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Q&As since 1989


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How can copper be heat treated to color it?

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I am a GCSE student at The Compton School in North Finchley. I have taken design and technology as a subject and for my final subject I have decided to make a clock. I need information on how oxide colouration/ heat colouring works on copper so that I can incorporate the process into my final design. I am planning to make a sun from copper, which is to be heat treated to give an attractive effect. For this reason, I want to get red, yellow, orange and golden tones to be left on my copper sun after it has been heat treated. do you know any ways in which these shades of colours can be achieve? Should I use intense heat on the copper? Would using different acids help? If so, please state the name of the acid and the colour it will produce.

I will be very gratefully if you could help me out here as I am struggling to find information on these processes from the Internet and from library books. I need the information on this industrial process urgently as I need to gather the information on this process and show it to my technology teacher. Therefore, I will be very gratefully if you could send me the information by the mentioned date.

I would be very thankful if you could send me the information by the mentioned deadline, as the information would really be useful.

Thanks a lot. Yours faithfully,

Mayur Desai
Student - London, Britain, United Kingdom
2003

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It will take a little work on your part, Mayur, as I don't undertake accumulating background materials for students (we get a hundred letters a day from students) -- but our site does have some introductory info for you. Please begin with our threads on "Colouring copper by flame" and "Preserving heat coloring of copper when clear coating". We have an FAQ about "Patinas on Copper and Brass" which is probably more about chemical coloring than flame coloring, though.

You can try searching the site for 'flame torch copper' and 'oxidize copper without patina' for more threads about flame coloring. But the best way to learn about it might be by renting the Amazon Instant Video on flame painting .

Best of luck with your project!

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003