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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
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for Metal Finishing since 1989
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How to color brass, something like anodizing
2006
I need a process for coloring brass pistol cartridge (ammunition) casings for identification purposes. Ideally I would like something like red anodizing on aluminum.
When shooting a pistol match, it is normal to go pick up your brass casings afterwards for reloading. It is imperative to find your own casings among the countless other brass casings on the ground. The popular method is to color the ends with Dykem layout fluid or a
'magic marker'. I would like to find a way to color the whole brass casing red, to make it easier to find them on the ground and recover them for reuse.
Is there a suitable process available? The best Idea I have to date is diluting Dykem dye and dipping them prior to reloading, I would like something more permanent.
ammunition reloader - Fullerton, California, USA
Get them copper plated by a barrel plater.
Ken Vlach [deceased]- Goleta, California
Finishing.com honored Ken for his countless carefully researched responses. He passed away May 14, 2015.Rest in peace, Ken. Thank you for your hard work which the finishing world, and we at finishing.com, continue to benefit from.
2006
You can pickle them in diluted hydrochloric acid,or you can chemically colour them((200 gm basic copper carbonate ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] /100 gm sodium hydroxide/1 lit water) ,electrolytic methods exist too.Copper alloys cannot be colour anodized,only black is possible.Good luck and hope it helps!
Goran Budija- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2006
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