http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=457241Well, here it is as opposed to the pic above. I did the method that Needles mentioned and it made ugly blotches on the brass that were extremely dark in color, so I took a scotchbrite pad and cleaned it off which left it in this dulled, brushed looking state which I like. Since the varnish is now removed I'll just let it tarnish naturally over time.

Do you find it an inconvenience to use mounted on the down tube? Seems like a pain to take your hands off the bars to ring the bell.

Not really. If you think about it, how often do you actually have to ring your bell anyway? As I mentioned to a previous poster, it's in the same place that shifter levers have been put for a hundred years, and some people still prefer to run them there. I think it looks more asthetically pleasing there anyway. I suppose that if one needed to ring their bell a lot, then it wouldn't be a good place for it.

Hey Needles, I tried your method and got poor results, (it was too extreme), may have been my own fault somehow. Anyway it caused me to rub it down until it had a dull finish which I actually like. I posted it above if you care.

It might work better to immerse the brass in the salt & vinegar (or ammonia) overnight.

Yeah, I was kinda thinking that the dark splotching was probably caused by the paper towel that was wrapped around it, it was soaked, but in one spot you could even see the crosshatch pattern of the paper towel imprinted upon the brass. I really just want a very subtle deeper tint to the brass, so if it doesn't start to change within about a month then I might try the ammonia dipping.

This bell is as close to "unseen" as I think I'm gonna get. It's the Incredibell Grip Bell:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=457368

:thumb: Mine Balances out the gripshifter on the other side.. of 22.2mm trekking bars..

No issues with shiny lacquered Brass.. [ smelled enough Brasso in The USN, in the 60's]

Hmm, I actually think that looks wrong. I guess there are strong opinions regarding bells otherwise no one would bother manufacturing hidden bells. BTW YouthInAsia, we are FAR from twins after all! Please note my avatar. Cat killers are no good!

Haha! The innocent cat in your avatar is noted. I actually never shoot cats and my wife loves her cat. But the darn neighborhood cats poop in my yard continuously and it irritates me to no end. If I could, I would love to catch a cat in the act of pooping and nail him with a paintball gun. But I would never wish to injure a cat.

To somehow tie this discussion to bikes, my wife would love if her cat could ride his own bike, sorta like how Toonces from SNL drove a car! :-)

Okay, that makes me feel a bit better. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure how to link videos, so You Tube this and show your wife: ​cat enjoying a warm winter day bike ride

Glad to hear it!

It's probably easier to pee on it there too.

Just curious, since nobody else asked, but what actual problem did you solve by dulling the finish? Was the reflection blinding you when it was brighter? Or was it purely for your sense of aesthetics?

Hey, I noticed your in Burlington,IA...I was actually born in Marshalltown,IA, but have not been back since I was a kid...I'm 43 now. From time to time I'll see a pic of some place in Iowa that's so beautiful with green rolling hills and scattered trees that I just want to ride my bike there! Of course, I never know exactly where the pic was taken, so I have this (false, I'm sure) idea that most of Iowa is like those pictures. Anyway, just sayin' hi.:)

Yeah, totally aesthetic. In fact even having the bell on there in the first place is mostly aesthetic, since I find it just as easy, if not easier to holler "on your left". This particular bike is a Surly Cross Check, but I've been working on giving it an old English Raleigh style of theme, so I kinda lean more toward an older used look for it rather than highly polished and glistening if ya know what I mean. More vintage if you will.

reducing the light in a photo a couple f stops makes lots of things darker .. :rolleyes:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=457799^^^sorry fietsbob, my bad. Is this better?