HOW TO: Polish solid brass snaps and solid copper rivets

[howlback]

I want to learn how to do this. Apparently, Ship John grinds and polishes each one of their snaps/rivets but won't get into detail about how it's done. Any ideas?

[harryhorse]

Hi John,

I polish lots of copper and brass in my jewelry and larger pieces.  After I file and rough edges *which you probably won't have on rivet caps*, I  start with a soft brass brush, a green scrubby and borax and rinse.  Then I will use various sandpaper grits starting with 400 and working up to some of the higher ones 1200-2000 fabric they use on airplane windows and things.  After that I charge my buffer with polishing material like Zam for copper bits and Fabuluster for brass/sterling.  My buffer is super fast and will give a great shine, but these look like they are machined to get the concentric circles.  Eventually, however, the metal finish will oxidize and turn a bit darker, depending on use.

Did you try to see if the Buckle Guy website has any already turned like this?  I can take some of my rivet caps and show a comparison when I'm finished mowing-the endless growing green pastures.......

Dinah

[Aven]

The copper rivet looks like it was chucked into a hand drill and polished.

[DarkGoku]

lightly chuck it up to a drill and spin it over 220, 400, 800 grit sand paper.

[jimi]

5 minutes ago, Aven said:

The copper rivet looks like it was chucked into a hand drill and polished.

Yep, that looks like what he has done.

[howlback]

Thanks everyone, I literally just stuck a line 20 cap in the end of a little ryobi drill and spun it on a piece of sandpaper. Done!

[DarkGoku]

5 minutes ago, howlback said:

Thanks everyone, I literally just stuck a line 20 cap in the end of a little ryobi drill and spun it on a piece of sandpaper. Done!

Awesome to hear it

[harryhorse]

Here are a few quick photos of copper rivet heads.  The first shows the one on the left I have used some of my flat jewelry files on to start, just to get the surface even, the next one is after I sanded with 120-1200 grit, and buffed it, and the last one just shows a clearer photo of the surface.  The rivets available now are so poorly made-and punched out on an assembly line, and you can see this when you are filing down the surface because there is a decided crown in the center.  Years ago I got a bag of copper rivets from a farrier in the UK.  I used them up over the years, but they were incredibly good copper and polished up a treat-The nice thing now is that the washers are smooth to begin with, so depending on which orientation you want the rivet, it can still look nice and smooth without too much work.  Sometimes I want the pounded over shaft to be on the outside and will file and polish that as well.  I don't want any rough or sharp edges, one of the first things I learned when I learned about metal working.  It took me a good year filing and polishing/finishing *no machines* but you can use that in so many other work as well like furniture and leatherwork.  

 

Hmm, won't let me upload them.  Let me see if I can just get one and downsize it.

YAY John!  It's great when we can find a 'work around'.

[seabee]

Brasso and a cloth

Seabee

[TLP]

I would start with 320 grit sandpaper then go to the buffer with bobbing compound, then tripoli compound and finish up with red rouge compound  

[kiwican]

1 hour ago, seabee said:

Brasso and a cloth

Seabee

Lol I can tell you were military in a former life.