How to Antique Brass Jewelry
Brass is a great material for making jewelry. Though it won't often be mistaken for gold, its warm yellow finish and deep shine make it an attractive and cost effective material for craft jewelry. One way to make your brass jewelry stand out is to give it an antique finish by artificially accelerating the natural oxidization process that brass goes through which makes it look older and darker. This can be accomplished with simple techniques using common kitchen materials. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Apply some acetone (nail polish remover) to a clean cloth and thoroughly rub your brass jewelry with it. This will remove any chemical coatings which might interfere with the oxidizing process.
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2
Rinse the brass jewelry and allow it to air dry to remove any acetone residue.
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3
Place 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tbsp. of salt in a bowl and soak the jewelry in the solution for a few minutes. If your piece is bigger and needs more liquid to soak, increase the amount of vinegar and salt at a ratio of 1 cup vinegar to 1 tbsp. salt.
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4
Place the jewelry on an oven sheet, and bake it at 350 F, checking every couple of minutes until the piece has darkened to the tone you want.
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5
Rub the jewelry with fine (No. 0000) steel wool to polish away some of the dark finish to make it look worn.
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