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How to do oil rubbed bronze finish on shower door

I am remodeling our daughter's bathroom. Wish to install a corner shower. The shower kits only come in Silver finish. Can I make this an oil rubbed bronze finish. I've talked to the manufacturer and they don't offer this finish and won't recommend how to do it. I understand this will void my warranty.

Gary C [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
hobbyist - Liberty Hill, Texas
2005

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Find another manufacturer. These are presumably made of anodized aluminum, which must be dyed during manufacture; they cannot be dyed after the sealing step has been completed.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005

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Gary..too bad you can't find it in brass finish, yet there still is an answer. Oil rub finishes are usually reserved to those surfaces of bronze. There is a protective clear coating over the aluminum to protect it from corrosion. Your effort is to affect this clear coat to make it 'look' like oil rubbed. There are solvent dyes which can be applied to this coat which will give you the effect you want and it will look real. Contact BarrysRestoreItAll. Good luck.

Barry Feinman
BarrysRestoreItAll

Carlsbad, California

2005

I am trying to get a dark bar-rail to match the oil-rubbed bronze hardware. Is there a way to simulate this finish with unlacquered brass tubing?

Eric J [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Edina, Minnesota
2006

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I did some research and bought "Liver of sulfur" aka Potassium Sulfide ⇨
I bought the rock kind. I heated the water, warm to the touch and dissolved the rock turning the water yellow. I submerged the copper. It definitely turned the copper sheeting dark, but I am not getting the look that I was expecting.

The patina is really flaky and often rubs off quite easily. Its also a very bluish black, not the brownish black I was expecting. I was hoping the patina would be a bit more even and you could lightly sand it to show some hairline copper through the blackish patina yielding the oil rubbed bronze finish I am so found of.

I am using this on "copper shingles". These are 12" x 12", ~1/8" thick copper sheets. Could it be that they are not pure enough? They look as much copper as copper pipes, etc. This is suppose to work on bronze too and bronze is less copper than this has to be.

Anyone tried this and had better results? Any tips to share?
- Jersey City, New Jersey
April 10, 2008

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Hi, Josh. As someone from the plating industry, where cleanliness truly is next to godliness, my first impression is that your parts are not clean. Scrub one with a tampico brush dipped in a bucket of Pumice [affil links] and detergent (in water) while wearing plastic gloves and rinse it well; don't touch it and I think your results will be quite different.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 10, 2008

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Thanks, I really appreciate the info. I believe that you are likely correct about it not being clean enough. In fact I considered that myself. This is a hobby project and I am no chemist (nor a plater).

What is the pumice for? Is it pumice pebbles in a bucket of detergent water? Any particular type of detergent to use or not to use?

Josh

Josh Knechtel, again
- Jersey City, New Jersey
April 10, 2008

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Hello again. Sorry for the confusion, Josh: Ground pumice [on eBay or Amazon]. Any detergent will do, but you want it to rinse off easily, so you don't want a concentrated glob of liquid detergent, you want it well mixed and scrubbed with the brush. Hot water would be best.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 10, 2008

Thanks again!

Josh Knechtel, again
- Jersey City, New Jersey
April 11, 2008

I am fabricating some leader heads from a 16 oz. copper and am trying to obtain a dark bronze finish. I have heard that peanut oil works to do this. Anyone have any experience in this field?

Rosemary Jacobs
sheet metal shop employee - Memphis, Tennessee
April 15, 2009

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Hi, Rosemary. letter 32566 makes that claim and offers instructions. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
April 15, 2009

We put new oil-rubbed bronze outdoor fixtures (from Quoizel) on our house almost four years ago and they seem to be tarnishing or losing their lustre from being exposed to the sun. Is there any way to restore these finishes? Thanks.

Bruce Gainey
Hobbyist - Tulsa, OK, USA
July 9, 2009