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How to Patina Copper
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I would like to know the fastest way to age copper without using chemicals. And if I have to use chemicals what is the best product to create patina on copper and where can I get it in the New Orleans, Metairie, LA area? Thanks, Tara
Tara Rabalais- Chalmette, Louisiana
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Hi, Tara. "Patina on copper" is the topic of dozens of letters here, so can search the site to get a lot of people's different perspectives; but if you want a very organized presentation on all the different colors and how to get them, you could look for "The Colouring, Bronzing & Patination of Metals" by Richard Hughes and Michael Rowe next time you're at the library => Good luck! But if you are looking for the blue-green patina associated with aged copper, probably the easiest way is to brush on a commercial patinating solution =>
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Copper Tubing I am trying to put a green patina finish on copper tubing. My question, is it normal for the copper tubing to turn very dark when the solution is applied? I cleaned the copper with steel wool => The patina did appear but am unsure about the very dark copper. Jeff Rodkey- Chambersburg, Pennsylvania |
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Why do copper domes and the statue of Liberty turn green and not black as they weather? Natalie Hake- St. Louis, Missouri
Because the corrosion products of copper exposed to this environment are green rather than black, Natalie. I think you'll find that copper turns brown first, then green over time.
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Do the
Prismacolor markers [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] create a nice red color on copper? I used
Liver of Sulphur
[linked by editor to product info at Dick Blick] to make the flowers black, the second part is to use acrylic paint the closest possible in color to the metal(the black color after the liver sulfur or the copper color?); and then use the color pencils in layers.
Thank you.
Teaching/special ed. - Naperville, Illinois
September 22, 2008
Believe it or not, "EASY OFF" oven cleaner sprayed on a clean copper surface will blacken it as it dries. Use more coats as needed.
If you are making Mission style hardware, you need to get quite dark. several coats will be needed. I liked three.
- Lancaster, California