Brass Black?

[bbv13]

Hi guys,

Have any of you been able to use Brass Black and have it produce a durable finish? I recently restored a Benjamin 317 and I'm not satisfied with the finish because I don't think it will last. I'm not crazy about the brass look but I think I'm going to take the Brass Black off and let the gun tarnish naturally. I know it says to apply a clear coat, wax or oil over it. The clear coat is the same as painting and I don't want to do that. I tried oil but it's not durable so is wax a better option? Maybe I'm missing something or is this just the way it is?

Bryan

[Hoosier Daddy]

Just throwing this out ...
Have you looked int "Electroless Black Nickel"?
I want to re-do the 312 once it's really mine and been looking into Electroless Nickel. Most places I have researched that do that also show a Black.

As far as you question on the wax, do you mean over the Brass Black? Or are you meaning over the stripped brass to keep it from tarnishing?
I have polished a lot of aluminum bits and always coat them with a carnuba car wax to keep them from tarnishing. Should do the same for brass.
I agree 100% to not clear coat them, once the clear coat is compromised the oxidation spreads underneath it and you can not remove it without fully stripping the clear off again.

[bbv13]

Electroless black nickel looks like it will work fine but might be too expensive for me to consider? I wonder how much if any effect it would have on tolerances inside of the gun? Maybe the gun could be plugged on both ends or coated on the inside with something?

Yea, the instructions say to clear coat, oil or wax over Brass Black.

Bryan

[Hoosier Daddy]

Bryan I have been looking into the electroless nickel more since my last post. Coincidently, at work we have a large machine part that traditionally gets a re-chrome process and it typically takes several weeks and about $3,000. One of our Vendors suggested the TDH Chrome instead and I asked about it and the electroless coating as well. I then asked about the possibility of Electroless nickel on my 312 parts as "Gov't Work".
 The guy suddenly turned chipper and said yea, we do more gun parts than other stuff when times are slow.
 The advantage to electroless is the uniformity. It is a much more even coating than traditional electro plating and allows for tight tolerances to be achieved. The thickness depends on how long it is in the solution, typically range for production is 0.0002” to 0.005”. They can go as thin as 0.0001”(!)



He told me if there was any of the original nickel left on it, that would need removed, the prep work required is what raises the cost. A finish resembling polished chrome requires a lot of attention to the base metal. I told him that wasn't what I wanted, I could bead blast it with glass beads down to the base metal and that is the texture I wanted.
 That saves a bunch of labor but they still need to dip it in many cleaners / mild acids prior so rough estimate... $120.

OUCH

[Machspeed]

Plating in any form is soooo expensive today. I about fell out of my chair when I read the quote to have the bumpers re-chromed on my Mustang. What about powder coating? I know it requires some heat though.   

[bbv13]

Bryan I have been looking into the electroless nickel more since my last post. Coincidently, at work we have a large machine part that traditionally gets a re-chrome process and it typically takes several weeks and about $3,000. One of our Vendors suggested the TDH Chrome instead and I asked about it and the electroless coating as well. I then asked about the possibility of Electroless nickel on my 312 parts as "Gov't Work".
 The guy suddenly turned chipper and said yea, we do more gun parts than other stuff when times are slow.
 The advantage to electroless is the uniformity. It is a much more even coating than traditional electro plating and allows for tight tolerances to be achieved. The thickness depends on how long it is in the solution, typically range for production is 0.0002” to 0.005”. They can go as thin as 0.0001”(!)



He told me if there was any of the original nickel left on it, that would need removed, the prep work required is what raises the cost. A finish resembling polished chrome requires a lot of attention to the base metal. I told him that wasn't what I wanted, I could bead blast it with glass beads down to the base metal and that is the texture I wanted.
 That saves a bunch of labor but they still need to dip it in many cleaners / mild acids prior so rough estimate... $120.

OUCH

No doubt that's way to expensive for me. I'm still working on my 317 and have to tear it down again because it's holding air. When I tear it down I'm going to remove the Brass Black and just let the brass tarnish over time.

Thanks for the info.

Bryan