Bright / "White" patina on brass? (Bullet chess game)

[MadMike]

So the other day I was surfing over on 9gag, when I found this beautiful beautiful piece of art:



A chess game using bullets as the figures - how cool is that?
The problem is/was that there were no credits on this image whatsoever, so no information who built it or how it was built and stuff like that, but I thought hey, what's the matter, I can do it on my own (yep, I know, famous last words )

The board itself shouldn't be that much of a problem, and I got enough bullets to use. I don't wanna use any kind of paint on this projekt (well, perhaps some clear coat to protect the patina when it's done), so for the black one's I thought of using vinegar, lemon juice and/or my blowtorch, just something to darken the metal.

The question is, what about the white ones? I mean the difference between them is clear as soon as the other ones are darker, but I'd like to get get them as bright as possible, and since I don't know if I can polish them to a high gloss finish, my question is: is there some kind of patina that can brighten brass? All I ever saw was this dark greyish patina used to make brass look old.

Thanks in advance,
Michael

 

[division 6]

Buff it then clear coat it with lacquer.
That's what we did at the sign shop I worked at.

 

[breen2057]

very cool. i did a quick image search and it looks like this guy on etsy made it - https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/123849325/large-17-inch-custom-made-steampunk-50?ref=market.

hope it helps you.

 

[MadMike]

very cool. i did a quick image search and it looks like this guy on etsy made it - https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/123849325/large-17-inch-custom-made-steampunk-50?ref=market.

hope it helps you.

600 bucks? damn, now it's more than sure that I'll build my own one But thank you for the link!


@ division6 thank you! I took a bullet and sanded it with 220 and 320 grit and then used Goddard's Glow...would have never thought I can make it shine like that

 

[DrewSmith007]

I don't know how easy it is to do at home, but nickle plating would give them a whitish look... cool set!