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Q&As since 1989


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Seeking a reference on patinas for steel

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 [affil links] 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, New Mexico, USA

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First of two simultaneous responses --

I'd suggest Contemporary Patination [affil link on Amazon] by Ron Young, or "The Colouring, Bronzing & Patination of Metals" [adv: this book on eBay, Amazon, AbeBooks] by Hughes/Rowe.

Dave Wichern
Consultant - The Bronx, New York
2007

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Metal Colouring by Fishlock is very good book on that subject. Book by Angier, Firearm Blueing and Browning [on eBay , Amazon, AbeBooks] 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
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2007

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
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2007