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Antique Finish on Brass Zip Fasteners

"Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty"
by Robert D. Friedel

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Q. Would like to get hold of a process other than electroplating to achieve antique finish on Brass Surfaces. The Brass surface is that of a zip fastener used in garments. The Antique finish should not wash away and should not stain garments when garments are washed.

Existing non-electrolytic process produces inconsistent results including stripping of the antique layering during washing with standard household detergents.

B.S.Sastri
Technical Director - Chennai (Madras), Tamilnadu, India
2003

A. Hello, cousin. They can be 'blackened' then have a tough clearcoat applied. What is your "existing non-electrolytic process"? We wouldn't want people to suggest a process, only for you to then say that's the one that isn't working :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

Q. Ted, I've run into this same problem often with our zipper suppliers. They all seem to be using the same manual process to antique brass zippers - The zippers are washed and degreased with hot water and detergent, rinsed, then dipped in a light blue room temperature solution to darken the teeth. I'm no chemist, but the blue solution looks just like the selenious acid antiquing solution often used by hobbyists. It creates a good appearance, but is not at all durable and can create stains in light colored garments. A clear lacquer coating sometimes improves finish durability, but as I'm sure you understand it's hard to glue down a finish that was never properly adhered to the base to begin with. Any ideas for a better process would be appreciated. Thanks!

C.J. Gardener
- Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
November 1, 2011

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