Ageing/ Putting a PATINA on metal

[Ned Buckshot]

                             
       
  Bob, your Slim Jim and belt are beautiful, like Ned pointed out on your buckle, one other thing that works great is to steel wool the finish off using ACID TONE or good cleaning solvent,  and then clean all residue off the buckle, then rub the buckle down with BLACK POWDER, time permitted you can do this ahead of time and after rubbing it down with BP, just dust it down with black powder and leave it in a coffee can, just make sure you keep it away from fire or a heat source, and leave it there for several days, you'll get an aged brass buckle in no time at all, and that shiny new look will be history.

                        tEN wOLVES   



                              Great idea TW, I've never thought of that!

[Forty Rod]

 Bob, your Slim Jim and belt are beautiful, like Ned pointed out on your buckle, one other thing that works great is to steel wool the finish off using ACID TONE or good cleaning solvent,  and then clean all residue off the buckle, then rub the buckle down with BLACK POWDER, time permitted you can do this ahead of time and after rubbing it down with BP, just dust it down with black powder and leave it in a coffee can, just make sure you keep it away from fire or a heat source, and leave it there for several days, you'll get an aged brass buckle in no time at all, and that shiny new look will be history.

                       tEN wOLVES  

To get it even better, take it off the gun belt (if you can) and put it on your everyday pants belt and wear it around for a few weeks.  It will buff just the right places and handling it will add to the "look".

[Dr. Bob]

B Bob,

Black powder fouling does the job pretty fast.  Wipe the fouling off of the revolver and then onto the brass.  Let it sit over night and wash it off.  Should give a nice patina.

[Boothill Bob]

will try that pards, its not feels compete with that shiny buckle

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I sent this in a PM but I think I ought to share this ....

Stained glass shops have two diluted acids that they paint on caining (i.e. the metal between the stained glass pieces) to give it a patina) ... one for anything with ferrous (galvanized, chrome plated) and one for brass and bronze.

I had some new stove bolts I was putting on an 'antique' looking bed I made .... the shiny stove bolt heads seemed to ruin the whole look ... so I painted the heads with the right acid ... and they instantly took on this reddish-brown rusty/old look ... I rinsed it off with water, let it dry, and put them on .... and now it looks old ... even though alot of the 'rust' has been worn off, it has that old rubbed look still.

[ChuckBurrows]

Lots of good work going on guys - two thumbs to all! 

Bob - as noted there are several methods to darken brass - anything with sulphur in it will work. I've used Mayonaisse, rotten eggs  and probably the easiest common material is onions - cut one open and rub the juice on the brass and then put the slice or two in a jar with the buckle and leave set. Also most jewelers use a product called liver of sulphur so you might ask one if there are any near you and car batteries are full of sulphuric acid.......Just be aware that working with any acids can be dangerous to your health so have plenty of fresh air and ventilation or do it outside, a good mask is recommended with the proper filter, rubber gloves, and goggles are also recommended.
Fuming with household ammonia also works, but don't leave it too long since ammonia can cause embrittlement.

for those interested in metal patinas here's some good info:
http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Do-It-Yourself-Patina-Formulas-W12.aspx

TW - that Acetone not Acid Tone........... Even better is lacquer thinner since the coating on the buckles is usually a clear lacquer - I just soak my buckles in it for a couple of hours and then rub the scum off with 4/0 steel wool or one of those plastic scrub pads.

[Dr. Bob]

WOW!!  Thanks Chuck, that is a great site! 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

   

              TW - that Acetone not Acid Tone........... 

   Thanks Chuck for pointing that out, I stand corrected. good info by the way and the link should help those welling to give it a try.


                     tEN wOLVES 

[Mississippi Sam]

Boothill Bob,

Hopefully I'm not writing this too late for you to read.  Your rig looks great!  If you want to age brass, I've got a technique that works pretty well.

If your buckle is solid brass (brass coated won't work), suspend the buckle in a jar of white amonia for a while, and the brass will tarnish.  What I did was take some metal screening (like what you would see on a front porch) and closed the lid of a Mason jar with the buckle just above the amonia. 

It only takes about an hour or so, so keep an eye on the brass.  If you leave it too long it'll turn blue!

Hope this helps!

[Boothill Bob]

I'm glad that I dident try to age the clipped corner buckle on my rig,
its brass plated 
So that I can age with steelwool, just rubb it down a little.