timbers ready for assembly
Sea Gull  1838  pilot schooner -  timbers ready for assembly
Relief  1835  ship - timbers ready for assembly

Other

Portsmouth  1843  Sloop-of-War  -  timbers ready for assembly
Le Commerce de Marseilles  1788   118 cannons - framed

La Renommee 1744 Frigate - framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

There is a great article in this months issue of Ships-in -Scale on electroplating nickel over brass.  Caswell Plating sells some very inexpensive kits for this.  I have experimented with it some but not a lot since I am not at a point with my current model where I need it.  

Bill

 

Current Build:

Kate Cory Scratch Built

 

Previous Builds:

Benjamin W. Latham Scratch Built

H A Parks Skipjack Scratch Built

Charles W. Morgan Model Shipways Kit

Rattlesnake Model Shipways Kit

Diligence Model Shipways Kit

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark is there a particular reason why you could not use a silver coloured metal like stainless steel perhaps, I only ask because I have seen the KS Engineering rack full of all sorts of stainless sections and of various sheet thicknesses, admittedly not as easy to work with as brass but authentic.

 

Michael

Current builds  Bristol Pilot Cutter 1:8;      Skipjack 19 foot Launch 1:8;       Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 14 1:8

Other projects  Pilot Cutter 1:500 ;   Maria, 1:2  Now just a memory    

Future model Gill Smith Catboat Pauline 1:8

Finished projects  A Bassett Lowke steamship Albertic 1:100  

 

Anything you can imagine is possible, when you put your mind to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks very much everyone, quite a bit to think about & try out there. I like the sound of the self-tinning solution.

 

Michael, I never considered using stainless steel - will it braze?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use the same stuff wefalck spoke of. The brand name is called "liquid tin" and is meant to tin the copper of printed circuit boards. Dip the brass in this stuff and it looks very much like stainless steel or chrome if you shine it up.

 

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MG-Chemicals/421-500ML/?qs=X5SXQx2ktnMrYFBNsFayFg==

From about as far from the ocean as you can get in North America!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

using stainless steel - will it braze?

Mark yes it silver solders (braze) well, I am not sure which flux it has been a while since I soldered some.

 

Michael

Current builds  Bristol Pilot Cutter 1:8;      Skipjack 19 foot Launch 1:8;       Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 14 1:8

Other projects  Pilot Cutter 1:500 ;   Maria, 1:2  Now just a memory    

Future model Gill Smith Catboat Pauline 1:8

Finished projects  A Bassett Lowke steamship Albertic 1:100  

 

Anything you can imagine is possible, when you put your mind to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...