how to antique rivets

[Daggrim]

My last post was about finding longer black rapid rivets. As an alternative, I could antique the nickel or brass ones that are available. But how? I think I've seen a thread about this in the past. Any quick chemical baths that could give a more subdued look to nickel or brass? Thanks again, folks for your help.

Dag

[TheTrooper]

Hi Dag,

the thread U are searching for is this one:

Antiquing rivets

Cheers,

Marcel

[Daggrim]

Thanks Marcel. What kind of results did you get? I'll experiment this weekend with the vinegar, and maybe mustard.

Dag

[TheTrooper]

Hi Dag,

sadly still no results. :-(

I havent´t found the time to try. Maybe next week I play a bit with the receipes. I will give you a note and maybe some pics.

Have a nice weekend.

M.

[Daggrim]

Marcel,

I have some results from a couple home experiments. The vinegar has negligible results in 24 hours on brass or nickel rivets, whether sanded or not. I tried gun blueing compound, and it darkened the nickel, sanded and unsanded, to black in 5 minutes. It darkened the sanded brass, but not the unsanded brass, in 5 minutes. Gun Blue contains Selenium Dioxide, which I assume is the ative ingredient. No odor or fumes, but carries a health warning for California residents about birth defects. The rest of us don't matter, I guess, or have immunity:)

Anyhow, those results are all I need for what I'm doing, so I'm very happy. Gonna order a few hundred 15mm nickel rivets, then buy a quart of gun blue, and say goodbye to all the time I've wasted matching up leather helmet parts, trying to find a combination that's not too thick for my 12mm rivets. Thanks for you responses. Maybe these results will help you, too.

Dag

[Frank]

Marcel,

I have some results from a couple home experiments. The vinegar has negligible results in 24 hours on brass or nickel rivets, whether sanded or not. I tried gun blueing compound, and it darkened the nickel, sanded and unsanded, to black in 5 minutes. It darkened the sanded brass, but not the unsanded brass, in 5 minutes. Gun Blue contains Selenium Dioxide, which I assume is the ative ingredient. No odor or fumes, but carries a health warning for California residents about birth defects. The rest of us don't matter, I guess, or have immunity:)

Anyhow, those results are all I need for what I'm doing, so I'm very happy. Gonna order a few hundred 15mm nickel rivets, then buy a quart of gun blue, and say goodbye to all the time I've wasted matching up leather helmet parts, trying to find a combination that's not too thick for my 12mm rivets. Thanks for you responses. Maybe these results will help you, too.

Dag

Just a suggestion but I know that Brownells and Midway USA carry "easy to apply" chemicals that darken/antique brass, copper, aluminum, etc. Gun guys use them when they have a brass or aluminum grip frame on their guns but do not want to pay the extra cash to buy a steel grip frame. From what I hear, they work relatively well.

[Daggrim]

Thanks Frank, I'll check out their sites.

Just a further note on the gun blue. I blued my rivets, and rinsed them well in hot water, but there was a residue left on them. Not wanting to handle that stuff when I was riveting, I waited until they were dry, then I cleaned them like we all clean our chain mail. I put them in a wooden barrel filled with sand, and rolled it up and down the deck of the ship. Well, actually, I put them in some tupperware filled with sand and shook it up, in my kitchen.

Doug

[kfiretwo]

Thanks Frank, I'll check out their sites.

Just a further note on the gun blue. I blued my rivets, and rinsed them well in hot water, but there was a residue left on them. Not wanting to handle that stuff when I was riveting, I waited until they were dry, then I cleaned them like we all clean our chain mail. I put them in a wooden barrel filled with sand, and rolled it up and down the deck of the ship. Well, actually, I put them in some tupperware filled with sand and shook it up, in my kitchen.

Doug

dag

have u tried a direct flame to ur copper n brass it produces some awsome blueing affects

[Daggrim]

Great idea, and it might be faster than the gun blue/sand method. I'll try it this week.

Dag

[celticleather]

I remember bluing some steel objects many years ago in the school engineering workshop. This was achieved by heating the article until it was a dull red, and then quenching in oil or rubbing with an oil-soaked rag. It created a bit of smoke, but was quite effective.

I have since used this method to blue the business end of my homemade stamps, and I have found that it prevents them from rusting or leaving a black mark on cased leather. I'm not sure whether it would be effective on brass or other non-ferrous metals, but it may be worth a try!