How to Blacken Brass

I set up my materials in my spray booth which doubles as a "chemistry hood." 

 The brass was first run through a Hydrochloric Acid bath to clean off the oxidation.

 Next the brass was washed with clean water.

 
Then into the Acetone bath to remove any organics.

 
When removed from the acetone the brass gleamed like new even though this cannon was turned quite some time ago.

 Next "Blacken It" that was diluted 1:1 with water was used. The little flakes are tiny pieces that fall off of the brass and grow like crystals over the course of hours. The bath worked as well for these last pieces as it did for the first in spite of the flakes.

 The Blacken It was washed off with water and a final acetone bath was used to remove any residual water. The pieces were buffed with a paper towel. Here is what the assortment of blackened pieces looked like when finished.

Here is a close up of the cannon. The handle of the quoin was glued on so I'll paint it later. It shows a good "before and after" effect for the cannon.