Hardware & Vinegaroon

[Shorts]

Just curious what everyone does in regards to hardware when you vinegaroon leather. I ask because on my holsters, some hardware must be on the leather before I can vinegaroon. (If I vinegaroon the leather immediately after cutting the pattern, it is more difficult to wet mold and bone later because the leather is more water resistant). Yet, If I install the hardware first, such as snaps, they rust in the vinegaroon process.

What can I do?

Will I need to get tedious and and brush vinegaroon the areas that hold hardware, dry, then apply hardware, stitch, wet mold, then brush vinegaroon again on the rest of the holster?

Edited June 20, 2008 by Shorts

[rdb]

Shorts, the vinegaroon will blacken uncoated metals. It doesn't do anything to galvie or zinc coated.

Best test your hardware first. If it does darken the metal, maybe it would look good?

[Shorts]

rdb, that would be excellent if it darkened the hardware

What happened was the snap posts rusted on a holster, the bottom half of the snap. They are regular line 24 snaps.

The vinegaroon did not harm or change the snap face or female pieces.

I don't understand the rust though, it should have darkened them. I just dabbed a bit of Naval Jelly on a Qtip and wiped the inside of the snaps.

[tonyc1]

rdb, that would be excellent if it darkened the hardware

What happened was the snap posts rusted on a holster, the bottom half of the snap. They are regular line 24 snaps.

The vinegaroon did not harm or change the snap face or female pieces.

I don't understand the rust though, it should have darkened them. I just dabbed a bit of Naval Jelly on a Qtip and wiped the inside of the snaps.

The snaps shouldn't go rusty as they are nickel plated brass!

Tony.

[Shorts]

The snaps shouldn't go rusty as they are nickel plated brass!

Tony.

Iron oxide I guess not if they are nickel plated brass. I'm no chemist and I didnt sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. But there is corrosion.

Edited June 21, 2008 by Shorts

[Shorts]

Still can't figure out why there is corrosion. I tested a round of snaps fresh out of the baggie. I also tested some snaps which had been applied to straps of leather to see if the split metal would react. Nothing. Got great strips of black leather, but no corrosion showing up on the parts. I'm stumped but more confident in the hardware at this point. I can get on with the holsters I was concerned about.