I have idea for a project in the near future I first wanted to do it out of copper but I dont have the $ to spend on the copper sheet and due to copper being somewhat flimsy I would like to make it out of steel...but I want that *statute of liberty green* color on the steel....is this possibe?
dawg
Dawg,
Ron Young from Sculptnouveau.com has a bunch of patinas that work on steel. I have a video that he made that shows how he achieves a green color. I will watch that part of the video tonight and I will tell you what products he uses and how he applies them.
Talk to you later
Alfredo
copper sulfate(blue vitrole)....and sulfuric acid....romans did it 2000 years ago on thier boat nails to copper plate them...may not give you a smooth finish but there will be copper there to turn green
Boilerman has a good point. However, you have to be sure what products you use, because sometimes they go directly through the plating (unless you have a very thick layer)
There are some good point here...
I have, in the past, used copped based paints on steel. They contain ground up copper. Then you can choose from several different patinas to achive the genuine patina you are looking for. However, its expensive just like copper. I would be curious to hear how Ron gets a verde green on ferrous steel though. Usually, green (copper like) can not be achieved on ferrous iron. But, Rons the master and if he has a way I would not be surprised.
yeah the whole reason for steel is to save the do rey me (lol) plust it wont bent and I wont have to get sick from the fumes
ha
dawg
OK... He uses a couple of formulas.
1.- Presto Black (cold) then heats the piece and applies his white patina (bismuth nitrate) and then he applies copper nitrate (also hot)
2.-Presto Black (cold) then heats the piece and applies white patina (bismuth nitrate), keeps heating the piece and applies Ferric Nitrate with a litle bit of copper oxide, and finally he keeps heating the piece and applies his mint green patina with some copper carbonate.
He does not talk about the proportions but that what he did.
Also he has a line of metal coatings that makes any material look like made out copper, and then applie the green patina, but he says that in case of steel it has to be covered with at least two coats of two-part expoxy to avoid that the patina penetrate and rust the metal.
I could be way off here, but those formulas don't sound like they are turning the steel green. But in fact, they are chemicals sitting on top of steel that turn green. That's ok if you never want the patina to change and can seal it well. It sounds like a "natural paint" I like natural patinas because they will continue to change over the years. I wonder if these types of patinas will do the same?
Again, I'm not the patina expert in any way shape or form. I have made patinas that seemed to just "sit" on top of the metal and were not really part of the piece. I didn't like it.
Ron's the expert and this is his business. I just wonder how a patina like that would hold up in an outdoor setting?
What you said about rusting the steel is a good point I forgot about. Most of the patinas I have tried on steel other than the "standard" colors rusted out in a few days even after sealing them. Applying a two part epoxy to an entire piece to lay down a patina would be a pain! :(I would only do that on a small piece. Also, think about it: if you are creating an epoxy barrier between the steel and chemicals then they are not reacting with each other. It is really a chemical paint. I'm sure its beautiful though.
Alfredo, why don't you try some of these out and post your results? You already have some presto black, right?
Matt,
I agree 100% with you. I have tried the Bismuth white patina, and it leaves an ugly film that looks like Phillips' Milk of Magnesia:P. Definitely, the guy uses patinas that are more paint than patinas (here we have to considered that painting is his background). Regarding the application of two-part epoxy to metal, I think defeats the purpose because it leaves the piece looking like made out of plastic; so why bother to create the piece in metal in the first place. Having said that, they do look green on the video and it is more evident in the second technique. Dawg, it is a matter of trying
Dawg howd your patina turn out, If you want to see a liguid metal coating with patina applied check out my candelabra. I am happy with the way it turned out.