Help sourcing Civil War Buckle / Need Help antiquing Brass

[ARES GW]

Mods not sure considered prop or costume please move if need to. Long story short my wife got me hooked watching Bones series via Netflix we watched it everyday until we were current. I noticed a belt buckle Agent Booth was wearing.

I have found a pretty close match via hanoverbrass TGEO-12 and TG-126. I am leaning to more of the 126 being closer to the match in design. I would love to purchase one but the 100+ price tag is out of my range. I did a google search and found a couple but the eagle is looking the other way and the over quality is really poor. I was wondering if anyone here has come across a site that may not make it to the top of google search. Any help would be great!

 

[Bad Wolf]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

you can try Dixie Gun Works, if you haven't already

 

[tk1055]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

Civil War Buckles , Fall Creek Suttlery

1851 U.S. Contact Buckle run you about 35.00

 

[ARES GW]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

Civil War Buckles , Fall Creek Suttlery

1851 U.S. Contact Buckle run you about 35.00

Thanks!

 

[blue2k]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

American Civil War - The Spirit of the OLD WEST - Firearms, swords and civil war collectibles and artifacts

The buckle from the movie seems to have a flatter, less detailed wreath. The originals were also plated.

 

[ARES GW]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

Well I think I found one pretty close to what I was looking for. However I was hoping to age it some to match the screen used buckle. I have read about using ammonia and allowing the fumes to antique it and I believe vinegar works as well.

I am looking to bring out the detail in the design without dulling it down to much or give it a green patina. Any advice would be grateful. This is solid brass I know that makes a big difference.

 

[Serenity]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

Nice find, it's pretty close. Was this a one-off thing or did they have more?

On a similar note, have you ever found anything similar to the dual rifle buckle? (The one worn mostly last season.) I've been looking since the beginning of the season with no luck..

 

[ARES GW]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

Nice find, it's pretty close. Was this a one-off thing or did they have more?

On a similar note, have you ever found anything similar to the dual rifle buckle? (The one worn mostly last season.) I've been looking since the beginning of the season with no luck..

Yes they do have more. I went to hannover brass I picked model TG-126 it was the best match I could find on the site. You will need to request modern backing for the buckle and request not to polish it my first one came aged they way I like it. The first one I received some solder had ran on to the face of the buckle and they sent me a new one out.

I can say Hannover has been one of the best companies that I have dealt with in a long time. My order took longer than usual so they sent me an extra buckle!!

No I have not found the dual rifle one as of yet. Forgot to mention it only set me back $45.

 

[Shylaah]

Re: Help sourcing Civil War Buckle

Well I think I found one pretty close to what I was looking for. However I was hoping to age it some to match the screen used buckle. I have read about using ammonia and allowing the fumes to antique it and I believe vinegar works as well.

I am looking to bring out the detail in the design without dulling it down to much or give it a green patina. Any advice would be grateful. This is solid brass I know that makes a big difference.

The ammonia fumes work well to antique brass. All you need is the ammonia, a plastic or glass container big enough to suspend the buckle in. You can tie a string to the back of the buckle, tie that to Popsicle stick or bamboo skewer and lay across the top of the container, tape down the ends of the stick to the container so your object doesn't "jump in", pour some ammonia in the bottom, seal off the top of the container with some plastic wrap, or tie the whole thing up in a big plastic bag and let it 'fume' for a couple of hours.

Typically the longer you leave it fuming the darker it will get. You will get some green patina, but that is easy to buff off. Make sure you clean the brass really good before fuming to remove any manufacturing oils and such, and if it has a finish on it that will have to be removed before antiquing it.

The darkening will probably be splotchy and you may have to fume it more than once, using fresh ammonia each time and doing this in stages to get the effect you want. When it is approaching as dark as you want the background to be, take it out of it's little fume-room and wash and dry it.

