Comments on: Aging Hardware with Jax Chemicals

By: miathet

miathet — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:31:50 +0000

This site is amazing. I love the door screws and will use them on my next project.

Alan

By: Gary Smyth

Gary Smyth — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:31:36 +0000

Mr. Schwartz
Twice now you have referred to the “Smythe disclaimer” in your blog. This stems no doubt from my comments earlier concerning the true cost of your building (and outfitting)campaign furniture. I’m somewhat flattered by your persistance in continuing your “truth in purchasing” disclaimer with reference to me – however sardonic. Still, if it is your intention to continue using a named disclaimer I would appreciate it if you had the courtesy to spell my name correctly. My name is spelled Smyth, not Smythe.
Gary Smyth, Ph.D.

By: rfarnell

rfarnell — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:52:49 +0000

Some good ideas. I’ve just been using muriatic acid to remove whatever coating is on iron parts then leaving them in salty water for a few days. The rust is very real. You have to move the parts around in the water a few times because they don’t like to rust as quickly when they are under water so I leave them half covered then shake them around after a few hours. Not sure what this would do to brass, etc.

By: toms

toms — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:27:58 +0000

I know one woodworker who takes his screws to attach table tops and puts them in a 1 lb coffee can, and puts the can in the middle of either his fireplace fire in winter, or a campfire/firepit if its not winter. Burns all the crud off the hardware, and the screws look like they are 200 years old.

By: GregM

GregM — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:03:07 +0000

Here’s how I age my hardware: I wait.
Here’s how I distress my furniture: I use it.

I realize this is a much bigger and more convoluted subject than just those two simple and provocative statements. Mike Dunbar wrote a series of articles on this subject for PWM about a year or two ago, and I respect each and everyone’s right to do what ever they think best (“Disobey me” – heard that before?), but – in my opinion – badly done fake distressing/aging looks a *lot” worse than bright and shiny.

Another thought – if your brand new Windsor chair/campaign chest/outhouse looks 200 years old now, what’s it going to look like in 200 years time?

By: BLZeebub

BLZeebub — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:02:45 +0000

I’ve had good luck with several proprietary products from Birchwood-Casey and plain old lye. They’re treating lye like antihistamines nowadays so you have to have someone go into the back of the store to get it and you have to sign something that says you are NOT a meth lab owner. But it’s worth it and lye will remove pitch off blades better than ANYTHING else on the planet. Learned that from my commercial sharpening service.

The lye will turn brass dark and will burnish out using 0000 steel wool to reveal some really nice blues to browns and even a little purple in between the highlights or brass. Schweeeet.

By: RIVERCRUISER

RIVERCRUISER — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:55:21 +0000

” (Smythe disclaimer here, blah, blah, blah)” lol…

By: lclement4

lclement4 — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:08:45 +0000

Chris,

I’m so relieved to know you used your own money!

Leslie

By: rbb5280

rbb5280 — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:50:07 +0000

Hey Chris,

In addition to the plastic/lacquer/clear coating, the Jax solution may not penetrate the nickel/zinc plating well. The description on the Jax website does not specifically mention nickel for their “Brown” product, but it does for the “Pewter Black” (maybe others too?). So, maybe just selecting a different Jax solution would work better?

Russ

By: Bernie

Bernie — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:40:47 +0000

Hey Chris,
I’m surprised you haven’t found this hardware supply:

http://www.blacksmithbolt.com/index.html

They carry NO hex head, Phillips or zinc plated crap. They have bronze screws and IRON rivets.
Now you can FINALLY stop peeing on your hardware, next we’ll work on quitting that nail-biting.