DocBlake Posted April 23, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 23, 2014 I wanted to avoid painting my Britannia metal fittings. Black paint on the guns just didn't look realistic. If I used Blacken-It, a dark crust would form, which rubbed off with a paper towel, leaving a barely darkened piece of metal. What to do? I started by soaking the parts in a 50:50 solution of muriatic acid and water for 10 minutes. This cleaned and I think etched the surface a bit. Then into Blacken-it, full strength, for 10 minutes after rinsing. I polished the pieces with paper towel and Q tips, and while darker, they weren't where I wanted them. The last step was to soak the parts for 10 minutes in "Brass Black" Metal Finish by Birchwood Casey. After cleanup with paper towels and Q tips, almost no finish came off and the parts were a dark gunmetal color. Perfect! In certain lighting they almost have a faint bronze cast to them Here is a photo Dave Landlubber Mike, WackoWolf, NMBROOK and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsjax Posted April 24, 2014 Share #2 Posted April 24, 2014 I have had good results using the following process. 1. Clean in a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar. 2. Soak in Blacken-it for half an hour. 3. Dry and let sit for a couple of days. 4. Paint with a thin coat of MS cannon black paint. The blacken-it gives the metal a good new cast iron look but does require time to set (I guess that is the right word). It provides a great base for the paint. The result is a dull black, slightly rough finish that looks like painted cast iron does. Just my results, your mileage may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulrich Posted April 25, 2014 Share #3 Posted April 25, 2014 Bluejacket Ship Crafters sells a product similar to Blacken It, but formulated to be used for Britannia Metal parts. Has anyone had any experience in using this product? Ulrich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomShipModel Posted April 29, 2014 Share #4 Posted April 29, 2014 I haven't used the product as of yet but, Bluejacket is now owned by a Model Builder. I'm sure that if you contact them directly he can possibly show you sme examples. Just a thought. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Griffith Posted April 30, 2014 Share #5 Posted April 30, 2014 Hi Guys, I just used some blacken it by Blue Jacket Shipcrafters on some britannia dead eyes and it worked GREAT. It gives a pleasing black matte finish. I ordered another bottle yesterday. Duff Canute and MrBlueJacket 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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