PATINA GREEN COPPER HOW TO
PATINA GREEN COPPER FULL

You could even put the piece you applied the products onto into a regular ammonia fumigating patina container to see what happens. (Many manufactures make patina products, Swellegant, Jax, Midas, etc.) You can add both to one piece if you like or layer them and see what happens. Sometimes those type of patinas are called accelereators, meaning that they create real patina (oxidize the metal), but are applied from the bottle and take time to develop. If you want to go that route, you could also use a patina product with the dye oxides. I used Swellegant product on that particular pair in addition to growing patina the usual way. They essentially act like colorants, but blend well with patina. 2) Metal dye-oxides are a cross between solvent based dyes and patinas. Clean the metal, and start with new ammonia. Thank you for your comments! To answer your questions, 1) Yes, with starting over I mean completely start over. (I also wipe my pieces with alcohol before I coat them, but it may be overkill. I use Protectaclear, 2-3 layers, let dry in between. (If you coat them when they are wet you are in trouble, the patina will keep changing under the clear coat.) You can also just put water in a container and soak them for a while. Let the water run on slowly, or you will wash off some of the patina.

Rinse the patina pieces gently with water to get the ammonia off.

(Carefully with tweezers because the patina can be a little fragile when it is wet.) Let them air dry well, this will also show you the actual color of the patina.

When your pieces have enough patina, take them out of the container to dry.

Sometimes the patina just doesn’t seem to grow very good and it’s time to start over. (Try to keep your nose away when you open, the fumes are powerful.) Some days the patina grows fast (within hours), other times you need to wait for three days to get the same result. Just don’t let the cover be off for too long. You can keep on checking on your copper pieces to see the advancements with patina. If you reuse the same wire it will eventually brake when it corrodes.) Hang them so they dangle over the liquid of ammonia and salt, sprinkle some salt on them and close the lid. (I use 24 gauge copper wire, a new piece every time. Prepare your wire to hang your copper pieces with and make small holes on the sides of the plastic container.Soak your clean copper pieces in this mixture for a few minutes. Add some ammonia in your plastic container, just about so it coats the bottom.Don’t touch the copper with your fingers after you have cleaned it, use tweezers or your pliers.

PATINA GREEN COPPER FULL

Read on for instructions and a link to a full tutorial video on Youtube. You get varied end results and color variations. That’s part of the never ending wonderment, why you keep being interested. It is a fun and the results are always slightly different. Its actually rather interesting to watch this all natural phenomenon to happen. The surface preparation of the copper is also important if you want consistent results. If you want more detailed explanation you may want to ask a scientist who is familiar with these factors and metals. Copper reacts to atmospheric conditions, so, for example, humidity in the air may affect the results. I don’t use an exact recipe, mostly because there are other factors that affect the result. You can use various containers, random amounts of ammonia, and most likely something will happen. In this tutorial I am using ammonia because I want to create the blue variation. Ammonia creates a more blue patina in color and vinegar a more green patina.

PATINA GREEN COPPER HOW TO

How to make the patina happen? It’s really not very difficult or exact science. All you need to use are ingredients already in your kitchen cabinet. You can accelerate this natural reaction by exposing copper to fumes of ammonia and salt or vinegar and salt. You may have seen natural patina on statues and other copper elements that are exposed to the elements outdoors. How do you create patina on copper? I am talking about the natural way, without harsh chemicals or fake paints.

Patina green copper