Coloring Brass

jmmitc06 · May 9, 2014

I have several guns in a subset of the calibers I own that require vastly different loads for matters of safety and accuracy. As such, I typically keep hot loads in nickel cases and in separate ammo boxes but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with coloring their brass. By coloring I'm not meaning to imply marking the brass with markers or paint on primers but rather actually changing the color of the brass. I've read of people doing this accidentally when cleaning with non-traditional cleaners but does anyone know a consistent way in which to do this?

I have looked around and have found ways to patina brass to specific colors (see link below) but I wanted to ask around on here before experimenting. I would love to have X color 9mm for gun A, Y color 9mm for gun B and so on.

Patina Formulas for Brass, Bronze and Copper

tim c · May 9, 2014

I just label on each box what load is and if its for a specific gun
a lot easier i would think

scooter123 · May 9, 2014

The copper sulfate based solutions are probably safe but you should avoid any formulation containing either an acid or hydroxide. I've used copper sulfate at work to apply a copper plating to mild steel and test to see if an unknown steel is low carbon or stainless (copper sulfate won't plate stainless steels of any grade).

Ivan the Butcher · May 9, 2014

i have some experience coloring brass with permanent markers. any surface color (including patina) will come off after a couple of mild cleanings or one very good cleaning. No system of marking cases won't do you any good without a Key. If you have a friend in the electroplating industry, they could anodize cases different colors, but hiring it done would be very expensive. So the least expensive system would be to use brass and nickel cases and brass and nickel primers and you might be able to also use hollow point, soft point and full metal jacket bullets That would give you 12 combinations. You will determine that the loads are different, but to know what the difference is, you will need good records kept with the ammo. On shot gun shells I marked the primer a color to indicate the shot size (black=7.5, green=8 and red=9) most hulls come in 2 colors, the hull indicated 1 or 1 1/8 oz loads, and the brand of hull indicated the speed. Lastly a black radial mark on the rim was added each time it was loaded. I kept a 3" x 5" file card with each group of shells but the card listed all the different information. For example; "AA" red haul is 2 3/4 Dram Eq. 1oz black primer 7.5 shot. Good luck. Ivan

yeti · May 9, 2014

I would be concerned about making any changes to the brass.
When testing/working up new loads I use a brightly colored magic marker on the primers to indicate load, like Ivan describes. Easy to do.

elpac3 · May 9, 2014

Coloring brass

You might be better off going to "One bullet, one load" rather than coloring brass or marking primers

gunslinger2000 · May 9, 2014

As far as I know, you can't anodize brass. Anodizing is a process for finishing aluminum. They do make chemical blacks for brass that would give you another color. I would probably stick with permanent markers. gunslinger

Mcwsky09 · May 9, 2014

yeti said:
I would be concerned about making any changes to the brass.
When testing/working up new loads I use a brightly colored magic marker on the primers to indicate load, like Ivan describes. Easy to do.

I've done that with new loads - make up maybe 10 of each of three different loads and then just run a different colored sharpie across the bottom of them. This allows you to know which recipe you are firing so you can watch and listen during fire and allows you to examine the brass afterwards to see if there are any signs of damage and be able track it back to the specific load used for that round.

SMSgt · May 9, 2014

I've tried "Brass Black" and it comes off in the tumbler just as fast as any marker.

fredj338 · May 9, 2014

It doesn't get any easier than diff colored Sharpie markers on the headstamp. Why do some folks make everything so much harder than neeeded? Another method is to use a diff profile bullet for diff loads, RNL for low vel, LSWC for high vel, etc. I like simple, not as diff to mess simple up.

Bkreutz · May 9, 2014

I think it would be easier to keep different loads in different boxes that are marked accordingly. When you shoot a certain gun, then grab the appropriate box. Simplicity is sometimes a better choice. The only advantage I could see to marked brass is if you dump all your loads into a common bucket and can't tell which is which. (I only do one load so I do dump my ammo into a common bucket, or more correctly, a plastic tub.

)

blujax01 · May 9, 2014

Those Easter Egg coloring kits should be on clearance by now.

Just mix the color with boiled vinegar and dip 'em!

Seriously it's worth a shot. Cheap research right?

Nevada Ed · May 9, 2014

With nickel and brass cases, you get two loads.

Add lead and a JHP bullet and you have four ( 4 ) different loads.

Toss in a different tip style and you now have six ( 6 ) different loads available for each weapon.

I would think six types of loads for a weapon would fill the bill..........for any of your needs with out having to bring out the .............

Crayons.

mikld · May 9, 2014

Ever think of trying powder coating? Size the cases after coating. Careful not to get any in the primer pocket. Extremely durable, flexible coating...

jmmitc06 · May 9, 2014

Yes, putting a label on the box, marking the brass, etc. I know that those are easy solutions that work in most cases but this is as much curiosity as anything else. Unfortunately, those don't really help make brass standout at the indoor range and they do necessitate separate boxes for each load. Remember too these labeling schemes based on components require some familiarity with reloading or guns in general which will be important in my next paragraph. Simple is great, but when simple don't cut it you have to get more complicated but honestly it doesn't look that hard to do, it's high school chemistry I just wanted to see if anyone had experience with it.

