Brass Windvane Weathering

[Peacefrog35]

Ok gang. I have been in props along time despite my join date. Before my self induce exile form the board a few years back( got married and needed to put props into perspective) I was a die hard obi saber fan. I've owned the early parks which was called the wise man saber, Yodahouse, the brass cast grenade, SD stuios, MR , Roman..you name em. I've loved them all,but always felt something was off.
Well, I'm getting my parts form Russ soon and hope this is the last time I have to go through this. I plan on doing gun blue on the steel grenade section,but want to do an antiquing/darkening of the brass windvane section. I know some use alumi Black and while I've never seen the results in person, it tends to look like painted aluminum to my eyes when I view pics. Is there a way to darken the brass to a tarnished dark brown used look?
I am of the school of though that thinks no paint and no intentional weathering was used on the real obi saber and want to keep that theme going on my own. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance!

 

[dropshipbob]

I want to say ammonia or alcohol is sometimes used to age brass, but don't quote me on that.

I've also heard you can use your own urine, and I REALLY don't want you to quote me on that.

Obviously, test these first.

If you want.

 

[defstartrooper]

http://www.architecturalclassics.com/blog/how-to-age-brass/

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

I use BrassBlack. It's made by the same company that makes PermaBlue and AluminumBlack.

I can't find it at Wal-mart, but gun shops carry it.

 

[Peacefrog35]

Thanks guys...that's just what I needed to know and James...your results are fantastic with the Brass Black and everytime I see your emitter, I am taken back by just how much like a real Balance pipe it looks. Great job. I'm jealous!

 

[Serafino]

I understand the reasoning behind the assumption that all of what we see on the Obi saber is original weathering. In particular, I agree that since the original items were likely to have a very antique look, weathering and patinas are at least a necessary first step.

But the seemingly uniform, sometimes seemingly matte, dark/maybe black finish seen on the saber in the Tunisia publicity pics and screen caps, along with the yet-to-be-recreated-by-patina ‘chip’ effects seen on the Chronicles saber, --these all lead me to say we ought to stay open to other explanations for the saber’s appearance.

I’m not ready to argue that the prop was painted black at some point, but despite the historical prejudice against the idea, I think we have to stay open to the possibility, ugly as it is.

 

[franz bolo]

I agree with Serafino.

I made a Tunisia saber and here are some pics of the process. You can waether brass with Easy OFF Oven Cleaner by putting the parts in a plastic bag and sealing them overnight.

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=1558&highlight=OWK&page=8

FB

 

[Peacefrog35]

FB and Serafino, I see your point. I just have a nasty habit of blocking the Tunisia pics from my mind since we have been seing the Chronicles and Mechanismo pics forever now. True, paint could have been an option...maybe touch ups if the saber took a nasty fall from Sir Alecs belt one day.

The Easy off seems to be a great way to go. The look you've acheived is spectacular. Its nice to have options. Thanks again for sharing the wealth of knowledge regarding this saber. My wife thinks I've fallen off my rocker..." Why are you still looking at pictures of all that junk?"

 

[TheGreenMachine]

I also used something similar to brassblack. More generic "blacken-it" which is supossed to be good on all metals but aluminum and stainless steel. Then I also used "patina-it" to add a bit of a patina.

I like how things turned out. Here are some pics of the brass windvane on my RR frag. The color varies from a blondy brass to a coppery brass color. I also included some pics of some other RR machined brass parts to show how they turned out. I've got side by side comparison pics for the fittings so you can see what they look like untreated.

- TGM


Full frag gallery: http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/570412483gtayXa


Full fittings gallery: http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/570405238Jvjzqz

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Oh I think almost 100% that the saber grenade was painted black, I just like using natural methods to achieve a similar-to-screen look. I think the booster was 'natural'.

I understand the reasoning behind the assumption that all of what we see on the Obi saber is original weathering. In particular, I agree that since the original items were likely to have a very antique look, weathering and patinas are at least a necessary first step.

But the seemingly uniform, sometimes seemingly matte, dark/maybe black finish seen on the saber in the Tunisia publicity pics and screen caps, along with the yet-to-be-recreated-by-patina ‘chip’ effects seen on the Chronicles saber, --these all lead me to say we ought to stay open to other explanations for the saber’s appearance.

I’m not ready to argue that the prop was painted black at some point, but despite the historical prejudice against the idea, I think we have to stay open to the possibility, ugly as it is.

 

[Zombie_61]

Oh I think almost 100% that the saber grenade was painted black, I just like using natural methods to achieve a similar-to-screen look. I think the booster was 'natural'.

That's how it looks to me as well--the grenade, neck, and windvane base-coated in black then weathered so as not to look like fresh paint, and the booster naturally or artificially aged, but not painted.

 

[Robiwon]

I used the regular Perma Blue on my windvane that I used of the grenade. I think it looks decent so far.

 

[cboath]

I also used something similar to brassblack. More generic "blacken-it" which is supossed to be good on all metals but aluminum and stainless steel. Then I also used "patina-it" to add a bit of a patina.

I like how things turned out. Here are some pics of the brass windvane on my RR frag. The color varies from a blondy brass to a coppery brass color. I also included some pics of some other RR machined brass parts to show how they turned out. I've got side by side comparison pics for the fittings so you can see what they look like untreated.

- TGM


Full frag gallery: http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/570412483gtayXa


Full fittings gallery: http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/570405238Jvjzqz

Love the coloring on those brass sections!

Where did you find the stuff you used and what was used on the grendate body itself?