How to apply patina to metal?

Patination or how to age metal

Patination is a technique for “aging” the surface of metal or wood, which is achieved by applying dyes based on various acids. As a result, the products acquire a special charm and the spirit of antiquity. Before carrying out manipulations, working surfaces are put in order, then treated with a special primer from a spray can, which allows the paint to better adhere to the surface. Patination of metal requires time and patience; we will look further at how to apply patina paint to the surface and what effect can be achieved.

What you need for work

The very meaning of the word “patina” has nothing to do with the dyeing process. It is of Italian origin and refers to the film that forms on metal after prolonged interaction with oxygen.

Initially, you had to wait a long time for the metal to oxidize itself, and the result was completely unpredictable; now this technique can be reproduced at home with your own hands using the following materials:

patina of the color you like (in powder);
liquid solvent;
brush (size 2-3) or sponge;
small plastic or glass trays (do not take metal ones, they can interact with the paint);
metal product that you want to decorate.

Pay attention to safety precautions! Means for patination involve working with chemical oxidizing agents, solvents and require special care.

It is recommended not to work in confined spaces without respiratory protection. It is better to work in the fresh air, in rooms with good ventilation (with open windows, an exhaust fan on, a draft). If acid gets on the surface of the skin, immediately rinse under running water and then apply a paste of baking soda. If rashes, burns or any skin changes occur, consult a doctor immediately!

Protect your hands! Always patina with gloves.

Patination colors

On different metal surfaces, completely different color schemes can be achieved by patination. The most common patina color is greenish, which is produced by the oxidation of copper. On other metal surfaces, the resulting shade may be completely different:

Rich yellow or ocher color on steel surfaces.

Chocolate brown on brass and bronze items.

Dark gray on silver items.

The choice of dry patina for metal work is quite varied. Powder is sold in almost every hardware store. Most common colors:

aged silver;
natural or oxidized copper;
red gold.

Brighter radical colors are also available, for example, blue, lilac, red, allowing you to achieve an original effect on the surface of various metals.

Surface preparation

Decorative application of patina requires careful preparation of the surface being treated; the metal must be perfectly smooth. There should be no signs of corrosion on it; it will not allow the surface to be well primed; the top layers will quickly bubble and peel off.

All burrs must be removed, chips and potholes must be filled and sanded with sandpaper (first coarse, then finer).

The prepared product is coated with a special primer (most conveniently, from a spray can), and then metal patina paint is applied to it.

Please note that the patina effect looks best on items painted with dark, especially black paint. The painted product must dry well, otherwise the patina will not adhere well and you will not achieve the desired effect.

Patina paint application technique

There are two ways to age metal: applying patina with a brush or sponge. By placing dissolved paint on the tip of a brush, you can achieve completely different textures, directional strokes and different depths of paint. Do not wet the brush before starting work; it must be dry; a wet brush will cause smudges and drops on the metal being processed.

Do not take a brush that is too large or small - the optimal bristle size is 2-3 cm. The sponge gives a “dusty” effect, but do not press it too hard, otherwise pores will be imprinted on the surface being treated.

Keep a napkin with solvent and some of the base paint with which the product is painted at the ready. Working with the patina should be virtually error-free. Repeatedly applying patina to metal in the same place gives an unsightly “flat” effect. When painting individual elements, be careful: if you accidentally “smeared” something nearby, simply paint over this area with background paint.

On video: applying patina to metal.

Patination of metal with oxidizing agents

Obtaining a patina on metal by immersing it in various chemical compounds is a labor-intensive method, which will result in the formation of a colored film (patina) on the surface of the metal. This type is much more durable, since the film does not wear off quickly under mechanical stress, like paint. If you want to feel creative and try to age metal using patination solutions, you will need special chemicals.

The surface to be treated should be prepared, as when working with paint, but not primed or painted, but degreased and bleached in an acid solution. You can carry out all the manipulations at home, create a masterpiece with your own hands or give new life to old objects.

How to do classic patination at home and get the colors you want? When patinaing brass, the most common colors sought are black or deep brown, olive, dark orange, or mouse gray. The brown color is achieved by immersing the metal in a solution of sodium thio-sulfite, popularly known as photofix.

