Howdy folks! You may remember FeloniousMonk from such pointless threads as:
From the Bronzo patination, anyone who was able to stay awake through all that drivel may recall that FeloniousMonk's ebay-acquired bronze buckle had less than satisfactory results from the liver of sulfur treatment.
Contrast this with the barely recognizable, charred hull of the KW case after being brushed with FeloniousMonk's unholy concoction of super-concentrated liver of sulfur...
Why then the discrepancy between the two? Both were bronze after all, and FeloniousMonk had cleaned the buckle with acetone to strip away any protective lacquer. High heat was tried, soaking overnight in liver of sulfur was tried, a saltwater bath was tried, but the buckle just wouldn't tarnish. Perhaps it was no typical bronze? Bronze is an alloy, a mixture of two or more metals; usually about 88% copper and 12% tin, but sometimes other substances are added to give it different properties. Maybe this buckle was made from aluminum bronze? Aluminum bronze is 5-11% aluminum (the remainder being mostly copper, along with small amounts of other metals) and is valued for its corrosion and tarnish resistance. Trouble was, corroding and tarnishing it was precisely what FeloniousMonk had in mind!
A google search turned up no alternate buckles that really had the desired look. Most were far too large, with a propensity to overpower the watch. Some had mermaids, dragons, sharks, or other added decorations. FeloniousMonk searched for a simple, reasonably sized, plain bronze buckle, but what he really wanted was a buckle exactly like he had, just in a bronze that would tarnish.
Sometimes in life, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. Sometimes you have to take the initiative and grab the bull by the horns. This was just such a time. With the intrepid spirit of his adventurous forebears, FeloniousMonk set out to hand-make his own bronze buckle. One of the oldest and most repeatable ways of crafting in metal is lost-wax casting, dating to at least 3700 B.C. Lost-wax casting is a process whereby a duplicate metal piece is cast from an original. The first step was to make the wax mold.
Centrifugal casting uses natural centrifugal force to rapidly sling the molten bronze into the investment mold. The investment mold was placed on one side of the centrifuge, adjacent to the crucible, and opposite a counterweight. It is important that the investment mold still be hot from the oven, lest the bronze cool too quickly and not fully fill the mold. Like Goldilocks though, it cannot be too hot or the bronze will solidify with air bubbles inside, creating porous and weak buckles.
Now began a marathon session of filing, shaping, finishing, and polishing of Herculean proportion. For patination, a DILUTE solution of liver of sulfur was prepared. One small drop of the concentrated gel was added to 5 ounces of hot water. The solution was then brushed repeatedly over the buckle. This was a slow process, but allowed for great control over the color and degree of tarnish.
Once the desired look was achieved, the buckle was lightly cleaned and inspected...
Not bad! But to the discerning eye of FeloniousMonk, it could use a bit more effect. Back to more brushing and tarnishing before it was installed on the strap...
And the glamour shot...
The flip side...
- FeloniousMonk's Adventures in Bronzo Patination
- FeloniousMonk's Strap Stitch Darkening Tutorial
- Any of a number of asinine sales posts peddling his useless junk!
From the Bronzo patination, anyone who was able to stay awake through all that drivel may recall that FeloniousMonk's ebay-acquired bronze buckle had less than satisfactory results from the liver of sulfur treatment.
Before...
After...
After...
Contrast this with the barely recognizable, charred hull of the KW case after being brushed with FeloniousMonk's unholy concoction of super-concentrated liver of sulfur...
Why then the discrepancy between the two? Both were bronze after all, and FeloniousMonk had cleaned the buckle with acetone to strip away any protective lacquer. High heat was tried, soaking overnight in liver of sulfur was tried, a saltwater bath was tried, but the buckle just wouldn't tarnish. Perhaps it was no typical bronze? Bronze is an alloy, a mixture of two or more metals; usually about 88% copper and 12% tin, but sometimes other substances are added to give it different properties. Maybe this buckle was made from aluminum bronze? Aluminum bronze is 5-11% aluminum (the remainder being mostly copper, along with small amounts of other metals) and is valued for its corrosion and tarnish resistance. Trouble was, corroding and tarnishing it was precisely what FeloniousMonk had in mind!
