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I agree. It's the simplest, quickest and best blackening solution I've tried.

 

Derek

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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  • 1 year later...

    I also use the product I find that it's easy to use.  You simply soak the parts until you get the desired finish, set on paper towel to soak up the excess, and let thoroughly dry over night.  Unlike paint, it adds very little thickness to the parts.  That's something quite important with very small parts!

Dave

“You’ve just got to know your limitations”  Dirty Harry

Current Builds:  Modified MS 1/8” scale Phantom, and modified plastic/wood hybrid of Aurora 1:87 scale whaling bark Wanderer.

Past Builds: (Done & sold) 1/8” scale A.J. Fisher 2 mast schooner Challenge, 1/6” scale scratch built whaler Wanderer w/ plans & fittings from A.J. Fisher, and numerous plastic kits including 1/8” scale Revell U.S.S. Constitution (twice), Cutty Sark, and Mayflower.

                  (Done & in dry dock) Modified 1/8” scale Revell U.S.S. Constitution w/ wooden deck and masting [too close encounter w/conc. floor in move]

Hope to get to builds: MS 3/16” scale Pride of Baltimore II,  MS 1/2” scale pinky schooner Glad Tidings,  a scratch build 3/16” scale  Phantom, and a scratch build 3/16" scale Denis Sullivan.

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Make sure you dip the parts in a bath of baking soda + water to neutralize the reaction.

Maury

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4 hours ago, Wahka_est said:

Hi

 

Does it only work on brass or on other cast fitting also?

The label says "brass, copper, or bronze".   Personally I've not tried it on copper or bronze.  Maybe some others have.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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I do have one question that is not addressed on the label.  How does one dispose of the used product?

Dave

“You’ve just got to know your limitations”  Dirty Harry

Current Builds:  Modified MS 1/8” scale Phantom, and modified plastic/wood hybrid of Aurora 1:87 scale whaling bark Wanderer.

Past Builds: (Done & sold) 1/8” scale A.J. Fisher 2 mast schooner Challenge, 1/6” scale scratch built whaler Wanderer w/ plans & fittings from A.J. Fisher, and numerous plastic kits including 1/8” scale Revell U.S.S. Constitution (twice), Cutty Sark, and Mayflower.

                  (Done & in dry dock) Modified 1/8” scale Revell U.S.S. Constitution w/ wooden deck and masting [too close encounter w/conc. floor in move]

Hope to get to builds: MS 3/16” scale Pride of Baltimore II,  MS 1/2” scale pinky schooner Glad Tidings,  a scratch build 3/16” scale  Phantom, and a scratch build 3/16" scale Denis Sullivan.

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5 hours ago, BETAQDAVE said:

I do have one question that is not addressed on the label.  How does one dispose of the used product?

 The SDS on website for Casey birchwood Brass black 

 

 Waste Disposal:
Review current local, state and federal laws, codes, statutes and regulations to determine current status and appropriate disposal method for the ingredients listed in Section 2. Any disposal practice must be in compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Contact the appropriate agency for specific information. Treatment, transport, storage and disposal of hazardous waste must be provided by a licensed facility or waste hauler.

Edited by Duanelaker
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  • 10 months later...
On 3/7/2020 at 6:04 AM, mtaylor said:

The label says "brass, copper, or bronze".   Personally I've not tried it on copper or bronze.  Maybe some others have.

I have used it on both brass and copper, but not bronze. The effect is about the same on either. The metal will turn black within a minute or so.

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Hello guys.What a coincidence I just ordered some of this the other day and just received this yesterday and have only just noticed this post. I have started fitting some blocks to the cannons and have already used some brass rings and copper eye pins. my question is can this stuff be added to parts which have already be fitted. I don,t mean the rigging just one or to places using a cotton bud stick. Would there be any staining to surrounding areas? Best regards Dave

Edited by DaveBaxt

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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On 3/12/2020 at 8:24 AM, BETAQDAVE said:

I do have one question that is not addressed on the label.  How does one dispose of the used product?

Dave,

 

I have dealt with this disposal issue here.  If you search my thread you should find it more on this.

 

As I have mentioned also here the Birchwood Casey product is a little different from the other brands in that it contains both Selenous acid and Molybdate so it reacts with both copper and zinc- both of which are in brass.  So it reacts a bit more quickly and probably forms a deeper black.  Also it will react with any alloy containing either of these metals

 

John

Edited by bartley

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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OK shipman,

 

Shelf life of the blackening agent should be indefinite if you keep the lid on.  Pickling solution:  make it up about 8:1 of the water to solid.   Note: add the solid (sodium hydrogen sulfate) to the water not the other way round.  The soda water: it doesn't really matter;  I add the bicarbonate to the water until there is a little left undissolved.  This is called a "saturated solution".

