Protecting Brass and Copper rivets from tarnishing

[robs456]

49 minutes ago, z33 said:

benzotriazole
L-cysteine in PEG400
n-acetyl-cysteine
micro-treat
leather-brass interface

Isn't that the recipe for Rock?

I also make belts, mostly in this way:
Get brass buckle
Cut leather strap
Skive buckle end
Punch buckle tongue slot
fold leather around buckle
Sew
wear for a hundred years or more.

Don't overthink stuff too much.

[mikesc]

"Isn't that the recipe for Rock?"
Good thing you are not cooking.. ;)

However..
"Don't overthink stuff too much."

Is true.. :)

[Dwight]

On 4/30/2019 at 1:52 PM, SilverForgeStudio said:

I have searched the archive and potentially am not hitting on the right combination of word or the right wording/phrase- so if this has been covered please let me know and what the proper keywords are and Ill go digging.

Trying to find out if I use brass or copper rod for rivets how to protect the leather from growing a verdigris/tarnish ring from forming.

Figured I would be able to paint the head and shank of the rivet with a bit of clear lacquer or nail polish- or even a disc of light plastic under the head like a washer to isolate the contact?

I have a few ideas I am trying and know I do not need to re-invent the wheel- but I have several pieces I tossed in a box and they all have whitish and green halos around them. And yes it is partly from non use/oiling/polishing or handling...

So Im hoping to avoid it on future projects or at least mitigate it in the meantime!

Absolutely NOTHING you will do will STOP leather from attacking any metal it comes into contact with, . . . with the exception of Gold.  All others will at one degree or another be attacked by the chemicals used in the tanning processes.

Copper is at the top of the list for getting funky fast, . . . iron right behind it, . . . then steel and then brass and aluminum.

You can mitigate it to a certain degree with various coatings, . . . but just remember that you are not going to STOP it altogether.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

[SilverForgeStudio]

4 hours ago, fredk said:

I reckon you are over worried.

Are you wanting your items to last 2 millennia or more?

I think there is a lot of odd information flowing about on the internet. A lot of it is urban-myth. The people propagating this information have never actually experienced what they claim.

I've used brass buckles and loops and rivets with both veg tan and chrome tan leathers for over 20 years and never once have I seen any of these reactions which are claimed by internet worryors

Fred- I have made a couple of items and I do not think it is necessarily the "Ancients " metallurgy- one item I can attribute to being in a salty environment as the cause of the green ring around the rivets.  The other- I am at a puzzle about. Probably sweat- but nonetheless I am suspect the "Quality" of metals items today is more suspect than the leather.

And why not last 2k years! That would be awesome!

I too have items out there for a bit with no visible green ringing- but I am trying to improve and my process in order to move items from a hobby into a craft- potentially Bronze may be the answer I am seeking- Aluminum Bronze is fairly easy to cobble-up in the shop and has a high resistance to corrosion.

On my daily wear the brass is not showing any sign of verdigris- but as I said previous- only 2 or three items have been notably stained. And they are used in marine environments or in a physical environment with sweat.

 

1 hour ago, Dwight said:

Absolutely NOTHING you will do will STOP leather from attacking any metal it comes into contact with, . . . with the exception of Gold.  All others will at one degree or another be attacked by the chemicals used in the tanning processes.

Copper is at the top of the list for getting funky fast, . . . iron right behind it, . . . then steel and then brass and aluminum.

You can mitigate it to a certain degree with various coatings, . . . but just remember that you are not going to STOP it altogether.

Understood- and I appreciate the reply! I am working with a lacquer UNDER the rivet to see how they fare (will not know until after hunting season is over) and I am as well looking into Bronze as it is a bit higher in the corrosive resistance alloys (Aluminum bronze or "Red" bronze).

 

I appreciate all the thoughts and replys! And Fred- I respect your opinion- not trying to anger the ancients... bad ju-ju there! HA! Seriously- thanks!  

Edited September 30, 2019 by SilverForgeStudio

[jrny4wrd]

Maybe a thin rubber washer. 

[TonyV]

I don't worry about it.  The copper rivets I use won't get enough verdi gris to worry about.  With handling and use, the minor amounts of corrosion gets brushed off.  The only time that I have seen big amounts of corrosion on metallic trim on leather is when an article was left wet in a close up container for an extended time.  

Not to mention; when I topcoat my projects, the rivets and snaps get a coat of the finish. 

And ain't veg tan leather tanned with tannic acid ?