If you own restoration hardware you should have a bottle of Darkening Solution. This solution instantly antiquates or darkens brass, copper or bronze. It changes color gradually so you can control the darkness of your hardware. Easy to apply. For Solid Brass only. Not for use on lacquered brass or brass plated surfaces. Two ounce bottle.
L**U
Amazing
She absolutely loves this product
E**E
It works!
This brass sarute (tassel ring for a WW2 Japanese sword), much brighter before treatment, was darkened to my satisfaction within three minutes of being submerged in the solution. I followed the instructions by first rinsing in water, then soaking for another minute or two in a baking soda & water solution. Finally, I rinsed the piece with water again, dried it, then wet it and lightly buffed with steel wool, rinsed with water, and dried it for the last time. I really like the result and I recommend!
M**O
Your Metal Matters
It did begin unevenly and in patches, but don't blame the chemicals. From my (not too extensive) experience with darkening both steel and brass (each with their appropriate darkening solutions), the hardness of the metal seems to have a significant impact on the darkening.My brass had areas which seemed to be a little tool-hardened, and I needed to work the darkener on those areas a **lot** more than the softer spots. I wanted to stop at a lighter color, but my metal wouldn't allow it. Instead, I had to just keep working it until I reached an even darkening, and then lighten it back with ultra-fine steel wool until it was where I liked it. The project came out beautifully! The homeowner loves it, and they say they get comments and compliments on it all the time.I have the same experience with steel. Hardened steel just won't color as well as annealed.
E**E
Works, but does wear off easily.
I had a tough time finding door catches in a rubbed bronze finish to match newly updated door handles and hinges. I had a good set of them from Lee Valley in nice shiny brass, so I tried following some home brewed methods with ammonia fuming. Did not work so well as predicted, so I was delighted to see this solution from Rockler, via Amazon. I should have ordered more, not giving much thought to the actual surface area of the catches, nor the need for multiple treatments to get the desired finish. I cleaned up the brass with some acetone, assuming it had a protective finish. Soaking for less than 30 minutes resulted in a nice color for the most part, but once it was rubbed, the majority of the finish rubbed off, so it required multiple treatments. Even after multiple treatments, the layer still rubbed off, appearing to leave behind only marginally more of the desired finish. The finish then requires waxing to protect the surface, which results in more of the finish rubbed off with the wax. While I should have ordered more (and do not subtract from the rating for this, as it is my fault), it did not seem to give a sufficiently thick finish to last, especially with cleanup. If you order this, order more than you expect and prepare for plenty of repeat treatments. I ended up finding (and paying handsomely) rubbed bronze finish door catches at another online vendor (forget local retail) that I used for the original door handles and hinges.
A**M
Works surprisingly well
I had an old door-knocker on my door that, once polished, turned out an extremely bright brass. I wanted to make it match my antique brass hardware so I ordered this product. I didn't have high hopes, I really didn't think it would turn out good and I was afraid it would simply look old and tarnished (as it had before I polished it).I was pleasantly surprised by the results, in fact it came out looking great. You can control the darkness by how long you leave the item in this solution. The only small complaint was I should have ordered more than 2oz, as you are supposed to submerge the item in this solution, but I was able to make do. I'm not sure how you would apply this to a larger brass fixture.
R**A
Price is very competitive.
Product works well, as advertised.
B**R
works well
leaves great patina!
A**E
It does what it says it will do
Purchased this a while back, but just now submitting feedback.This is a liquid, so controlling the flow and where it should go is difficult. Perhaps since my purchase they have come out with a more "gel-like" version of this, and if they haven't they should.If you can't submerge your item in this liquid, then I would suggest using one of those throw-away sponge paint brushes to apply this to vertical surfaces. It takes more time and patience, but at least you're not wasting solution by it going down the drain so easily.
Trustpilot
2 months ago
2 days ago
