This is the press stud on the belt case that I've been carrying around for about 3 years.
The interesting bit is that it's sold as "solid brass", which it is. Kind of.
They start with a cheap brass plate finish, which chips away to reveal a nickel plate finish, which chips away again to reveal the true brass piece underneath.
I can't explain why they do this (to quite a lot of hardware), but it must be cheaper to manufacture them this way for some reason.
Anyway, I was frustrated by this at first, since I really like brass and it's hard to find good hardware, but ultimately I came to really appreciate this layered wear that develops.
My guess is that the nickel prevents the brass from corroding.. Because the additional process like electroplating to coat the brass with nickel actually increases the manufacturing cost.
What we call patina is actually the weakening of material to some. I guess not everyone appreciates Wabi Sabi huh.?
Hardware anyone? (Buttons, rivets, and zippers oh my.)
in superdenim
Posted
My guess is that the nickel prevents the brass from corroding.. Because the additional process like electroplating to coat the brass with nickel actually increases the manufacturing cost.
What we call patina is actually the weakening of material to some.
I guess not everyone appreciates Wabi Sabi huh.?