How to Make Antique Brass Hardware

Antique reproduction hardware adds a touch of realism.

Finding accurate antique or reproduction hardware can be the most difficult part of refinishing antique furniture. It is the details that count, and bright, shiny new hardware, even on a freshly refinished piece of furniture, can spoil the whole effect. Using new hardware to create your own authentically distressed brass reproduction hardware is a great way to provide a steady supply of furniture hardware for use in your refinishing projects. It can be done with household chemicals and materials that can be purchased from a hardware store.

Things You'll Need

• Hardware
• Mineral spirits
• Steel wool
• Plastic container with lid
• Plywood
• Wood blocks
• Ammonia
• Screwdriver

Instructions

1. Purchase enough hardware in an appropriate style to replace all of the hardware for the piece you are working on. Choose hardware with a true metal finish. Plastic finishes will not respond to the antiquing process. The heavier the hardware, the more convincing the reproduction will be.

2. Bathe your hardware in a pail of mineral spirits for several minutes to break up the gloss on the hardware. Rub the hardware with a piece of quad zero steel wool. Set the hardware on a soft towel to allow the hardware to dry thoroughly.

3. Place 2 cups of clear ammonia in the bottom of a plastic container with a sealable lid. Cut a piece of plywood slightly smaller than the inside of the container. Set two equal size blocks of wood in the bottom of the container and place the plywood on top of the blocks. Place a batch of hardware on top of the plywood and place the top on the container and seal it.

4. Allow the hardware to remain in the container with the ammonia fumes weathering its finish. Replace the ammonia every two hours. Allow each batch of hardware to remain in the container for four hours before trading it out for another group of pieces. The fumes will begin the corrosion process on the hardware finish.

5. Allow the chemicals to dry and apply a coat of dark wax to the hardware to add another layer of patina to the antiquing finish.

6. Attach the aged hardware to the furniture piece. Use a screwdriver to attach the hardware to prevent damage to the screws. Lightly burnish the hardware with metal polish to add realism to your antique finish. Focus your polishing on high points to replicate normal wear.

References

• "Creative Finishes"; Kass Wilson; Sterling Publishing, 2006
• White Chapel Ltd: Antique Brass