How to Age a new belt buckle

[JD Alan]

I have a new gun belt buckle from Tandy I would like to age. It's a dull silver, not chrome. Any help would be appreciated, and have a great Thanksgiving! JD

[knucklehead]

Hmmmmmm

you live in oregon, put it outside in the weather. it will be aged in a month or 2....
that is if we get the normal weather here in oregon this weather is weird this winter.

have a good turkey day jd

[JD Alan]

That's not a bad idea Knucklehead, but I hope someone comes up with a quicker solution. Yeah, we've had wierd weather this year, not very good for riding at all. Thanks, have a good turkey day yourself! JD

[santee]

Do a search on how to age metal in here. Chuck Burrows has a thread on it.

[Ned Buckshot]

One thing to look for before trying to age it is many of Tandys buckles have a clear coat of laquer or somthing like it on them. This needs to be removed before trying to age it or nothing will happen!

Ned

[Dalton Masterson]

Try some laquer thinner to remove any top finish, then try a simple vinegar dip to see if it will do anything. I would try a qtip to the back myself rather than just dunk it like a cookie in milk. MMMM, cookies........Try Lemon juice too.

I have a product I bought at Hobbytown USA called blacken it or something like that. I havent played with it much yet, but its kinda like cold bluing, but not as quick working. It leaves it slightly darker so far. Test it on back first.

DM

[JD Alan]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it, JD

[knucklehead]

Hey I rode my motorcycle yesterday down to salem
was a good ride.

had to take it in for its 13000 mile service.

you can get the birchwood casey cold blue stuff at sportsman warehouse. this might work.
they also have a blueing marker that may work.

let us know what you find out on this

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Knucklehead may have a good idea, there. I've tried Birchwood Casey Super Blue on different things. It works quickly on steel and a little slower on brass. Silver turns dark even slower and it's easier to control the amount of darkening. I haven't tried pot metal, but it might work fine on that, soo. Stainless doesn't take it at all. On the stuff that it works on, it turns it black in a hurry but if you put it on and then started cleaning it off with a polishing pad you may have exactly what you want. If you put it on with a Q-Tip, the finish may not be even enough. I'd dip the buckle completely and wipe the solution off right away. It may be possible to make a thinned wash of the stuff, too. Remember to have all the finish removed first.

[JD Alan]

Glad you got in a ride KH. I've been battling bronchitis for most of a month, so I'm trying to avoid the cold, damp air we have so often here in the north valley, per Doc's advice.

Thanks for the ideas, Will. I assume this is pot metal, 'cause it's very light, and it was cheap! I'll try some lacquer thinner on the back, just to see what comes off before trying any other mods. I might just leave it alone too, if it doesn't look too hot on the back.

Thanks one and all, JD   

[knucklehead]

I still say leave it outside in the oregon weather for a month or two and let mother nature take care of it for you.
but take the finish off of it first

you could allways use another belt buckle till this one is aged

[JD Alan]

By the time I need a buckle, leaving it outside could work! 

[Will Penny]

I used to antique knife blades with soldering flux, smear it on and let it sit for a week or so, wipe off, check it, if not old looking enough slop some more on it..wait another week, after it gets the old look use a little black powder and water mix or just cold blue...

[Dr. Bob]

Ya might try browning solution from Birchwood Casey or the old time solution of urine and leave it outside for a while.   Or bury it in the dirt for a couple of weeks.  Not very technical, but it didn't cost ya much either!

[HorsePen Henry]

I would highly recommend that one uses one's pointy finger to push the buckle down deep inside a fresh cow pie. That should take care of the problem within a short time span.  Wait awhile before eatin' yer beans and taters, though.   

My oh my !,
Horse Pen

[JD Alan]

I sold my last horse a number of years ago. Now we only got a couple of mangy cats. Ya think their poop'll do?

Seriously, I think the biggest issue is its cheap pot metal. Overall it don't look too bad as is. I've had too much other stuff goin on to mess with it. 

On the bright side (no pun intended) it didn't cost a bunch to begin with!

'preciate the info on the circles. I couldn't see any marks, so you sure did it well!

Thanks, God bless, JD   

[St. George]

Leave it as-is, since that lacquer finish is protecting it.

That said - you can paint over that surface, rather than attempt to 'age' it chemically, and once you figure out what you like - you could clear-coat it.

It's made from a cast form of pot metal - and with a stripped finish, it'll corrode, but it'll look like 'corrosion' and not 'weathering', and if you try to re-polish it, it'll take away metal.

Original buckles of the period were nickel-plated iron or brass, and were supposed to present as a shiny surface.

Many originals still do to this day, if they weren't abused enough to damage the plated surface and lead to discoloration over time.

Tandy gets a lot of their stuff from both India and China (just like Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops and everyone else), and it looks 'good enough' - but if you want a buckle for heavier service - look at a Tack Shop, or a supplier like Crazy Crow.

Good Luck.

vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Will Penny]

I was lucky enough to stumble onto a old rotted out barn 30 years ago, a place we was cutting off the gas to, in that old barn was some long forgotten harness, I'm talking the rodents ate most the leather, I picked up every buckle, widget and metal part of that harness that I could find, long before I decided to become a cowboy shooter, in fact I was doing 18th century stuff then and I still have many of them buckles left...go to flea markets, and such to find some really old stuff, its out there, you just have to look...beats heck out of buying pot metal and trying to make it look old...and much more interesting then ordering something from a catalog... just my thoughts on this..

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy JD 

      I would just put a snap on the billet and leave the buckle alone, it's a nice looking buckle as it is and it might age all by its self, but by having a snap on your billet, if you fined a buckle you like better, you can easily replace the one you have. Or get yourself one of Will Ghormelys buckles, or even one of the clipped cornered nickle plated buckles that Tandy sells, thoses were the most popular buckles of the time, and they come in brass, also the oval cart buckles were used, and you can get those in a 1 1/2" buckle too. 


                                                           tEN wOLVES 

[JD Alan]

Whether or not I do anything with this buckle is secondary to all the good ideas I've received here. Thanks everyone! JD