Author Topic: Dye brass?  (Read 1176 times)

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Offline DesertRatR

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Dye brass?
« on: November 24, 2020, 10:45:20 AM »
Anyone here have any experience dying brass? Specifically coloring it without degrading the metal strength or durability. There seems to be lot sof chatter on the Internet, but that is about all. This link provides some recipes for coloring but only "it is my understanding ..." about not degrading the metal.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?66487-Coloring-brass-cases

Offline Wobbly

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Re: Dye brass?
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2020, 02:20:12 PM »
There is a dye that machinist use called Dykem. It comes in several colors (red, green, blue) and coats and adheres about like a Sharpie, except that you apply it with a 3/8" brush that's part of the lid. That is to say, it's easy to use on larger areas, but can be messy for small ones. It's commonly available on Amazon or any industrial supply depot at reasonable prices.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dykem&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

And it smells like something you want to keep away from drug addict wanna-bes.
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Offline Sebspeed

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Re: Dye brass?
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2020, 08:38:03 PM »
Dykem layout fluid is available in aerosol form and is more durable than Sharpie marker. You'll need to rinse the cases in acetone or brake cleaner to remove it, unless you're wet tumbling.

Neither will actually dye or stain the brass though. They do not penetrate the material at a microscopic level like say, the way anodizing penetrates aluminum, so you'll have to make applying either one part of your loading process, every time.

Offline noylj

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Re: Dye brass?
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2020, 11:02:28 AM »
 Call Birchwood and ask about Antique BlackĀ® Gel

Offline bang bang

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Re: Dye brass?
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2020, 11:54:22 PM »
Anyone here have any experience dying brass? Specifically coloring it without degrading the metal strength or durability. There seems to be lot sof chatter on the Internet, but that is about all. This link provides some recipes for coloring but only "it is my understanding ..." about not degrading the metal.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?66487-Coloring-brass-cases

i guess it would depend on your endgame which you dont state.

but i just use a black/red/blue/green sharpie to mark the base of my cases if i need to ID them.   Eventually over time/reloads/cleaning/polishing it wears off, but i just re-apply if needed.