Brass patina

As we all know, liver of sulfur does not do too much for brass. There are a few other ways to get that antiqued look to brass that liver of sulfur gives copper and silver. If you want to purchase a commercial product I would suggest Silver Black, apply it to your brass with a Q-tip and you have a great looking patina. If you don't want to purchase yet another chemical, use Apple Vinegar! Yep, the stuff from the grocery store! It's cheap and very effective. All you have to do is fume your brass in a container with the vinegar. Don't submerge your piece, just seal it in the same container. One student of mine came up with a great way of doing this. She purchased a plastic pencil box, the kind with a lid that is about an inch above the rim of the base. I've found these at the dollar tree. You pour your apple vinegar in the bottom portion of the pencil box and then stretch a section of panty hose leg over it. Place your brass to be patinated on the "panty hose hammock" and close the lid. The shape of the pencil box allows for space between the vinegar, panty hose/brass and the top of the lid. Your brass piece never touches the liquid, but it gets the full effect of the fumes. Now here is the one major draw back with this process, the longer you leave it the darker the patina. It's not instantaneous like silver black. Letting your piece fume over night gives you the best results. Give it a go and let me know how it works for you. Enjoy!