An acid (sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric) is first added to the prepared solution and the metal is lowered into it. Do not overexpose the product! The patina will appear very quickly. Work carefully! Use rubber gloves and take short breaks every 15-20 minutes.

Important! The coating is not very durable; it must be coated with varnish on top.

How to get other shades:

To obtain an olive tint, brass products are immersed in a solution consisting of ammonia, water and chlorinated copper oxide (in a ratio of 4/5/2). Be very careful - the composition is toxic.
A thick orange tint on brass will be given by a mixture of potassium sulfite, and a gray gray tint will be produced by liver of sulfur (a sintered mixture of sulfur 5 g in powder and potash).
On copper, as on brass, the patina is very impressive. You can get a black tint on it (when immersed in sulfuric liver solution) and ancient blackness (if you mix 2-3 g of sulfuric liver, add the same amount of ordinary salt).
Copper sulfate together with zinc chloride will give a blood-red patina.
The luxurious blue color of steel will be given by a mixture of hyposulfite and acetic acid lead (150 g plus 50 g per 1 liter of water). The patina on steel appears both when immersed in a cold solution and when it boils (the shade will be more saturated).
You can achieve a raven wing shade (“bluing”) by immersing the product in a chromium solution at the rate of 100 g per liter of water. The steel will acquire an amazing metallic glow with a deep, black-blue tint. After about 20 minutes, the steel will be covered with a film of an amazing blue-black hue.
When bronze items are patinated, they acquire various shades of green and blue. To obtain a light green tint you will need 3 parts aluminum chloride, 1.5 5% vinegar and 5 copper salts. The exposure time of the desired shade on bronze is determined visually. The longer the exposure, the deeper and darker the resulting shade will be.

After completing work with acids, unused liquids must be disposed of. Do not store mixtures! The resulting products must be thoroughly dried and coated with matte or shiny varnish.

Do-it-yourself patination of metal to look like gold

To create a patina on gold-colored kitchen handles, follow these steps:

Mix milk sugar (180 g) with copper sulfide (0.6 g) and alkali (180 g).
The resulting solution is heated to 90 degrees.
Place brass handles in a warm solution for 15 minutes.

Over time, the products will acquire a beautiful golden hue.

After the transformation is completed, the fittings are rinsed with water and attached to the kitchen furniture

How to apply patina to metal?

I have a channel on YouTube where I post videos on DIY workshop topics and much more. If you are interested, go! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmRSX19tlEu89N8PrK1i1JQ

Learning to create a patina effect

Today I want to tell you how to properly apply patina. Although it would be more correct to say, apply a coating with a patina effect , because the term “patina” implies the creation of an oxide film due to the action of acids, and we will simply paint with paint...

Let's start, of course, with the selection of the paint itself. It comes down to taste and color... Gold, silver, copper, greens, etc. There are a lot of paint manufacturers; the paint itself from different manufacturers differs greatly in shade, smoothness of coating, and degree of transparency. Only practice and personal preferences will help you figure out what to choose for a specific task.

The acrylic base of the paints allows for application without special solvents, and the brushes are washed with water after use. The peculiarity of storing such paint is not to store it at subzero temperatures! This will lead to guaranteed damage to the paint. Paints with a patina effect are very expensive, but one must take into account their insignificant consumption per part, so one small jar will last for a very long time.

We decided on the paint. Now you need to prepare your brush and palette. I use a regular painting bristle brush with a width of 2 to 4 cm. In order for the bristle to allow the paint to be rubbed in firmly, it is better to cut it evenly, leaving a length of about 3 cm. The brush is ready. For the palette, you can use any piece of unnecessary plastic or MDF (hardboard). I do not recommend using highly absorbent materials, as the paint on the palette will dry out quickly.

We have prepared the paint, brush, and palette. Before we begin, I want to warn you: Giving a product a patina effect is a delicate process that requires accuracy and a sense of proportion, otherwise a work of art can easily be turned into popular popular goods. Many stores selling “forging” are littered with similar products. (This is how an arm-legged painter with a wide brush appears before your eyes, generously pouring patina to the right and left...) Develop taste and a sense of proportion!

