Hello all. I got a call from a person working on a play in Boston that
Kelsey Grammar is apparently appearing in (not that that means a hoot
in terms of what I am asking about). They are trying to dull the
shine on aluminum swords they are using in the play to the color of
aged pewter. The director of the play says that in England they have
a compound called z-bright or z-brite that they use for this purpose.
I can’t find anything like this and I talked to Rio Grande’s tech
staff and they had heard of it, but didn’t stock it or know where to
get it. This is important enough to them that they will even pay to
have something shipped from overseas overnight. If any of you British
orchidites know of this stuff and where to get it or if anyone else
knows of it or something that will have the same effect I would love
to hear from you. Thanks. Daniel R. Spirer, GG Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02140 @spirersomes
http://www.spirersomes.com
Hi Daniel, try Ajax, or Comet, or pumice. Apply and rub with a cloth
by hand. This should give you a dull pewter-like finish. I think one
of the sodium hydroxide type oven cleaners or Drano will produce the
same effect chemically ( caution, this is fast acting and fumes may be toxic). Will E.
Daniel, How about repeatedly stabbing a pile of builder’s sand to
dull/satin finish the aluminum?
Dan Woodard, I.J.S.
Hello Daniel, To stop metal from reflecting a lot of light while on
stage, spray it with laquer,varnish, or polyeurathane. Have fun. Tom Arnold
Hello Daniel, To stop metal from reflecting a lot of light while on stage, spray it with laquer,varnish, or polyeurathane.
G’day - my pennyworth:- Hair spray works. So does polycell
wallpaper paste mixed with a little bit of talc powder and sprayed on
to whatever surface. One hell of a lot easier to remove afterwards
than lacer or varnishes! Cheers,
John Burgess; @John_Burgess2 of Mapua Nelson NZ
Daniel,
The students in my class who are photographing pieces that have large
percentages of highly polished (reflective) areas use a commercial
spray available at camera shops. Brand name is “Sureguard” # 931 -
McDonald PROTECTACOTE - Matte Special… $8.95 for 14oz. aerosol…
A quick fix is just to dab small items with ordinary plastelina.
(modeling clay) The oil base in the clay will dull the finish, but
you have to play with it a bit to make it come out perfectly even…
Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
704 W. Swain Rd.
Stockton, CA 95207
209-477-6731 Office/Fax
209-477-6535 Workshops/Classroom