Aging the hilt of a sword
Hey all,

Well I've used the search engine and can't seem to find anything on aging a sword hilt and pommel. As I stated in a previous thread I picked up a Windlass Classic medieval sword from KOA today and I'm planning to turn it in to my first project sword. Needless to say I've never done anything like this. I'm looking to first refinish the blade to something similar to Albions satin one. Next I'd like to age the cross and pommel. The finally I'm going to re wrap the grip with two risers and cord. The grip wrap is pretty well represented on this and other sites but I can't seem to find anything on light aging of the hilt for a beginner such as myself. Any and all help and suggestions are greatly appreciated including pointing to the article I missed by not using the search function properly. :( Thanks in advance!!
Good info in this article:

[ Linked Image ]
The Instant Antique
A featured article by Sean A. Flynt

Hopefully others will add more advice.
Nathan Robinson wrote:
Good info in this article:

[ Linked Image ]
The Instant Antique
A featured article by Sean A. Flynt

Hopefully others will add more advice.


Thanks man. I've already read that and may give the spray a try. Seems what I've read involves a slight bluing of the hilt to give the desired effect. I'm shooting for more of a been on campaign in the elements look though so the salt spray may be the way.
Mike Capanelli wrote:
Thanks man. I've already read that and may give the spray a try. Seems what I've read involves a slight bluing of the hilt to give the desired effect. I'm shooting for more of a been on campaign in the elements look though so the salt spray may be the way.


No problem.

Another thing you can try is to etch the hilt components first with some form of acid like the kind they use to etch circuit boards. This "roughens" the surface slightly and gives an "antiqued" texture. Take care with the time you leave the acid on before you neutralize it (follow directions) to get the desired amount of the effect. After that, you can use various patination techniques to add color: browning or bluing, for example. And after you do that, use steel wool or a Scotchbrite pad to remove the darkening and bring back the metal color until you like the final appearance.

I've done this to a piece of armour years ago and it turned out very nice. It didn't look like an authentic antique, but it did look "antiqued". Were I to want to make it look like something that was truly aged, I'd bury it in the backyard for awhile and see what happens.

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