You can then buff the highlights up with some 0000 steel wool and polish it off with a soft clean cloth rub down. You can keep fuming and polishing until you get it looking like you want it. Keep in mind it will continue to darken after you finish it until it is a real mellow and natural looking.

There are also some commercial products out there to antique brass, but I have no experience with them and don't know if they work any better or worse than ye olde garden variety ammonia fuming or not.

Good luck with your project. Be sure to post an after pic!

Shylaah.

 

[ARES GW]

Well here is an update pic. I am not completely happy with it. I can see some parts were the darkening did not take as well. But it is a start.

 

[Arcko]

Thanks for the note on the ammonia, I am utilizing a lot of brass as of late and faux aging it is the perfect solution.

Also, your buckle looks like it's coming along just fine. Maybe just another treatment or two and as they noted, some steel wool or fine grain sandpaper to buff out the highlights.

-Arcko

 

[Moviefreak]

I think it looks wonderful. Good job!!

 

[ARES GW]

Thanks guys! Actually I did not go with ammonia. From what I read ammonia actually weakens the brass I could be wrong tho, it may have meant an ammonia bath and not the fumes. I just didn't want to risk it.

I found a great product that gave me this look in a couple of minutes. Its called Brass Black by Birchwood Casey.

I cleaned the buckle with acetone and then rubbed it on the brass black let it sit for a minute or so and ran it under cool water. I then took a fine steel wool over the top.

I really didn't do anything special on my part..I cheated..:$

 

[Arcko]

Brass Black, huzzah! You just save me a lot of time and potentially saved me from destroying some of the fine, brass sheeting that I work with to make steampunk goodies.

Don't be swayed by purists, a tint or however Brass Black works just fine and saves you time. If someone chastises you for how you created you distressed your brass then they should get their head examined.

-Arcko

 

[ARES GW]

Brass Black, huzzah! You just save me a lot of time and potentially saved me from destroying some of the fine, brass sheeting that I work with to make steampunk goodies.

Don't be swayed by purists, a tint or however Brass Black works just fine and saves you time. If someone chastises you for how you created you distressed your brass then they should get their head examined.

-Arcko

Amazon has it pretty cheap. Search Brass Black it should get you there.

 

[cozz1102]

You can also have a jeweler do it. They actually have a material that they use for doing rings and stuff that will give you a good even antique finish. Wort cast they may charge around $30 for the process but if you go to a local smaller jeweler they will probably give you a break it is pretty easy.

 

[Risu]

The brass black is way cheaper and much easier. I'm not sure if it's the same stuff, but my boss used to have a mason jar full of the stuff and we'd just drop buckles, rivets, and anything else made of brass in for about 10 seconds and by the time we got them out and rinsed them off they were really nicely blackened.

I contacted Hanover about the buckle, still waiting to hear back. I'm a big fan of the show and this buckle is really cool and much less flashy than the one he wears now. I'll post a pic of my belt when it's finished.

 

[punkpigpen]

To antque brass you need to get Brass darkening or antique solution. i belive Rockler Woodworks has it. its fantastic. it turns shiny real brass into an aged relic in 2 seconds. leave it on for 10 seconds and its black so prepare to yank it out fast!!!

 

[Risu]

I FINALLY got my buckle from Hanover Brass (the guy was out for over a month for surgery and then had to catch up), so I'm ready to make the belt. Only thing is, I was trying to find more pictures to get a better idea of the exact details of the holes and belt end and found a couple pictures where he's wearing the dual rifle buckle, but couldn't find any where he's wearing this one.

So Ares, do you happen to know which episodes he wears the eagle buckle, and where did you find the picture in the first post? Was there any more that was cropped off, and if so can you post it? I'd like to see how close the holes get to the end of the belt and how far they continue/if they wrap all the way around the belt back to the buckle. The belt he wears with the rifle buckle is completely different.

 

[Darth Brass]

I'm curious about the crossed rifle buckle too - I have the Cocky buckle, but I'm not confident about wearing it around campus as an adjunct professor. I think I might get booted for that.