How to patina copper (darken it)

Q. Great web site. We are in Phoenix Arizona, and just installed some beautiful copper landscape lighting. Right now it is bright penny-copper new. A couple of the lamps have fingerprints from whoever packed them visible as a brown/charcoal color. I want to remove the fingerprints, then speed up a "green" patina finish, not the dull copper brown we get here in AZ. I'm from the East Coast and love the blue-green copper roof colors in Boston and Providence and would like to emulate them.

Will a weak vinegar [adv: item on eBay & Amazon], 0.50 part non-iodized salt, and 1.5 parts of clear, detergent-free ammonia. Spray on the area you want to patina and reapply every 1-2 hours until you get the color you want. The patina will look powdery, leave it alone, it will eventually work in the copper and get to that more 'glazed' look. 72 hours or so from when you apply it you should have a better idea of what the final look is.


2. Brown patina.
You need to dissolve baking soda [adv: item on eBay & Amazon] in boiling water until it won't dissolve any more. Spray on to the area to be patinated after the solution has cooled, and reapply every 2 hours or so. This one will reach more towards the color of an old penny.