 

John

Edited by bartley

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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Shipman,

 

A couple of extra tips:

A clean surface is the key.  You obviously know about pickling but don't overdo this step.  Pickling is etching the surface of your brass so 10 min at 60 C is usually enough.  Don't handle with your fingers now.  So, into your soda bath to neutralise the acid, rinse under the tap, drain and into the blackening reagent. Don't immerse your items into the bottle of reagent.  Put a small amount into another vessel which you can seal so you keep the original solution uncontaminated.  Neat Birchwood Casey reacts pretty fast (10 sec) so to give a bit more control I dilute this decanted solution 1:1 with water.  Then you can probably immerse your items for about 30 sec, into the soda bath, wash and allow to dry.  You will need to experiment with the time a bit - too short and blackening will be incomplete, too long and you will get "flakey" layers on top of the original.  These flakey layers rub off easily.  By the way the black stuff which rubs off is selenium which is toxic so wear gloves when you are cleaning up the surface.

 

John

Edited by bartley

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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On 2/6/2021 at 7:16 PM, DaveBaxt said:

 my question is can this stuff be added to parts which have already be fitted. I don,t mean the rigging just one or to places using a cotton bud stick. Would there be any staining to surrounding areas? Best regards Dave

Dave,

 

My experience is that if it is bare wood there is usually some staining (depending on the timber and how long you leave it in contact). However, if the timber is painted there is no problem.  These bolt heads were blackened after installation.

 

1821206266_2020-12-2206-18-55(BRadius8Smoothing4).thumb.jpg.50a9d609754803d9f108b9765040aa96.jpg

 

John

Edited by bartley

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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5 hours ago, bartley said:

Dave,

 

My experience is that if it is bare wood there is usually some staining (depending on the timber and how long you leave it in contact). However, if the timber is painted there is no problem.  These bolt heads were blackened after installation.

 

1821206266_2020-12-2206-18-55(BRadius8Smoothing4).thumb.jpg.50a9d609754803d9f108b9765040aa96.jpg

 

John

John Thank you for your reply and sending that photo ( nice job by the way) That looks like its worked great on the painted area. Fortunately most of the areas I have done so far have been painted. I have started dipping all of my eye bolts and rings in Brass Black and it even works on the copper although takes a bit longer. I also found out that this stuff is pretty deadly on any tools that are not stainless steel. Shouldn't have used those pliers for lifting things out of the blacking solution.

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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For blackening copper, liver of sulfur works very well and can be applied to parts that are already attached to the model without staining the wood.  See Ed Tosti's Young America clipper build log as he goes into some good detail on doing this.   I have not found it to  work on brass though.

Allan

Edited by allanyed

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Yes indeed, shipman, this is true.  Liver of sulfur is a complex mixture of sulfides and polysulfides. Over time in air these decompose to in active sulfates.  Shelf life may be less than a year,  Strangely it works well on copper but not very well on brass which is 60% copper.

 

John

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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6 hours ago, allanyed said:

For blackening copper, liver of sulfur works very well and can be applied to parts that are already attached to the model without staining the wood.  See Ed Tosti's Young America clipper build log as he goes into some good detail on doing this.   I have not found it to  work on brass though.

Allan

I think we discussed this earlier and I ordered some liver of sulfur then which is before I ordered the Brass black I think I will have to chase up ebay. Should have been here before now. Thanks again for your input.

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, shipman said:

Hi Alen.

Liver of sulfur DOES have a shelf life.

I bought some, it was light pink. Put it in a drawer untouched for a year. By then it had turned clear, with 2 or 3 black specs floating around. And useless, hence my questions about shelf life.

Thanks shipman for letting us know about that. Interesting to know if that happens even when unopened.

Completed     St Canute Billings            Dec 2020

Completed    HMS Bounty Amati          May 2021 Finished

Currently building HM Bark Endeavour  

 

 

 

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Shipman,

 

Oxygen is the culprit in the decomposition.  This may sound like a cop out but oxidation is one of the most difficult processes to understand so it is difficult to predict what the products are.  Firstly liver of sulfur is not a single chemical substance . It is a complex mixture.  amongst the products of decomposition are sulfates which colourless but also sulfur itself which will be insoluble.  In its pure state it is yellow but it tends to pick up impurities and and is often green or brown.  If the product has been used there will be copper and other metal present so they may attach to the sulfur. One of my chemistry professors used to say " a little bit of colour goes a long way".  Meaning you don't need much of an impurity attached to a pure substance for our eyes to observe the color as close to black.  So its difficult to say what the black flecks are but my guess is that its supfur eit some impurites attached.

 

John

Edited by bartley

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm using Brass Black to blacken my brass parts. Works great! I have one problem with it. The blackening comes off easily. This is especially a problem for flat shim stock. The blackening comes of in flakes when rubbed.

 

Is there some trick to making it bond to the metal?

 

John

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JohnU

 

If you read my posts on the chemistry if the process you will see that the selenium in the blackening agent does not "bond" to the brass but is physically trapped in little etched pits.  If the process is too fast or prolonged for too long then several layers build up and these rub off easily. You will probably get better results if you dilute the reagent at least 1:1 to slow the process down.

 

John

Edited by bartley

Current Build:

Medway Longboat

Completed Builds:

Concord Stagecoach

HM Cutter Cheerful

Royal Caroline

Schooner for Port Jackson

 

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