Dulling brass rivets

[ruthless]

I bought a pack of brass rivets and a keeper and they're very shiny. I also bought a buckle and two d-rings which are dull. The girl in the shop said it was because they'd been oxidised and the shiny stuff would eventually go the same way. I think it'll look odd to have them all together on a collar. Is there any way to dull down the shiny hardware?

[rdb]

The best thing to do is look to buy both to match. A visual walk through Tandy, or a place close to you will help choose.

I doubt there is any effective manner of buffing out rivets to match a manufactured finish of a product from another company. But, and not seeing the two together, I am guessing a fine steel wool over the top of the rivet MIGHT sort of match the dees. This will be a new one to me, if anyone else has a solution they know works.

[ruthless]

There's no Tandy near me, I'm in Oz. When selecting the hardware I didn't have an option to choose things that matched Someone PMd me and suggested soaking the shiny bits in vinegar for a couple of days.

[rdb]

I would wager that, with vinegar, they blacken, rather than dull.

[ruthless]

I'll take a picture of the buckle next to the keeper and rivets so you can see what I mean.

[DCKNIVES]

You lightly sand the rivets with a 600 grit paper or finer say 1000 grit and it will take the shine down to a satin finish which will patina a little quicker.Dave

[ruthless]

Thanks, that's what my husband suggested, but I didn't believe him!

[Ian]

I would wager that, with vinegar, they blacken, rather than dull.

Dave, that doesn't work - I just tried vinigar on Friday. It left a orange corrosion like stuff on the undersides of the rivets and didn't do much to the shiny finish. When I was much younger I had a job in an art gallery polishing bronze and brass sculpture. It seemed like they tarnished overnight, same thing when I was using brass hardware in my harness making days. But trying to get a fast tarnish on brass when I want it seems near impossible. Ohio travel Bag has high quality antique brass rivets. I think that's the best route - buy them in the finish you want

[tonyc1]

But, are they Brass or just Brass Plated?

[OutBackP]

At a guess I would say they are brass plated and the orange colour is the beginning of rust. If you wanted to experiment you could try ammonia vapor, leaving them in urine or in a compost bin.

Not sure if this would work for plated stuff though. Often brass has a clear lacquer coating and this needs to be removed first.