De-farbing a Civil War belt buckle

[BillinOregon]

Somewhere along the line I picked one of the classic oval US belt buckles made of some kind of brass or brass-like alloy. As with so many things in our modern world, this has the dreadful greenish so-called "antique" finish. My question is whether there might be some legitimate yellow brass hiding under the finish, and if so are there any easy methods for removing the green cast?

 

[64Springer]

0000...

Or paint stripper and 0000.

 

[Dude]

I guess the first step is determining whether it's steel or brass. Does a magnet stick? If not, then it's probably brass, not aluminum, which would feel lighter.

Paint remover should get rid of the coating.

 

[BillinOregon]

No, it is not steel. I will try some stripper on it and see what happens.

 

[BillinOregon]

Actually, I worked it over a bit with 0000 steel wool, the 0000 bronze not doing much, and got a nice improvement.
I am pretty sure it was on this very site some years ago that this business of antiquing brass came up and a consistent answer was "take it outside and pee on it for a few days."

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Wonder if you put it in a brass cartridge case tumbler?

 

[maillemaker]

If it's actual brass, I'd just polish it with some Brasso or other metal polish.

 

[64Springer]

RE #6.

The buckle would just lay there.

Cases tumble to get cleaned.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Well I never said it was a good idea….

 

[maillemaker]

RE #6.

The buckle would just lay there.

Cases tumble to get cleaned.

Maybe in a vibratory tumbler, but in my rotary tumbler, that sucker would be tumbling!

 

[appalichian hunter]

Good quality brass polish and elbow grease.

 

[Whitworth]

Polish it up, degrease it and lay it in the bottom of the toilet tank where it won't interfere the with operation for a couple of weeks. The frequently changing water will give a nice patina. Check it now and then to achieve the tone you want. Then you can lightly buff the high portions with your fingers to add "handling" wear. I did this on a reproduction of a CW buckle too valuable to display openly with my other dug relics. BTW if your buckle has "HBF" on the back it came from Hanover Brass Foundry.

 

[Eras Gone]

An original was a brass “skin” filled with lead on the back side. This was true for buckles, box plates and breast plates

 

[Jay Templin]

Best thing I’ve found for cleaning copper and brass is cheap hot sauce. Grab a bottle at the dollar store.
Jay

 

[springfield art]

Some of the replicas are cast of a cheap pot metal. The high quality ones that re-enactors use, with the genuine brass stamping and real lead fill, are the best yet not all that expensive. Around 1960, they came out with copies of US and CSA buckles that were pot metal, and mine, which I got back then as a kid, "crazed" and cracked apart simply from aging, not use.

 

[springfield art]

Best thing I’ve found for cleaning copper and brass is cheap hot sauce. Grab a bottle at the dollar store.
Jay

Amazing! Who'da thunk?

 

[BillinOregon]

Paint stripper didn't do much, maybe helped a smidge. More polishing with 0000 is doing more. This thing only takes a 1 1/2-inch belt, so will always be "farb." No matter, as I am not a CW re-enactor.