diff --git a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
index 890d57941f..5c523ae7ad 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
@@ -997,13 +997,15 @@ $MES -e '(mescc)' module/mescc.scm -- \"$@\"
     (inherit binutils)
     (name "binutils-mesboot0")
     (version "2.14")
-    (source (origin
-              (method url-fetch)
-              (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/binutils/binutils-"
-                                  version ".tar.gz"))
-              (sha256
-               (base32
-                "1w8xp7k44bkijr974x9918i4p1sw4g2fcd5mxvspkjpg38m214ds"))))
+    (source (bootstrap-origin
+             (origin
+               (method url-fetch)
+               (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/binutils/binutils-"
+                                   version ".tar.gz"))
+               (sha256
+                (base32
+                 "1w8xp7k44bkijr974x9918i4p1sw4g2fcd5mxvspkjpg38m214ds"))
+               (patches (search-patches "binutils-2.14-deterministic-ar.patch")))))
     (inputs '())
     (propagated-inputs '())
     (native-inputs (%boot-tcc-inputs))
diff --git a/gnu/packages/patches/binutils-2.14-deterministic-ar.patch b/gnu/packages/patches/binutils-2.14-deterministic-ar.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7f9310e994
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gnu/packages/patches/binutils-2.14-deterministic-ar.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+Old binutils do not have support for creating deterministic archives.
+Backported from upstream commit 36e4dce69dd23bea9ea2258dea35f034b6d6351c
+
+Patch by Chris Demetriou <cgd@google.com> (2009), adapted by
+Andrius Štikonas <andrius@stikonas.eu> (2021).
+
+--- a/bfd/archive.c	2021-03-01 00:05:54.888301655 +0000
++++ b/bfd/archive.c	2021-03-02 21:53:51.001617689 +0000
+@@ -1396,10 +1396,6 @@
+     {
+       /* Assume we just "made" the member, and fake it.  */
+       struct bfd_in_memory *bim = (struct bfd_in_memory *) member->iostream;
+-      time (&status.st_mtime);
+-      status.st_uid = getuid ();
+-      status.st_gid = getgid ();
+-      status.st_mode = 0644;
+       status.st_size = bim->size;
+     }
+   else if (stat (filename, &status) != 0)
+@@ -1408,6 +1404,11 @@
+       return NULL;
+     }
+ 
++  status.st_mtime = 0;
++  status.st_uid = 0;
++  status.st_gid = 0;
++  status.st_mode = 0644;
++
+   amt = sizeof (struct ar_hdr) + sizeof (struct areltdata);
+   ared = (struct areltdata *) bfd_zalloc (abfd, amt);
+   if (ared == NULL)
+@@ -2003,13 +2004,11 @@
+   stat (arch->filename, &statbuf);
+   memset ((char *) (&hdr), 0, sizeof (struct ar_hdr));
+   sprintf (hdr.ar_name, RANLIBMAG);
+-  /* Remember the timestamp, to keep it holy.  But fudge it a little.  */
+-  bfd_ardata (arch)->armap_timestamp = statbuf.st_mtime + ARMAP_TIME_OFFSET;
+   bfd_ardata (arch)->armap_datepos = (SARMAG
+ 				      + offsetof (struct ar_hdr, ar_date[0]));
+-  sprintf (hdr.ar_date, "%ld", bfd_ardata (arch)->armap_timestamp);
+-  sprintf (hdr.ar_uid, "%ld", (long) getuid ());
+-  sprintf (hdr.ar_gid, "%ld", (long) getgid ());
++  sprintf (hdr.ar_date, "%ld", 0);
++  sprintf (hdr.ar_uid, "%ld", 0);
++  sprintf (hdr.ar_gid, "%ld", 0);
+   sprintf (hdr.ar_size, "%-10d", (int) mapsize);
+   strncpy (hdr.ar_fmag, ARFMAG, 2);
+   for (i = 0; i < sizeof (struct ar_hdr); i++)
+@@ -2082,6 +2081,8 @@
+   struct ar_hdr hdr;
+   unsigned int i;
+ 
++  return TRUE;
++
+   /* Flush writes, get last-write timestamp from file, and compare it
+      to the timestamp IN the file.  */
+   bfd_flush (arch);
+@@ -2169,7 +2170,7 @@
+   memset ((char *) (&hdr), 0, sizeof (struct ar_hdr));
+   hdr.ar_name[0] = '/';
+   sprintf (hdr.ar_size, "%-10d", (int) mapsize);
+-  sprintf (hdr.ar_date, "%ld", (long) time (NULL));
++  sprintf (hdr.ar_date, "%ld", 0);
+   /* This, at least, is what Intel coff sets the values to.  */
+   sprintf ((hdr.ar_uid), "%d", 0);
+   sprintf ((hdr.ar_gid), "%d", 0);