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videoman Inner circle 6732 Posts |
I bought a Johnson set of brass cups a few months back and they are beginning to show a slight tarnish. Now here's a switch, I don't want to bring them back to their showroom shine rather I prefer them tarnished and antique looking. In fact I would like to speed up the tarnishing process and have them look 100 years old as quickly as possible. Anyone have any suggestions about how I could get them to tarnish more quickly without damaging the cups?
Thanks, Bill |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
You can find the information by googling the word "patina" or "patina on brass."
There are two threads on the forum that might help you: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=115 http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=26
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
cupsandballsmagic Inner circle 2705 Posts |
Listen to Uncle Bill he knows his stuff... and remember of course that *using them* a lot helps so practice, practice, practice...
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BCS Inner circle 1083 Posts |
Videoman…. Having started the first topic Bill listed, I can attest that what Bill said is true. There is not IMHO a way to really force an aesthetic looking patina. I tried different chemicals and home remedies and never achieved the desired effect. Finally I polished the Cups and spent months just handling them and eventually they started to turn the brown that I was looking for. I will try to post some before and after pictures for you soon.
I really found what Bill said about flop sweat (I believe that was the term that he used), that nervous sweat on my hands would turn the Cups faster. The past two months have been something else at work and boy did I produce some nervous sweat. I guess to wrap things up, the best advice is to handle the Cups as much as you can and be patient. Good luck with your Cups, Bruce |
videoman Inner circle 6732 Posts |
Thanks Bill and everyone for your replies and suggestions. These Johnson cups seem to have a strong clear coat on them to prevent tarnishing and its doing too good of a job. But I'll try the flop sweat too and see if that moves things along. I will also wash them very well with a good detergent and try and degrease them as much as possible.
Part of the thing behind this is that I've done a lot of scenic painting professionally over the years, in fact I just put a cast concrete fireplace mantel in our home and then faux painted the surround to look like marble, so there is a part of me that just wants to practice some of the other things I'm interested in besides magic. An antique finish on the cups would look better to me and I would probably enjoy the process because I'm weird that way. So I may still give it a try if I get the time. Gonna hold off on the cat **** formula for awhile though, although we do have 3 indoor cats so curiosity may get the better of me. Thanks again, Bill |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
There shouldn't be any clear coat on your Johnson cups. If there were any clear coat, they would not have started tarnishing at all.
However, if you want them to tarnish as quickly as possible, first wash them with a really good liquid detergent. Then take them outside and go over them with lacquer thinner. Wear a good mask when you do this. Then wash them again with liquid detergent. This will remove any buffing compound that may have worked its way into the pores of the metal. Dry them well. Then work with them.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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