Also, it's easy for us to remember what our own reloads are but I often take foreign grad students from my department with me to the range. Trying to explain to them that the 'hollow points' or 'round noses' (bizarre terms to foreign ears) are for this gun or the other is not simple, most don't comprehend that you can have different loads in the same caliber or different bullets for a given cartridge. The idea I had was you put the picture of the gun on the box the ammo is meant for and a colored sticker, the brass is colored as the sticker, a sticker is on the base of the grip. Like garanimals for guns and ammo.

When you have someone who can't tell a p08 from a 1911 or don't realize that guns are different from one another some redundancy is necessary. I love taking them, it's great and they really like it, but the less confusion for them the better for everyone. It also appeals to my OCD tendencies.

Anodizing is not just for aluminum, you just don't see other metals anodized very often: Ti, Zi, Mg, but I'm pretty sure you can't anodize brass (I'm more of a biochemist than an electrochemist so I might be wrong). I don't tumble but I'm not sure what my sonicator would do to patina my guess would be very little but I don't know. As for damaging the brass, I shoot patina'd brass frequently, yes patina is corrosion but it's a surface effect so I would think the integrity of the brass would be unaffected. As for acid and bases are relatively safe for brass, just not nitrogen containing bases like ammonia which attack a metal constituent in brass.

I think I'll try it once I move and post the results, make 50 colored and 50 normal. Load them, measure groups they should be the same, then sonicate once and get mass, then sonicate again and remeasure to see if there is noticeable patina loss. No good way to test brass lifespan. Maybe not practical but I'm a scientist.

Bkreutz · May 9, 2014

I have about 50 dummy rounds I made up (no primer or powder) that I use for practice reloads that I soaked in a can of Dicropan IM (Cold bluing solution that I got from Brownells years ago) and it definitely changed the color to a kind of dirty brown/blue (case and bullet). It's a quick visible check to make doubly sure I'm not using live ammo during my drills. I've never cleaned them since I colored them so I don't know how durable the finish is.

mtgianni · May 9, 2014

I like to use fingernail polish across the base. It is easily seen and does not harm the brass.

setxn · May 10, 2014

Different colored Sharpies,different markings and write it down. I even mark factory loads to keep track of different lots, doesn't really matter in my main hunting rifle its shoots all Rem 150gr Core-lokt where it is aimed.

geddylee10002000 · May 10, 2014

Kind of expensive. But maybe what you are looking for. Mr. Shooter's Brass Marker

fredj338 · May 10, 2014

jmmitc06 said:
Yes, putting a label on the box, marking the brass, etc. I know that those are easy solutions that work in most cases but this is as much curiosity as anything else. Unfortunately, those don't really help make brass standout at the indoor range and they do necessitate separate boxes for each load. Remember too these labeling schemes based on components require some familiarity with reloading or guns in general which will be important in my next paragraph. Simple is great, but when simple don't cut it you have to get more complicated but honestly it doesn't look that hard to do, it's high school chemistry I just wanted to see if anyone had experience with it.

Also, it's easy for us to remember what our own reloads are but I often take foreign grad students from my department with me to the range. Trying to explain to them that the 'hollow points' or 'round noses' (bizarre terms to foreign ears) are for this gun or the other is not simple, most don't comprehend that you can have different loads in the same caliber or different bullets for a given cartridge. The idea I had was you put the picture of the gun on the box the ammo is meant for and a colored sticker, the brass is colored as the sticker, a sticker is on the base of the grip. Like garanimals for guns and ammo.

When you have someone who can't tell a p08 from a 1911 or don't realize that guns are different from one another some redundancy is necessary. I love taking them, it's great and they really like it, but the less confusion for them the better for everyone. It also appeals to my OCD tendencies.

Anodizing is not just for aluminum, you just don't see other metals anodized very often: Ti, Zi, Mg, but I'm pretty sure you can't anodize brass (I'm more of a biochemist than an electrochemist so I might be wrong). I don't tumble but I'm not sure what my sonicator would do to patina my guess would be very little but I don't know. As for damaging the brass, I shoot patina'd brass frequently, yes patina is corrosion but it's a surface effect so I would think the integrity of the brass would be unaffected. As for acid and bases are relatively safe for brass, just not nitrogen containing bases like ammonia which attack a metal constituent in brass.

I think I'll try it once I move and post the results, make 50 colored and 50 normal. Load them, measure groups they should be the same, then sonicate once and get mass, then sonicate again and remeasure to see if there is noticeable patina loss. No good way to test brass lifespan. Maybe not practical but I'm a scientist.

Ok just me, when I am instructing noob shooters, I leave nothing to chance. The student only handles guns & ammo I give them. No guessing, no chance for a mistake by he shooter. Ammo bullet down In an ammo box, colored Sharpie, easy & accurate for you & that is all that matters.

Coloring Brass

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