JAX Chemical Black Brass, Bronze & Copper Darkener produces an antique black finish on brass, bronze and copper.
JAX Black Darkener for Brass, Bronze and Copper is easy to use:
- 1.) Prepare and clean the surface to be treated
- 2.) Apply the JAX Black
- 3.) Wash the JAX off the metal when the metal is slightly darker than your desired finish
- 4.) Relieve with Scotch-Brite
- 5.) Wash again with water and dry.
To ensure the best results, clean your metal of all lacquer, oil, grease and wax. JAX manufactures metal cleaners that are optimal for prepping your metal, but there is no one cleaner that will guarantee perfection. Your choice of cleaner depends on what you are trying to remove from your metal. Regardless of what you use to clean your metal, we recommend using Dawn Dishwashing Liquid as the final step before applying the JAX Black.
Wearing gloves is highly recommended as to not introduce oils from your hands to the metal. To be safe, eye protection is always recommended.
Use a bristle brush, sponge or rag and apply the JAX Black directly to the metal. You may also dip the entire object into the solution. However, do not leave the metal in the solution, or the solution on the metal, for longer than necessary. If the metal is clean, the JAX Black will work quickly. If left for too long the Black will rub off the metal easily. Practice and experience will help you find the right timing for your work.
Use a bristle brush, sponge or rag and apply the JAX Black directly to the metal. You may also dip the entire object into the solution. However, do not leave the metal in the solution, or the solution on the metal, for longer than necessary. If the metal is clean, the JAX Black will work quickly. If left for too long the Black will rub off the metal easily. Practice and experience will help you find the right timing for your work.
If you are going to dip your metal into JAX Black, you may want to dilute the JAX with water; this will slow the reaction down and allow you to have more control over the finish (there is no magic dilution ratio – a little experimentation will allow you to arrive at the optimum ratio for your work).
If you are applying the JAX with a brush or sponge do NOT dilute the solution.
Once you have applied the JAX product to your satisfaction, rinse the metal well with fresh, clean water and dry.
At this point, you may use steel wool, a polishing cloth or Scotch-Brite to achieve your desired finish. If you remove too much of the blackened finish, you may reapply the JAX Black and start over.
If you seek to duplicate a particular finish, over-darken the metal and then “relieve” it with steel wool or a polishing cloth, as above. Once you are happy with your finish, you may wax, oil or lacquer the metal as a final step, although in many cases leaving the metal “unprotected” may be desirable.
