new cantle into old cantle

[Joe Gondek]

several years ago I bought three cantles from stillwater kilts they all looked nice and bright like this one


I wanted to antique it and alter it so that it didn't look like everyone else's
when I started to take the shine off the chrome I realized it was made of brass


So I lightly sanded it with 400 grit sandpaper,made a knob for the top. and replaced the center disk with a concho it had on hand

I left a little of the silver color on the cantle in order to give it a silver wash effect that would compliment the silver concho.

This is how it turned out



a comparison picture of the two


Let me know what you think

I'll post a picture of the finished sporran with this cantle soon

[azwildcat96]

The high-gloss silver finish looks cheap to me. I like the brass finish better. And the two-tone (brass and silver) will make it easy to match this sporran to belt buckles, kilt pins or any other accessory you will be wearing with it. Well done! Will you be using a brown leather, or black, or maybe fur?

[Joe Gondek]

I'm making a dark brown bag

[Schiehallion]

Looks very good to me.

I always try to 'antique' a new cantle or belt buckle by using black paint and rubbing it off so it stays in the indentation and thereby giving it a more older look and bringing out the decoration.

[Brian K]

I think it's beautiful. When you're done it will look as though it's been around for years and years. I've seen some lovely silver cantles here but I am more and more impressed with the brass ones I'm seeing. I think it looks really sharp for day wear and it's not something I've seen a lot so maybe it's the difference that appeals to me.

Great job!

[thescot]

That's a very nice looking catle now that you've "aged" it.

I haven't made the first sporran, but I'm studying what you guys are doing as I plan to make one in the future. Picking up on little tricks like that are really helpful, aside from all the ooohs and ahhhs we give.

I would like to have a sporran with a brassy cantle and pig skin bron leather, and this sort of demonstration is quite helpful. Thanks for the photos.

[tyger]

OK Joe! Here is what I would do:

Take that brass cantle out to the marsh (find a grassy spot with deep mud) and bury it about 4 inches deep. Leave it for a month or so. Mark the spot well in a fashion that only you can recognize. Let the copper in the alloy form metal sulfides (Don't bury it 12 inches, that is too deep. Just 4 inches.)

After time has passed, dig it up, bring it home, wash it, dry it, and buff it gently with a ScotchBrite cloth to your idea of perfection.

[MacBean]

I think it looks much nicer. Where did you get the knob by the way?

[Santa Kona]

Very nice indeed.

[Joe Gondek]

I used the top of a Sam Brown button
I used an 8-32 tap and a cut down a bolt