Large Scale Central

Blacking brass for a boiler wrap?

Hello again,

I am trying to decide if using .010 sheet of brass for a boiler jacket is worth it for trying to get the Russian iron look. I have used the Gunmetal paint and graphite but I want it a little darker like a true gun metal black with a hint of blue. Any one done this and if so how did you do it? any pictures would be great. I am working on a 1:20.3 scale D&RGW #168

Bill

That JaX has stuff for brass too. I haven’t used the brass stuff only the pewter on my Hartford trucks

Jason

Bill,

I have recently ordered from the JAX folks directly, other than a high cost of shipping price was reasonable. I got three products, pewter black , and a brass black and a brass brown. my primary purpose was to blacken brass rod. I am finding mixed results with these. cleaning cannot be overstated. I have used lacquer thinner, Acetone, and used 220 grit sandpaper, and scotchbrite. all of this on K&S products brass. I have found myself re-polishing after the initial blackening, then recoating seams to give the best results. some of this is dependent on the material make up of the base material. have not tried to do brass sheet but you will need to polish heavily to achieve the desired finish, and may not be uniform due to the base material alloy variations.

I would suggest purchasing in pints, while this is a lifetime supply, will help offset the cost of shipping.

Al P.