What options for brass fittings?

[ubjs]

I know that I could use chemical blackening but would it work with some spray paint?

Building brass model railroad waggons I have used a primer also used for reparation on cars, zinkspray.

Would it work on brass fittings for model ships also or is it too coarse-grained?

Some other ideas?

[shipman]

For what it's worth, I'd de-grease the parts and paint them with good old Humbrol enamel paint mat or gloss to taste.

I have no time for the hit and miss of chemical treatment. Perhaps not every ones cup of tea, but you did ask.

[wefalck]

The appearance of blackened vs. painted surfaces is different, it depends on what you are trying to achieve/simulate.

 

Personally, if parts are not to be handled significantly afterwards, I just clean with acetone and then spray-paint with acrylics in several thin coats. Sprayed on acrylic paint also sticks to surfaces that would be difficult to brush-paint because they may be slightly water-repellent, as copper and brass can be.

 

[mtaylor]

I've tried it both ways and end up preferring a blackening solution.  My prep is/was the same for both....  acetone soak first to remove any chemicals from the surface and let dry.  Second, a vinegar soak to give it some "tooth" followed by distilled water to remove the vinegar.  

 

I did prime (spray can) and then brush painted the test pieces.  Maybe an air brush would work better but in handling using tweezers, the paint came off where I held them.  With the blackening, no damage.   About the same amount of time for prep but the time for painting taking longer per batch.  I was using Vellejo paints and "fine" spray primer as I found black spray paint was too thick/coarse in addition to the paint coming off during handling.

 

Boils down to your choice and preference. Others have reported better results using an air brush and/or had issues with the blackening. Test both methods and see which works best for you.  

 

 

[mikiek]

I prefer painting and usually with a brush. There are some alligator clips that have a stick coming out the back. Clamp the piece then hold the stick between thumb and forefinger. You can easily rotate the piece by rolling the stick between your fingers. Stab the stick in a piece of styrofoam to let it dry. As with any paint job go light or you may end up with drip marks.

 

Tamiya makes a great color called Rubber Black. It's even flatter than their Flat Black. Imagine the color of a clean car tire (no ArmorAll 😀) and that's about what it looks like.

 

There's a lot less fuss using paint.