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!

[ntex2000]

Here are a few recipes for coloring metals black. Of course, when you place your order for the various chemicals required for the colorization, you'll probably notice strange black helicopters following you from time to time....or end up on a of homeland security watch list ....

Lustrous Black

In a quantity of oil of turpentine, sulphuric acid is poured drop by drop, stirring continually until a precipitate is no longer formed. Then the whole is poured into water, shaken, decanted, and the washing of the precipitate commenced again until blue litmus paper immersed in the water is no longer reddened. The precipitate will thus be completely freed from acid. After having drained it on a cloth, it is ready for use. It is spread on the iron and burned at the fire.

If the precipitate spreads with difficulty over the metal, a little turpentine can be added. It is afterwards rubbed with a linen rag, soaked with linseed oil, until the surface assumes a beautiful lustrous black. This covering is not liable to be detached.

Bluish Black

Make a solution composed of nitric acid, 15 parts; cupric sulphate, 8 parts; alcohol, 20 parts; and water, 125 parts. Spread over the metal when well cleaned and grease removed. Dry and rub with linen rag.

Black

Make a solution composed of cupric sulphate, 80 parts; alcohol, 40 parts; ferric chloride, 30 parts; nitric acid, 20 parts; ether, 20 parts; water, 400 to 500 parts, and pass over the object to be blackened.

Brilliant Black

Boil 1 part of sulphur and 10 parts turpentine oil. A sulphurous oil is obtained of disagreeable odor. Spread this oil with the brush as lightly as possible, and heat the object in the flame of an alcohol lamp until the patina takes the tint desired. This process produces on iron and steel a brilliant black patina, which is extremely solid.

These recipes were obtained from the following links:

http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Henley-s...ing-Metals.html

http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Henley-s...lphuration.html

[tonyc1]

Sounds like something you might add Eye Of Newt to.

Tony.