To obtain a more subtle effect, you can (and sometimes need to) dilute the paint with a solvent (selected depending on the composition of the paint) so that the patina gets a certain glazing effect (becomes transparent) and gets rid of excessive hiding power. I often use patina in my work. So, it is simply impossible for it to work without dilution with a solvent, otherwise the patina will form thick, rough, dirty strokes. A terrible sight. Solvent 646 is well suited for dilution. The dilution process has its own characteristics. You need to take some small container. I use wide lids from 5 liter water bottles or baby food jars (I prefer them). You just need to pour a little solvent into our container, dip the tip of the brush into the jar with patina and rub the paint with the solvent. Thus, we will get a ready-made diluted patina, which we can already work with on the palette. The proportions of solvent to paint are a matter of taste and practice.

All work on applying patina should be done with an almost dry brush, otherwise the paint will paint over the areas completely, leaving dirty spots on the surface. We want to get a “light abrasion” effect. The concept of “more is better” does not apply here. We put a little paint on the tip of the brush and rub this paint on the palette. This is necessary so that our brush is almost dry. On the same palette you will see when the brush “starves” and gives a light glaze instead of bold strokes. Now you can start applying the patina. Using light tapping movements, as if trying to remove specks of dust from the surface, we apply paint to the product. As soon as the brush has stopped releasing paint, we take a little ground paint from the palette. If the paint on the palette has already dried, pick up some paint from the jar with a brush and repeat the rubbing procedure on the palette. The degree of abrasion of paint on the palette and the force applied to the brush when applying paint is developed with practice and no clear recommendations can be given here.

We apply paint at kinks, corners, edges, and irregularities. This will enhance the artistic effect. The paint may fade a little after drying. This must also be taken into account during the patination process. Start applying from places that will not be so visible, in order to first develop a certain skill, check how dry our brush is, and then move on to the facade and front surfaces. This way you can avoid damage to the product, because an incorrectly applied patina will spoil the appearance.

How can you patina metal?

Paint . Use a coloring compound to give the metal surface the desired color. It is advisable to use patina in powder form - it has good adhesion to surfaces and lasts quite a long time.

Carry out a chemical reaction . Metal can be patinated using different chemical compounds - for example, oxidizing agents, acids, solvents. Or using thermal influence. But such a technique requires strict adherence to safety rules and can give unpredictable results.

Types of patination compositions

Depending on the idea, patination allows you to achieve different effects:

complete aging;
partial aging;
craquelure.

Patination substances may differ in consistency:

Thick - similar to the paste that is used for processing wood. With its help, it is possible to obtain yellow or red tones reminiscent of gold.
Liquid - made on the basis of water or polymers. Such products give the surface shine and make it more noble in appearance.
Facet varnishes - help to obtain an aged surface due to the formation of cracks on it.

Acrylic

This material is considered universal. It can be used not only for metal, but also for wood or plaster. This substance is water-based. With its help, it is possible to create a durable coating, which is characterized by a high degree of adhesion to the surface. After applying the composition, a film appears on the product that protects it from germs and fungi.

Acrylic patination is considered a simple process. Even a beginner can handle this technology.

To get an original product, it is recommended to combine compositions of different colors. It is also permissible to apply various shades of patina in several layers. This will help achieve the creation of a complex ornament.

Moreover, there are a lot of acrylic colors on sale. In this case, you can purchase metallic or classic tones. If necessary, such patination can be combined with other techniques - ordinary painting, decoupage or varnishing.

stain

The use of such compositions is considered a simple way to artificially age a surface. The material helps to refine the products, making them more sophisticated and attractive. For stain application to be successful, it is important to properly prepare the surface.

Expert opinion

Zakharova Irina Yurievna

Cleaning professional with 15 years of experience. Our best expert.

Ask a Question

After completing the patination process, the product must be coated with wax or shellac primer.

Bitumen

This building material helps give the surface a special appearance, emphasizing all the relief elements. After applying the substance to the product, excess must be removed.

