Brass & Bronze Aging Solution - 8 oz

I had a bright brass lamp part that I needed to use on an antique brass lamp. So I decided to use Brass & Bronze Aging Solution to darken the part to match the lamp. The part was unlacquered, so no pre-treatment was required other than to degrease the part. I used isopropyl alcohol as the degreaser.A key issue was how long to leave the brass part in the solution. The instructions say to remove the object from the ager after 1 to 10 seconds or as soon as the desired color is achieved. I tried this, noting the color of the part looked adequately darkened after 2 or 3 seconds. But when I wiped the adapter dry, a black residue came off, leaving the part bright again.So I re-did the process. This time, I left the part in the solution longer, about 10 seconds. To all appearances, the part became too dark. But when I wiped the black residue off this time, the metal underneath was just right. The originally bright brass now had an antique look that was highly attractive and did not wipe away. I believe the result was successful the second go-round because the ager had enough time to penetrate deeper into the brass.Please note, however, that if left in the solution too long--say, several minutes or more--the brass takes on a metallic gray color. This gray is quite attractive in itself, but is not the color I was looking for.More tips. Best results are achieved when the item is immersed in the ager. Swabbing the ager on the metal was much less effective for me. If you place the object in only enough ager to do half, then flip the piece over to do the other half, that's fine, but there may be a stripe between them. If the aged surface has an unwanted pattern on it, soak a cotton ball in ager and rub. The resulting finish should be more homogeneous.

I was a bit skeptical given the bad reviews, especially because I could not soak the brass for my application. We already installed brass bars as a backsplash on the wall. As stated on the bottle, you can use steel wool to rub this into a surface. This worked VERY well. At first I tried to blot it on/wipe it on with a rag but the results were drippy. The color changed within about 1 minute so you'll know right away what it will do. Then I tried soaking a pad of steel wool and rubbing it on. Very quickly achieved my results seen in this picture. I buffed a bit back out for my preferred color. Total project time was probably 15 minutes. I see the bad reviews had experiences that definitely went wrong, but I would assume it's dependent on your metal content (if is it true brass/bronze), how clean it is and how it's applied.

This product allowed me to restore the patina somewhat to a bronze trunk I had tried to clean. I had made it too shiny and this product was perfect to get the greenish color back!

It definitely gives the appearance of being aged by darkening the brass, but it still remains shiny, which I think is the reason aged brass is popular, because it's NOT shiny. So, did it do its job? Yep. Was it amazing? No. I have no idea if there are other alternatives to quickly aging brass, but this worked for now. When I first put them in they changed quickly, so I didn't leave then in too long. I was a little worried that I may have ruined my pulls, so I quickly polished one and the aged appearance came off with polish cream. Maybe if I left them in longer they wouldn't be shiny? I'll update if I try again.

For those complaining that their stuff is turning black or not working, they need to read up on how to actually use the stuff. Do some research before working with chemical solutions! MAKE SURE IT'S REALLY BRASS, AND GIVE YOUR OBJECT AN ACETONE BATH FIRST TO STRIP ANY CLEAR COATING. The brass I used changed to the color I wanted within 20 seconds of being submerged in the solution. I used this to darken some grommets for a doublet I'm making, and it worked tremendously well. The object you soak will usually be a little lighter after you wash off the residue, so it wouldn't hurt to leave it in/on a little while longer. Great product, and I'm definitely recommending it to everyone working on a project like this! (Photo attached has brass PLATED grommets (left for 10 minites+) on the left, real brass (10-20 seconds) on the right. All AFTER being stripped in acetone.

Followed the directions to a tee. This product does NOT work, nor is it returnable or refundable--basically they steal your $ for what may be just water in a plastic bottle.

I cannot say enough about this product....it was fantastic. I used it to age new brass door knobs and older brass register grates. Taking off the lacquer is a must - sometimes acetone will work and other times you will need a heavy duty paint stripper. If the object isn't aging it is because the lacquer is not completely removed - just wipe off the ager and try removing the lacquer again. Even if the lacquer is totally removed, I found that some objects would have some areas that didn't age as quickly as other areas (making the object look splotchy). I just buffed the ager off with some steel wool (either 0000 or 000) and re-applied. Problem solved. The product directions say to immerse the object in the solution, which I did for the door knobs. But you can also use a sponge type paint brush and liberally apply the product to your object. I also used it to age some nickel knobs and a steel register grate. So it seems to work on other metals, not just brass. The amount of product really went a long way. I aged 11 door knobs, 11 door rosettes, and 7 register grates and I still have a little less than a fourth of the bottle left.