Patinas

[amalgam]

Hello Guys,
I just finished my first piece ever. So, now I am going to start with my "first patina process ever" (by now you should know that I am a rookie). I want to do it cheap and easy, so I have read about using either linseed oil or motor oil both of which will give a me a tone from light gold to dark brown (that is what I have read). Could any of you with that experience please walk me through this process?
Thank you
Alfredo :confused:

[drthulium]

Congratulations on finishing your first piece! Now you get to play the game of never really beingsatisfied by your first swing at a piece.

In order to help you with a patina some further details would help. What metal? what is the surface like? What do you want to accomplish with the patina? How much work do you want to put in learning how to do patinas? What conditions does the patina have to hold up to?

These are all questions you should pretty much always consider when finishing a metal piece. It's fun dang it all!

[Roy]

Hi amalgam - Fritchie gave me a lot of help with Bronze patinas. Reference the second to last reply in WELCOME under roy. Good luck, and I'm anxious to see your first piece.

[amalgam]

DRTHULIUM,
Thank you for answering me back. The piece is made out mild steel. It is basically made out round bars, with a lot of very-hard-to-get points. It will be placed indoors. I want to learn a lot about patinas; it is the process that I am most concerned about. As for this piece, I think it is too complex to learn to work with patina. So, at this point I want to use one simple process. I was thinking about use a formula of H2O2+vinegar+salt but since it has parts hard to reach it is going to be very hard to apply wax and the oxidation process might continue without control. That is why I was asking about using motor oil or linseed oil, but I do not know how the technique is done. Can you please help me? What do you recommend?
Thank you
Alfredo Alamo


Congratulations on finishing your first piece! Now you get to play the game of never really beingsatisfied by your first swing at a piece.

In order to help you with a patina some further details would help. What metal? what is the surface like? What do you want to accomplish with the patina? How much work do you want to put in learning how to do patinas? What conditions does the patina have to hold up to?

These are all questions you should pretty much always consider when finishing a metal piece. It's fun dang it all!

[warren01]

If you are concerned about waxing you can spray wax on the piece. Works better than motor oil or linseed oil. Use some carnauba wax (I like Buthcher's bowling alley wax, don't let the name fool you it is good for metals) that you can buy at the hardware store.

Get a metal container and put in a couple quarts of mineral spirits. Add about half a can of the wax and then heat. Heat long enough until the wax melts. Auto parts store sell what is called a solvent sprayer. Siphon type sprayer that uses an air hose.

Spay the was solution on while still hot. If it runs and drips or what ever that is okay. Use a paint brush to remove the excess or blow away the puddles in those hard to reach areas. Let it dry for a day and then buff if you prefer a shine. A horse hair shoe brush works excellent for buffing. The small areas that you can not get at will be protected by the wax.

warren

[Araich]

Spray the wax solution on while still hot.How hot? Should it smoke, or be close to that hot? Or fizz?

[fritchie]

Get a metal container and put in a couple quarts of mineral spirits. Add about half a can of the wax and then heat. Heat long enough until the wax melts.
warren
Be EXTREMELY careful with flame if you do this. Mineral spirits are probably more flammable than gasoline. This basically is the way I make the wax mixture I use for my bronzes, and the idea came from a large commercial bronze foundry. HOWEVER, the way to do this is to put the wax in a metal container and put that in a pot of water, then heat the water until the wax melts. (Wax itself is highly flammable when it becomes liquid.)

The mineral spirits should be far away, and sealed. When the wax is liquid, get away from all fire, preferably outside, and pour in the mineral spirits, slowly with stirring. You can make a soft, smearable wax this way for rubbing onto metal, or you can make a thinner mix suitable for spraying, as suggested. For my bronzes, the metal is warm enough to make the soft, solid wax melt when applied, but not hot to the touch. I can’t say for steel, but I would expect something similar or maybe a little hotter.

[drthulium]

The major concern with mild steel is environmentwater sources, condensing water wil kill the surface. If you apply the H2O2+vinegar+salt patina, let it develope, and then either dry it out with some heat source or let it air dry very well, anyway you do it get the piece very dry to stop the patina from progressing. If you apply wax this will keep it dry. Actual oxidation by dry air is a surprisingly slow process, so if you live in a dry climate, and keep the piece indoors, you may be able to reasonably go without a wax coat. I personally like the effect of the wax on the finish of a piece, but if it's an indoor sculpture you have more options. (for an example of an unwaxed bit of mild steel or iron surviving sometime indoors, look at your pots and pans, they last a long time without rusting away!)


DRTHULIUM,
Thank you for answering me back. The piece is made out mild steel. It is basically made out round bars, with a lot of very-hard-to-get points. It will be placed indoors. I want to learn a lot about patinas; it is the process that I am most concerned about. As for this piece, I think it is too complex to learn to work with patina. So, at this point I want to use one simple process. I was thinking about use a formula of H2O2+vinegar+salt but since it has parts hard to reach it is going to be very hard to apply wax and the oxidation process might continue without control. That is why I was asking about using motor oil or linseed oil, but I do not know how the technique is done. Can you please help me? What do you recommend?
Thank you
Alfredo Alamo