I ordered a bronze belt hook from raymond's quiet press, in order to put together a la tene sword suspension system. I also ordered 3 more bronze rings from a marine distributor to complete the belt. The two colors are very different and I am wondering if someone can tell me how I might be able to get them to match better. Is there a finish or coating I can put on it to make the color look more similar? And if so, which would it work better on... the belt hook on the left? or the other 3 rings (example on right)? Thanks tons.

Actually, the only way out is to cover them with a thin layer of another metal - now it is called galvanization.
You may make a copper plating, chrome plating, silvering or guilding.
Copper plating in your case seems the most proper.

Of course it works if there are some makers in your area who do that.

You could try antiquing them as well. Either with heat or with a compound like Birchwood Casey "Brass Black". Do it to all of the rings, and they should darken up and be more similar in appearance. Of course if you want them shiny, you'd have to have them plated. Have you tried polishing them? That might make them more similar in color as well.

Hope that helps,
Alan

Thanks gang. I might try polishing just to see what it will do. If that does'nt do much I might just leave it. At least the 3 rings match, and it's just the toggle that is a lil' different. It might not look that bad in the end.

I know some guys who swear by a urine patina, and that might help you here. Heat the rings up to about 300 degrees in your oven, and then (while standing upwind) drop them into a container of urine. They should patina up nicely, and then you can polish them to acheive a more uniform finish. I have not tried it myself, but have seen some nice results from folks who claim to use the process described.

Shine 'em up and use them as is! There were always differences in alloys back then, so having a belt with fittings of different colors is completely accurate.

Vale,

Matthew

I think you have a bronze casting and a brass ring. Commercially available harness rings like that are typically brass not bronze. The will look different no matter how you treat them, even aging with Liver of sulphur. Buff them up and don't worry about it, as Matthew suggests. Unless the findings are cast at the same time with the same alloy, batches won't match perfectly. It is more likely that medieval cast findings would match since most artifacts seem to be from sets. We don't necessarily have the luxury of sourcing all our parts in one place today.