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My 2165 is almost done. I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to maintain an even, but DARK raw brass finish. I’ve heard recommendations of renaissance wax, leaving it in front of a fireplace to tarnish it quicker, and other random things.

Keith is going to get the lacquer stripped and the finish ready to go, but I’m wondering what you recommend about keeping and maintaining that even raw finish. I want it dark, like the Adams antique, but am unsure of how to get there and preserve it.

What say you, TFFJ?

Just play it. It will get nice and ugly - just like this one.

My intention is to put a finish on this Holton that I built, if I can ever figure out how I can get the time to do it (no one pays me to work on my own junk), but I've just been playing this for however long it's been since I built it, and it now looks like this:





One reason for putting it off is there are a couple of details that I would like to dial in a little bit better. (Conforming the mouthpipe curvature to the bell better is one of them. Notice the solder. That needs to all be taken out and the mouthpipe curvature needs to be flattened down a little bit.) Also, there's a minor linkage alteration, and one stubby piece of non-slide tubing that needs to be dropped down on one end by c. 1/16 of an inch...and (as seen) some solder joints were never cleaned up.

wax...??
Either buff and lacquer it or not...
...or let it get to lookin' like mine (if you really like the brown look), and THEN lacquer it.

a promise:
The longer you own it, the less you're going to fixate over its surface appearance...but - if you think you might grow tired of owning it someday (and IF all of the dents have been completely removed) tubas are easier to sell that are shiny and lacquered vs. brown, and its far less cost and maintenance than silver plating.

Thanks. Yours looks about like what I'm wanting, but here are two good-ish photos of what I'm hoping to achieve:

[
This is really what I'm after. I have no idea whose this is, but it's got that very dark color that looks mostly even all around. It reminds me of the Adams antique finish on their euphoniums. Was this achieve through some sort of chemical application, or just a whole lot of time?

[
This one, to me, looks more like time took its course, and it got dark over a period of years. Still nice looking, but I like the first one better.

Mine's not yet that old (and/or also not done with some sort of chemistry).

VERY often, when I wonder is someone used or did something, my wondering is off base, YET...that sorta artifically-looking (to me) spotty EXTRA-dark look causes me to suspect the use of "Liver of Sulphur".

wiki wrote:Liver of sulfur is a loosely defined mixture of potassium sulfide, potassium polysulfide, potassium thiosulfate, and likely potassium bisulfide. Synonyms include hepar sulfuris, sulfur, sulfurated potash and sulfurated potassa.

A lifelong friend (of 55 years, to date) has artificially patinated copper-based metals for several decades. They work that stuff into the palms of their hands (mixing it with their own perspiration) and rub it into copper-based surfaces. Their work is convincing (and not artificial-looking and with no blackish areas). They also dedicate a considerable amount of time doing it "just so". That having been said (another sort of negative), the things that they tend to patinate are not a whole lot larger than door knobs.

Liver of sulfur + a variety of added chemicals can make an assortment of patinas for you. Just google.

Time, lots of time:

Ask someone who owns an $80,000 Heckel bassoon or a $250,000 violin if they've considered removing the varnish and letting their instrument naturally darken.