A google search turned up no alternate buckles that really had the desired look. Most were far too large, with a propensity to overpower the watch. Some had mermaids, dragons, sharks, or other added decorations. FeloniousMonk searched for a simple, reasonably sized, plain bronze buckle, but what he really wanted was a buckle exactly like he had, just in a bronze that would tarnish.
Sometimes in life, if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. Sometimes you have to take the initiative and grab the bull by the horns. This was just such a time. With the intrepid spirit of his adventurous forebears, FeloniousMonk set out to hand-make his own bronze buckle. One of the oldest and most repeatable ways of crafting in metal is lost-wax casting, dating to at least 3700 B.C. Lost-wax casting is a process whereby a duplicate metal piece is cast from an original. The first step was to make the wax mold.
A sprue was prepared to make a channel for the wax to flow...
The sprue and the original buckle were then placed in the rubber...
Rubber was added on top...
The rubber was vulcanized to make the wax mold...
And then the mold was cut open...
The space the wax would fill...
The wax was heated and pressurized...
And injected into the mold. With a high spoilage rate due to bubbles and incomplete filling, many waxes were made to find a few that were usable...
Several waxes were fitted together to fill the flask. This increased the efficiency of the casting process...
The flask was filled with 'investment'. Investment is a plaster-of-paris type of powdery material. It was mixed in precise proportion with water. The filled flask was placed on a vacuum table to draw air bubbles out of the investment as it cured...
The wax was then burned, vaporized, out of the investment. This left a negative imprint of the wax buckles in the now rock-hard investment...
Now to cast in metal, FeloniousMonk chose to use silicon bronze. Silicon bronze is an alloy known for its easy pouring and good casting characteristics. Plus, it tarnishes in such a way as would complement the color of the patinated 382 replica...
The sprue and the original buckle were then placed in the rubber...
Rubber was added on top...
The rubber was vulcanized to make the wax mold...
And then the mold was cut open...
The space the wax would fill...
The wax was heated and pressurized...
And injected into the mold. With a high spoilage rate due to bubbles and incomplete filling, many waxes were made to find a few that were usable...
Several waxes were fitted together to fill the flask. This increased the efficiency of the casting process...
The flask was filled with 'investment'. Investment is a plaster-of-paris type of powdery material. It was mixed in precise proportion with water. The filled flask was placed on a vacuum table to draw air bubbles out of the investment as it cured...
The wax was then burned, vaporized, out of the investment. This left a negative imprint of the wax buckles in the now rock-hard investment...
Now to cast in metal, FeloniousMonk chose to use silicon bronze. Silicon bronze is an alloy known for its easy pouring and good casting characteristics. Plus, it tarnishes in such a way as would complement the color of the patinated 382 replica...
Centrifugal casting uses natural centrifugal force to rapidly sling the molten bronze into the investment mold. The investment mold was placed on one side of the centrifuge, adjacent to the crucible, and opposite a counterweight. It is important that the investment mold still be hot from the oven, lest the bronze cool too quickly and not fully fill the mold. Like Goldilocks though, it cannot be too hot or the bronze will solidify with air bubbles inside, creating porous and weak buckles.
The bronze was heated to a red hot molten state inside its crucible and the centrifuge was engaged...
After air cooling, the investment was quenched in water and dissolved...
Looking a little crispy, the buckles were covered in fire scale...
A bath in hot pickling solution would take that right off...
The bronze tree o' buckles was carefully inspected with a 10x loupe. The fleetest, swiftest, most genetically perfect buckle was chosen and cut off from the weaker specimens...
After air cooling, the investment was quenched in water and dissolved...
Looking a little crispy, the buckles were covered in fire scale...
A bath in hot pickling solution would take that right off...
The bronze tree o' buckles was carefully inspected with a 10x loupe. The fleetest, swiftest, most genetically perfect buckle was chosen and cut off from the weaker specimens...
Now began a marathon session of filing, shaping, finishing, and polishing of Herculean proportion. For patination, a DILUTE solution of liver of sulfur was prepared. One small drop of the concentrated gel was added to 5 ounces of hot water. The solution was then brushed repeatedly over the buckle. This was a slow process, but allowed for great control over the color and degree of tarnish.
Once the desired look was achieved, the buckle was lightly cleaned and inspected...
Not bad! But to the discerning eye of FeloniousMonk, it could use a bit more effect. Back to more brushing and tarnishing before it was installed on the strap...
And the glamour shot...
The flip side...
