Naturally Antique your Brass

Brass oxidized with vinegar and the oven!
Originally uploaded by Green Leaf and Owl

I found a useful tutorial on Ebay when I bought some raw brass chain.
You can use vinegar to antique raw brass. It's a good alternative to chemicals like Jax Patinas. (Although I use those too).

In a nutshell:
- clean your brass by boiling it for a few minutes
- Pour a bit of vinegar in a tight sealing plastic/tupperware container and cover the top with old panty hose, cheese cloth, etc. I usually lay the cloth over the opening and tape it on the sides of the bowl/container.
- Place your brass findings on the cloth and put the lid on the container.
- Leave it sealed for a bit checking it every so often to check the color of the brass.

What also works:
Lightly brush a thin layer of vinegar over your brass and let it sit for awhile.
**Rinse off with water and stick it in the oven for 1/2 hour or more. (450 degrees)
Thanks Simarhra! She gave me this advice in a forum thread on Etsy.

Here is a link for the full thing: Full Turorial