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Seeking a reference on patinas for steel [New Mexico] 

August 9, 2007

I do metal sculptures using mild steel, plasma cutting, mig welding, etc. I want to find a reference that will tell me the color I can get on the surface with various chemical treatments. For instance, I can get a bright orange with salt water sprayed on and left overnight, then "stabilized" with a clear coat of acrylic paint. Or, I can get a dark red color with dilute muriatic acid over night.

But I feel like I'm re-inventing the wheel with these "experiments". Does anyone know of a book that has this info? or someone to talk with about it?

Gary Ferguson
artist, sculptor - Taos, NM

I'd suggest "Contemporary Patination" by Ron Young, or "The Coloring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals" by Hughes/Rowe.

Dave Wichern - Bronx, NY, USA

Metal Colouring by Fishlock is very good book on that subject.Book by Angier-Firearm Blueing and Browning is very good too( iron and steel patinas only).There are many other older books (Buchner,Hiorns,Krause,Beutel are best).Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia

www.thelitterbox.org website is very good source of download free informations on that subject(7 old techno-chemical recipe books,Scientific American Cyclopaedia of formulas best).Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia