Aging brass

[MaX]

I just fell over this site, which has a couple of ideas on how to age brass. They sound pretty good, so once I've dragged my belt buckle around in dirt, sand and stones I'll try some of it out.

Hope the link can help others, too.

If you try it, please post pictures! I will!

Here it is.

[Pennsylvania Jones]

I'll be sure to try it once I get my Indy Web Belts.

Steven

[MaX]

It sure isn't the most expensive place to start...! When will you be starting your outfit?

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Oh, I don't know. Probably when I stop growing. That way, I can get my gear and not have to worry about buying more gear just because I outgrew my old stuff. That, and my family is inching its way out of a financial crisis. And I don't have a job. I don't wanna have to ask my parents or my older sister for money.

Steven

[MaX]

Yesterday I tried an aging method on my belts. One solid brass, one plated. I sanded them with some coarse grained sand paper, then put them in a solution of vinegar and salt for an hour, then baked them at 450 for 20 mins and then carefully sanded them with fine grained sand paper. I'm Not sure the bath did anything. At least the parts that still had some salt flakes on them when they went in the oven didn't get much color.

[Noah]

Nice job! Putting them in the oven is a new one for me.

[zmarty]

yeah, most buckles come with a coating on them. my guess is that it would loosen the coating to get deeper to the brass itself so the sand paper can do its job. very nice. post some gear pics with them to see how they look with the full get-up

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Personally, I'd just stick with the simpler distressing methods. Washing & wadding the jacket, squashing the hat, being dragged behind a truck in my gear, etc.

Steven

[Capt. Zak]

I have a couple buckles soaking in a vinegar solution as I type this. I'll see what happens to them in the morning. One I heat treated first with a torch, then sanded the "coating" off. The other went right into the vinegar solution as is.