fov Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 The lights I got for my half scale Queen Anne rowhouse are all shiny brass and I wanted something more subdued. I carefully painted the brass parts with plain old matte black paint (something from Michael's, it might be Ceramcoat). I wanted them to look like wrought iron. After doing a couple of coats and letting them dry, the paint was flaking off very easily. So I touched them up and then, when dry, painted on matte varnish to protect the paint. But some of the paint is still flaking off - even as I'm painting on the varnish, it's like the contact with the paintbrush is causing the paint to scrape away. I don't need them to be perfect looking (a bit of brass showing through actually looks nice) but the brass is so shiny, and if a big patch gets scraped off it looks bad. I'm concerned about putting them in the house and then having paint flake off if something bumps the light (*ahem* like my hand) and not be able to fix it due to the cramped space. Is there a better paint to use for this? Maybe I should have used gesso first to give the paint something to stick to? (Kinda late for that now...) Any ideas will be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I did this once with a brass fixture. I used spray grey primer and then a silver spray overcoat. It was still a very delicate finish, so I was careful not to handle it too much when I installed it. I actually ended up using it on Baxter Pointe Villa instead of the Newport. I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts. I think shiny metal of any kind is going to be hard to paint and have it stick. http://www.otterine....og1.php/alchemy Also, I've sprayed brass door hardware flat black and then painted over it. That is also a delicate finish that I've had to touch up from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellyannmo Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I have been spray painting my brass fixtures with black matte spray paint for my Nottingham (except for the great room light I am going to leave brass to go with the gold accents on the roof and walls).... I too have had the paint flake pretty easily.... maybe automotive paint would work?????? I don't know.... very curious too if anyone has any ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 At least I'm glad to hear it's not just me! I wonder if something like Testors model paint would work better? I first got the idea to do this from a Guys from Texas workshop I took, where we painted the door knobs black and then sanded a tiny bit off to make it look like tarnished brass. I don't remember it flaking like this. On the other hand, the doorknob was immediately glued in place and doesn't get handled. I found this link about painting brass: http://www.wikihow.com/Paint-Brass (I suspect these fixtures aren't real brass but the problem of the paint not adhering is the same...) It says to use a self-etching primer to give the brass a bumpy surface paint can adhere to. Makes sense but when I look up "self-etching primer" all I find are sprays. These pieces are tiny and I don't really want to attempt to mask them (esp. since some of them use part of the fixture as a contact point for the light bulb, I'm assuming if they get coated in primer and/or paint that would disrupt the electrical current?) I have one more fixture that I haven't painted yet, maybe I will try gesso on it first since that's the same concept. If that works I could always sand the paint off the ones I've already done (it comes off easily enough!) and start over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audra Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I use fine sand paper and rough up the brass - then pretty much do the same as everyone else. I am so sick of the brass look! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I was going to suggest the flat gray primer, but if they're delicate, try giving them a light coat of clear nail polish first, and then hit them with the flat black Testor's for a wrought iron look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesp2k Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Most, if not all decorative brass has a lacquered finish. So if you use a liquid de-glosser this will dull the finish & allow paint to stick to it without losing detail. For the mini items that we use this method works much better than sanding. Altho there is the chemical downside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 Good to know, thanks. I have not heard of liquid de-glosser but it sounds like something the tinkerer of the house might have in the garage somewhere. Last night I scraped the paint off one fixture (very easily!), then buffed it up the best I could with a nail file and painted on a coat of gesso. I let that dry overnight so haven't tried re-painting it yet. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I dont have any solutions, but I find different metals take the paint better than others, for instance I dont have any problems with painting door knobs (as long as I let the first coat dry totally thoroughly....but I have isuues with flaking when painting lamp bases. I did want to say to Audra I COULDNT AGREE MORE! I really wonder when the miniatures industry is going to get out of the 80s and start producing finishes on furniture and metals that arent shiny mahogany and brass. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Jo Sonja paints do have a paint primer that helps paint stick to shiny surfaces and even glass. You could try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madtex1967 Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I use fine steel wool on my brass fixtures and painted them black having no problems with the paint coming off. The problem is the lacquer finish. But once I dulled/roughed it up with the steel wool it worked perfect! :kicking: And using the steel wool will not make the surface of the brass show any scratching through the paint. You also don't have to deal with any chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 As a follow-up to this topic... if I want to keep the color the same but make it look like old tarnished brash instead of new shiny brass, is there something I can just paint on the fixture to "tarnish" it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I've dry-brushed brown acrylic paint to tone down brass fixtures. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamma Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I use fine steel wool on my brass fixtures and painted them black having no problems with the paint coming off. The problem is the lacquer finish. But once I dulled/roughed it up with the steel wool it worked perfect! :kicking: And using the steel wool will not make the surface of the brass show any scratching through the paint. You also don't have to deal with any chemicals. I do the same and it works perfectly...for painting I use only acrylics colours...and they work too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biomom Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Steel wool - Check! Shiny (yucky) brass light fixture - Check! Rubbing with steel wool doesn't seem to do anything - What am I doing wrong? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Another way I've painted shiny brass is with a super cheap velvet nail varnish - you paint it on nail varnish to remove the shine, thus giving a 'velvet' or matte surface. I then paint over that with an acrylic or stain or whatever. It worked well. This method actually came from a blog I follow, so it's not my discovery. The velvet varnish was a few dollars including shipping on ebay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Diamond nail file Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welcomehomeminis Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Like Shannon, I've used cheap nail polish on metals or other surfaces that just won't seem to hold paint, and had pretty good results. But velvet nail polish (varnish)... this I haven't heard of. Another new item to search for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miniaddicted Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I just applied Rub N Buff to a black fixture, wanted it to look more antiqued. Turned out nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouMorgan Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I just use a metal primer specifically for outdoor metal, it has always worked for me. I've just been doing just that with bronze and silver minis that I want to paint and haven't had any problems. I don't bother to file them down first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouMorgan Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 For anything really stubborn I put on some spray varnish before the paint. You have to do it in fine layers first and let them dry thoroughly between each layer though or it can look a bit lumpy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouMorgan Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 For anything really stubborn I put on some spray varnish before the paint. You have to do it in fine layers first and let them dry thoroughly between each layer though or it can look a bit lumpy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra from Olde Cape Cod Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Went to Walmart yesterday looking for matte nail polish. The clerk helped me find some. It was called "Wet n Wild Wild Shine" and in small print, "matte top coat". It's a cloudy pale grey in the bottle. Tried it on a shiny brass button and it now looks like brushed brass. The clerk said it seems to be becoming a trend for nails so think I will pick up some more next time I'm there. I'm working on a piece of painted furniture and I wanted to seal the paint, but not have shine--looks like this will do the trick...especially at .93 a bottle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kat57 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Oh,I'll have to look for this one,Debra! It's been about a year since I bought any,but I have dozens of bottles of nail enamel in a plastic box that have never been used on nails,just minis. There are tons of colors and finishes out there to try (and now this one I've never seen) and the prices,even when they are a bit higher,are worth what you get for how far it goes. Thanx for posting about this top coat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra from Olde Cape Cod Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 This works great for shiny metal surfaces; however, I wasn't happy with the results on a black painted piece of furniture. I tried it on a small area and it looked streaky and uneven when dry. Of course, if you wanted it that way it would be perfect! LOL! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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