HC009 Report post Posted September 28, 2014 Hi, I have seen people's leather work using black leather and all their hardware, the metal bits are black. Does anyone know of how to do this or can I just use a good enamel black spray paint. I am just thinking, how do you get a paint that does not rub off the hardware as it's shiny metal? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramrod Report post Posted September 28, 2014 you wont find a paint that will adhere properly. buckles take too much abuse. ive seen black hardware too. im guessing its a coating of sorts? powder coating maybe?its very tough and you can get it in about a million colors. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
karma Report post Posted September 28, 2014 I found black rivets and other hardware on ebay/amazon while putting together a costume for dragoncon, they were pretty cheap. I cheated on the buckles though. Had some brass plated buckles, I sand blasted them, and enamel rattle canned them. Held up great but it was only for 4-5 days of use (still look like the day I painted them). Wouldn't want to risk the wear and tear on a longer project though. Powder coating is pretty durable, would be the way to go, but I dont have an oven yet. If you are trying to color something already in place, it may be pretty tough to pull off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Bill46 Report post Posted October 4, 2014 I'm no expert here by any means, But I'll make a guess, That they may have been factory anodized during fabrication ????. Wild Bill46 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Colt W Knight Report post Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) The vast majority of your inexpensive hardware is simply painted with epoxy enamel paint. If you prep the surface you intend to paint properly, it's pretty good stuff. There are lot of different epoxy enamels, and you can buy them in a lot of different forms. Sherwin Williams sells it as Polane or heavy equipment/tractor paint, gun refinishers use Dura Coat, and you can buy it at the hard ware store as appliance epoxy enamel, I believe it's made by rustoleum. Lots of other manufacturers and trade names as well. If you decide to do it yourself, you need to scuff up the surface really well so it will hold the paint. Clean thoroughly, then spray on the enamel. You can let it air dry, but it will fully cure and be harder if you bake it. 170 for 30-45 minutes will do the trick. Edited October 5, 2014 by Colt W Knight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Colt W Knight Report post Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) ...double post.... Edited October 5, 2014 by Colt W Knight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan28 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) I tried painting and didn't prep it properly, ie good primer. So of course it flaked off. I since bought a powder coating gun from Eastwood and a small toaster oven and now I get just about any color hardware I want. Powder coat rapid and double cap rivets and then set them, no problem. Powder coating is super strong and isn't going to chip from a few hammer hits. Don't think I could do this with actual copper rivets, due to the way they work since you have to deform them in the setting, but I like the way they look as is. You can also do a search for a website, Strapworks. They sell some powder coated hardware you can use like d rings and slides. For reference, every piece of hardware on this was probably nichol plated, except for the little accent concho on the flap, think it was antique nichol. I powder coated it all, rivets, d rings, bag feet, buckles and the concho an antique copper. Edited October 13, 2014 by Dan28 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan28 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 Forgot to add the picture I was talking about in the post above. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HC009 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) Fantastic bag! Where do you buy the paint colours from and what if I wanted to do a pale blue could I do it? Edited October 13, 2014 by heavenlychoirs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan28 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 Fantastic bag! Where do you buy the paint colours from and what if I wanted to do a pale blue could I do it? Thanks. The black dye is Fiebings Professional Oil Dye. The reddish dye is Fiebings Ox Blood (just regular, not "Professional Oil Dye") I ordered them from Springfield Leather who is a sponsor on this site, so you will probably see their banner ads at the top of the page pretty regularly. I'm guessing by the way you spell "colours" you may be outside of the US, so shipping costs may be prohibitive for you, (though Springfield does offer international shipping). I buy the dye I use a lot in larger quantities because it is much much cheaper that way, or instance a 32 oz. bottle vs a 4 oz bottle is probably only about four times the cost, but you get eight times the amount. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HC009 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 Ha,ha! the 32oz bottle versus the 4oz bottle I have just figured it out myself - you get 8 x the amount. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
