Any way to color/hide copper rivets and burrs?

[Sarina]

I am working making a pair of leather handcuffs which will likely get some pull on them. I am using silver for the buckle and rings and such, so I was wanting to use silver rivets as well. The issue is that with the double cap rivets I'm worried they won't hold up to any amount of tension. In the past when making bracelets the double cap rivets can be easily removed by pulling the leather apart, which is usually fine because there's not a lot of tension happening there.

I have some copper rivets and burrs that I haven't used yet but I hear that they hold up a lot better than most things. The issue is that I really don't want to have copper colored rivets along with other silver colored hardware.

Does anyone have any tips on coloring them silver or hiding them? I looked for silver or nickel plated copper rivets and burrs but I couldn't find much, the closest I could find were alluminum rivets and burrs which I don't think will hold up as well.

Edited March 7 by Sarina
Fix title

[Littlef]

I haven't ever seen plated rivets. I would guess that plating might be compromised when setting a rivet.  They do make brass rivets.  I know some people cut a thin leather washer, and glue it over a rivet sometimes.  That can be helpful on a rivet head inside a holster, to ensure it doesn't scratch a firearm.  For an exterior rivet head, I normally take a needle file and clean off any burrs.  If I'm feeling ambitious, I might take some fine sand paper and lightly sand the head to smooth any edges.

to color a copper rivet you can use brass black or cold bluing to subdue it.  I'd recommend doing the cold blue first, then clean up the rivet, and then set it.  I had a rifle stock cheek riser that I riveted some bullet loops on it.  I used the cold blue after the fact.  Copper oxidation is green.  some of that green bled into the surrounding leather.  Live and learn that its best to oxidize first, clean up the copper, and then set it.

 

- another option might be to use a Chicago screw instead of a rivet.  Those come is many different finishes.

[DieselTech]

I was going to reccomend Chicago screws, but I was beat to the punch line. 

You could use nickel silver cutlery rivets. But you would need to buy the long ones & then cut them to the length you want/need. 

[Bert03241]

2 hours ago, DieselTech said:

I was going to reccomend Chicago screws, but I was beat to the punch line. 

You could use nickel silver cutlery rivets. But you would need to buy the long ones & then cut them to the length you want/need. 

[Alexis1234]

I have to patina copper, brass and steel hardware all the time. Check out "Jax" brand online. Kind of spendy but a little goes a long way. You either brush it on or dip the hardware and then rinse with water. Works well.

[Sarina]

Thanks for the tips! I'll try a few things out and see how it turns out