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Post by nebrunner on Dec 8, 2008 17:25:36 GMT -5
I have a brand new belt from Todd's and wow that sucker is shiny! Did you guys do anything to yours to make it look beaten up?
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Post by GCR on Dec 12, 2008 16:32:58 GMT -5
Trusty old sandpaper is all I used. I believe it was a combination of chemicals AND abbrasives that gave the original film used costume pieces their "worn" look. Noel Howard used to offer this same distressed version when he was selling gear, but sandpaper alone can give you a pretty good "worn" look.
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Post by Kaplan on Dec 18, 2008 9:29:54 GMT -5
I've heard that filling a jar with water, and some salt & vinegar. and letting the buckle sit in it for a while will give you good results.
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Post by Kt. Templar on Dec 18, 2008 9:59:52 GMT -5
The web belt buckles come with a protective varnish. You can remove it with acetone or very fine sandpaper/a scotchbrite. It will then take a while to dull down by itself, or try one of the above techniques.
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Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 18, 2008 12:08:17 GMT -5
The web belt buckles come with a protective varnish. You can remove it with acetone or very fine sandpaper/a scotchbrite. It will then take a while to dull down by itself, or try one of the above techniques. That's what we used to do in the Army with our brass apparel pins and buckles.
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Post by Ragingblues on Dec 18, 2008 13:30:35 GMT -5
I've heard that filling a jar with water, and some salt & vinegar. and letting the buckle sit in it for a while will give you good results. Sounds like a good recipe for a dill pickle too. Ken
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Post by Kt. Templar on Dec 18, 2008 16:29:24 GMT -5
MMM pickles! You know the US tradition of giving you pickle spears with a sandwich is something I love. Nothing like that here, you get pickled onions with a ploughmans lunch and that is excellent, but the other pickles here are fierce! beetroot, gerkins... eggs!
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Post by Desert Dweller on Dec 18, 2008 17:38:50 GMT -5
MMM pickles! You know the US tradition of giving you pickle spears with a sandwich is something I love. Nothing like that here, you get pickled onions with a ploughmans lunch and that is excellent, but the other pickles here are fierce! beetroot, gerkins... eggs! gosh i miss the UK. Haven't been there since 2004. must go soon..
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Post by nebrunner on Dec 29, 2008 10:32:07 GMT -5
I took a piece of fine grit sandpaper to it lightly last night, all that seemed to do was scratch it up with fine scratches. Maybe that was the goal though, I am not sure.
I then stuck it in a solution of vinegar and salt where it has been floating all night, that doesn't seem to have done anything but maybe it takes longer?
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Post by alkalijones on Jan 5, 2009 10:42:01 GMT -5
Hey all, Ok, so I tried the salt/ vinegar idea. I have a plated buckle. First I used lacquer thinner to remove the varnish from the buckle. Next, I tried using peroxide as an oxidizer. It worked ok, it brought out some strange colors from the steel I think, anyway, it looked cool, but not distressed, and certainly not any less shiny. So, I tried the salt/ vinegar method. I used about a teaspoon of salt and maybe a quarter of a cup of vinegar, then, a half-cup of water. I threw in the buckle and left it over night. In the morning, I had a copper buckle! Something in that combination of stuff must have pulled the zinc out. Guess I’ll get a solid brass buckle and start over. Dan S
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Post by alkalijones on Jan 25, 2009 7:33:40 GMT -5
Hey All, You can all relax, it turned back to brass again. Don't know much about chemistry... It's still very shiny though, and not very distressed looking. Oh well. Dan S
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Post by woodcrafter on Feb 12, 2009 21:01:55 GMT -5
Take a coffee can and fill it with some good old ammonia. use a piece of wire poked through the plastic lid...and suspend the brass from the wire...do not put it in the ammonia. Check on it after a few hours...or a day. If it was cleaned well before suspending it, it should turn a nice black color and then you can buff off some of the black where you want.
Cheers
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Post by alkalijones on Feb 14, 2009 0:53:21 GMT -5
Hey woodcrafter,
You've tried this?
Dan S
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Post by woodcrafter on Feb 14, 2009 10:04:37 GMT -5
Dan, Yep...works pretty well. We do it when building cabinets or jewelry boxes to get away from the bright brass look. Just suspend the buckle over the ammonia.....and let chemistry take its course. When you get the look you want...then hit it with a little clear finish!
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Post by Havana on Feb 26, 2009 8:40:39 GMT -5
Hotrodders and some professional bike builders use Scotch Brite pads to dull down chrome and give it a nice satin finish. This would probably work on brass too. Just move it back and forth in a single direction for a uniform finish.
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Capt. Zak
Temple Guard
Only a pimp in a cheap New Orleans wh*re house would carry a pearl handled pistol!
Posts: 176
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Post by Capt. Zak on Jan 10, 2011 22:44:33 GMT -5
I used a Scotch pad on a buckle just now and it's a nice shiney silver under the gold paint. ;D
I just trashed three buckles tonight. LOL
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stargate
Treasure Seeker
BSc Arch Sci, Dip PAS
Posts: 484
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Post by stargate on Jan 11, 2011 5:44:41 GMT -5
Just wear the belt in all weathers - it'll distress itself My web belt is about 6-7 years old now, and the topside that faces on to my stomach has got some nice 'distressing' to it, as it has rubbed and worn against me The main colour of the buckle is a brushed silver, but this 'distressed' area is a nice worn-brown colour. Be *very* careful when using chemicals to distress metal though - you can go too far, and cause irrevocable damage to the structure of the metal! Be sure to only follow supported advice on distressing methods, as some DIY methods may cause unnaturally short use-life
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Capt. Zak
Temple Guard
Only a pimp in a cheap New Orleans wh*re house would carry a pearl handled pistol!
Posts: 176
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Post by Capt. Zak on Jan 11, 2011 10:30:35 GMT -5
Well last night I took my shiney silver buckle and soaked it in vinegar, water & salt over night. I woke up this morning and there was no change. So, this morning I: 1. Gave it a satin finish by using a Scotch pad. 2. Soaked it for 2 hours in paracetic acid (this turned the buckle cloudy) 3. Washed and added gun bluing in all the low spots of the buckle. 4. Baked it in an ove at 450 degrees for 40 minutes. The result...
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