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Then with a stiffer toothbrush, I scrubbed it with a solution of selenium photographic toner, diluted to working strength. It's toxic, but only in large amounts. Don't drink it and you should be fine. Wash your hands after. I don't even bother using gloves, but some people are sensitive to it. The smell is the ammonium thiosulfate in the solution, which isn't the toxic part.
The toner starts working right away, and the brass will show thin-film interference colours, which will be familiar with you if you've ever tempered steel, starting with orange, moving through red, purple, blue and finally a dark gunmetal colour. I try to get the whole piece this colour by scrubbing it all over quickly. If left in the toner it until it turns black, the patina will start to flake off.
I take the piece out of the selenium toner and rinse it under warm running water, going over it with a soft brush. At this point, the whole thing is a dark grey, doesn't even really look like brass at all.
Next, I rub it in a thin layer of boiled linseed oil. This dries over time to a hard film and protects the patina, and also darkens the finish. To reveal the brass again, I rubbed the light in a mixture of mineral oil and diatomaceous earth, but just handling it will do the same thing over time.
Looks great though.