# Fasteners and Patina



## the tinker (Jul 18, 2015)

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                                                                               Saving every original nut and bolt becomes the rule to anyone working on old bikes.
To me nothing looks worse then seeing a phillips screw or a bright shiny nut on an otherwise old original bike. I used to paint the new fasteners  flat black.
Now before installing new fender rivets or or any fasteners I heat them up with a torch and burn the plating off. Can also dip in acid if you have some . 
Afterwards they can be allowed to "rust" if you need more patina, in a wet rag a few days.
 I used to sand the plating off the face of fender rivets if they had to be painted but the torch method is faster and leaves and more even surface for paint.


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## Vintage Paintworx (Feb 12, 2016)

I soak parts in a rust remover for a day or two, it's pretty effective at removing the zinc finish.


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