any ideas on how i could make a metal buckle look aged?

[sparrowfan]

i have a metal buckle that is quite clean
any ideas on how i could make a metal buckle look aged? vintage? old?
i'm having some trouble. :confused

this is what i'm trying to patina, aged,
this is toby's picture,
mine is basically that, but clean metallic finish

 

[robstyle]

what metal is it?
Silver, pot metal, gold, brass...

 

[sparrowfan]

to be honest, i really have no clue. lol
probably pewter

 

[robstyle]

I would give it a light sanding, maybe make a couple gouges in it and soften any sharp edges. You could use wood toners, powders sealed with matte finish, paints sealed with a laquer...

 

[Ramiel]

Acrylic paint, and then a protective clear coat...
Good luck with your Santa's buckle.

 

[TheSt.LouisKid]

Call your local jewelry supply store. They should have something to antique it. I did some lost wax a few years ago and the guy at the store had stuff to do that.

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Pick up a bottle of Sophisticated Finishes antiquing solution. It is available at Michaels and I THINK Home Depot. Apply it to metal and within minutes you get REAL rust or patina (depending on type of metal) Very cool.

 

[Patattack]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BlindSquirrel @ Mar 8 2007, 12:11 AM) [snapback]1434427[/snapback]</div>

Pick up a bottle of Sophisticated Finishes antiquing solution. It is available at Michaels and I THINK Home Depot. Apply it to metal and within minutes you get REAL rust or patina (depending on type of metal) Very cool.
[/b]

That sounds excellent. I might have to give that a try myself...

 

[robstyle]

if thats all you want to do, get some acrylic paints at Michaels or similar crafts store. Hell, you may be able to score a kids set of acrylic paints at the dollar store. Once you get the colors and dried finish your after, seal it with some matte finish.
Paint it on thick, wash it down to do it quick.

 

[tk8456]

A littre trick I experimented with a while back was to to mix matt black paint with some bronze and let it dry. Just before it goes rock solid, mix it up again so it becomes tacky.
Smear it on certain places with a cloth. Looks exactly like years old dirt gathered into crevices

 

[Gigatron]

Usually any place that sells craft items (Micheal's, Joanne's, A.C. Moore, etc) has faux antiquing solutions for all types of metal finishes.

-Fred

 

[cloudborn]

Your best bet is to go to your local arts & crafts store as others have mentioned. I have seen several different weathering and patina faux finish kits.

Or, you might also try weathering it yourself but covering it with a "black wash" (2 parts thinner, 1 part flat black enamel paint), do the same with some "green wash" but not as heavy as the black and then cover the buckle with a dull coat spray. Rub some of the dull coat off on the high edges after about 30 minutes dry time.

 

[IGNITERS]

gun blueing may help as well .....and unlike most paint it does not hide the metal underneath ....worth a shot anyway ,good luck.