Thread: Brass powder???

Got the thin CA as planned - makes a big difference! Found the brass still cakes up if you just drop the CA on the powder but it penetrates about 3mm first which is all that's required much of the time. Got a plastic puffer bottle for the powder (had to buy and tip out the craft glue) but still have a little trouble controlling the supply because I cut the tip way too big. After a test with the new glue in a couple of drilled holes, I thought I'd get fancy and printed out my initials 18mm high.
Pic 1. Glued this to a scrap of red cedar and carved out as best I could - a bit rough actually!
Pic 2. Filled the recess with CA and let it dry to try and stop the thin CA flowing into the grain next time I wet it. Helped a bit but cedar is so porous that the CA appeared as far as 30mm away anyhow. Wet the recess again and poured some brass powder on.
Pic 3. After the first sanding, you can see where I started filling the 'V' first that it filled quite well but by the time I got to the 'B', most of the CA had gone and it didn't quite fill properly.
Pic 4. Topped the holes up and sanded again.
Pic 5. Shellawax cream, EEE and more Shellawax cream and it doesn't look too bad for first attempt. (CA on the left, Brass powder bottle on right)

Lessons learnt....
Work one spot at a time.
Tip powder in to only very wet area.
I need sharper carving tools for soft timber!

Brass powder $44. CA $22 - Worth it? I think so. 1Kg of powder is going to fill a hell of a lot of holes!

Awesome work!

But I didn't know your name was Vic Bitter...


Glad to see that the better glue was worth it for you.

Cam

TTIT,
Now that has some interesting possibilities. I think it would look well with a lot of timber colours and grain patterns. Hmm this has got me thinking but it'll have to wait till I get few of my more out standing turning done.
hughie

Originally Posted by CameronPotter

But I didn't know your name was Vic Bitter...
Cam

Mothers milk!!! Was my first drop and will probably be my last too!

Originally Posted by TTIT

Mothers milk!!! Was my first drop and will probably be my last too!

Your mother dropped you into a keg? What a waste of good beer...

As you're gluing with CA anyway, I wonder how copper would go as an alternative? With a CA finish after sanding, of course. Or mebbe aluminium? Come to that, I can't help but wonder how it'd look if you did a "bodgy" job with brass and used copper or aluminium to patch the holes.

I'm almost tempted to try it for myself... perhaps the next time I come across that "special" piece.

Originally Posted by hughie

TTIT,
Now that has some interesting possibilities. I think it would look well with a lot of timber colours and grain patterns. Hmm this has got me thinking but it'll have to wait till I get few of my more out standing turning done.
hughie

Should look great in a piece of Gidgee ( )

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

With a CA finish after sanding, of course.

:confused: ? To stop tarnishing ?:confused:

Originally Posted by TTIT

:confused: ? To stop tarnishing ?:confused:

Yup. I like the colour of fresh copper, but it tarnishes too damned quickly otherwise.

However, highly reflective metal finishes would reduce the contrast between the brass and copper. Thus, if you want to seal it (to stop oxidisation), you should probably leave it with a matte finish under the CA.

This is why most mokume gane jewellery is not highly polished...

Originally Posted by CameronPotter

However, highly reflective metal finishes would reduce the contrast between the brass and copper. Thus, if you want to seal it (to stop oxidisation), you should probably leave it with a matte finish under the CA.

This is why most mokume gane jewellery is not highly polished...

You're assuming I want high contrast, but in this sort of application I think the main contrast should be between the metal and wood. I'd want the colour variations in the metal to be more subtle, which is why I'd use it in the rough holes left from brassing so they merge to an extent...

Perhaps with a plain wood, either very pale or ebonised, I'd have the metal as the feature... but in that case I'd be more inclined to machine/etch the brass anyway, resulting in crisper lines and better contrast when the copper goes in.

It's the same difference as between laminating acrylics and colouring your own, if you follow what I mean?

(And I'm still thinking of throwin some aluminium in the mix just for the odd highlight. )

If any of you want to buy a tiny amount of the metallic powders, cake-decorators use them to gild or silver or bronze non-edible cake decorations. I think (from memory) the powders can be bought in 1/4 oz plastic vials. Enough for a good number of experiments!

In the same vein.... one of the woodworking mags (sorry, forget which one) had an article on using those thin sheets of gilding metal in a very innovative way. They applied it onto turned articles through such things as onion bags, then distressed it with acids and other chemicals to make a gorgeous array of colour. They then neutralized the chemicals and waxed or coated the articles. I'll try to find the article next week (sorry, I'm busy for the next few days).

the aluminium is lighter than brass so sprinkle it on water and skim of the ally or you could always do the miners trick in the gold pan .as for the fineness time to make a mortar and pestle i think brass is very brittle.

Fair enough Skew. I just thought that I would make sure that you understood that. Copper and brass will be hard to tell apart when highly polished (tricks of the eye).

However, if you are just looking for subtle variation almost shading, then that is fine.

I was thinking that you were looking for a visible variation from copper to brass.

Aluminium should be fine either way.

Cam

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Personally I rather like it. The pitting in the brass suits the cracks in the timber. Shame about the black ring though, I reckon it'd be a fairly easy sale at our stall otherwise.

People's taste can be rather... unsual.

I agree with Skew. Put it on ebay or take it to a hippy market. Nice effect though.