Bituminous patina is made on the basis of turpentine, concrete polymer and white spirit. It cannot be considered a finishing material. After drying, the surface should be coated with shellac to secure the result. Otherwise it won't last long.

Wax

Quite often, wax patinas are used as a finishing coating. They are presented in the form of a water-based paste. To prepare this composition, natural wax and metal dust are used. Colorless formulations are also available for sale. After applying them, a beautiful pearlescent shine remains.

Oil

Oil patina is considered a very convenient option. It does not hide the natural shade of the material and helps to highlight the pattern. The characteristics of the substance resemble a waxy patina. It is easy to apply and dries slowly. It is important to take into account that the composition is prohibited from using the decoupage technique, since it causes the paper to dissolve.

Shellac

This material itself is yellow or red-brown in color. As the number of layers increases, it becomes darker. The substance can be used alone or combined with decoupage. Shellac can be used as an intermediate or finishing coat. To work with it you need to use a brush or sponge.

How to paint metal for patina

Before patination of metal, you need to carefully prepare its surface. If you apply patina to unprepared metal, it will quickly lose the brightness of its color, will be applied unevenly and, as a result, will not give the desired effect. To prepare the metal, remove chips, fill and sand potholes, and coat it with a special primer. If you want to achieve a multi-faceted effect, cover the metal with a coat of paint in a base color. The patina will look best on items that are black or another dark shade.

You can age metal using a sponge or brush. To start patination, dilute the powder in a plastic container, put on rubber gloves and start painting.

If you are working with a brush , carefully dip the tip into the paint and apply the patina in small strokes. There is no need to wet the brush - the water will cause drops or streaks on the metal being processed. Use different strokes to achieve different textures and richness of color.

If you are working with a sponge , also do not wet it or press it hard against the surface. Otherwise, the patina will be imprinted along with the pores. Sponge treatment gives a noble dusting effect.

Keep the solvent nearby - if you make a mistake, you can quickly remove the patina layer and apply a new one. It is also advisable to keep the base color paint nearby - if the solvent removes it too, you can easily restore the shade. But keep in mind that the paint layer on the metal must be completely dry before patination.

Patination of metal with paint is the most accessible method at home. For example, in just a day you can get an excellent bronze aging effect using two shades.

Features of application to forged products

The easiest way to age forged products is to paint with metallized substances and patination coatings. It is permissible to apply crackle effect varnish on top of the base layer. It will imitate small cracks and make the surface more decorative.

To achieve a beautiful effect, the product must be cleaned of dirt and rust. Then it should be covered with a layer of primer. Metallic compounds are recommended to be applied with a brush. To create signs of aging, foam swabs and dry brushes are suitable.

How to patina metal using chemical processes

Use acid, solvents, heat. Study the characteristics of the metal and the possible consequences of reactions to choose the optimal color. Be sure to wear gloves and a protective mask, preferably outdoors.

There are many ways to patina metal using chemical reactions. For example:

To give brass a brown tint, it is kept in a photofix solution with the addition of nitric, sulfuric or hydrochloric acid
To obtain antique black on copper, it is immersed in a solution of 2-3 grams of liver sulfur and 2-3 grams of table salt
To “blue” steel—to achieve an amazing glowing effect—it is immersed in a chromium solution at the rate of 100 grams of the substance per liter of water.
To obtain a bright black color, steel is heated and then sharply cooled in cold oil.
To obtain a gray gray tint on brass, it is immersed in a mixture of liver sulfur
To obtain a blood-red tint on most types of metals, they are treated with copper sulfate along with zinc chloride

After any type of patination of metal by chemical reactions, allow the product to dry completely and coat it with varnish. If this is not done, the patina may become unusable - the coating obtained by such methods is quite short-lived and unstable to external negative influences.

Attention ! When working with acids, solvents and other chemically active substances, be sure to follow safety precautions. We also recommend trying patination on a small, inconspicuous area of metal to see the effect it will give, and then proceed to aging the entire surface.

If you want to get a beautiful forged product with an antique effect, you don’t have to patina the metal yourself. You can order it from us - the Tekhinkov artistic forging plant will fulfill orders of any complexity. Call or write to us for details.

How to make a patina on brass with your own hands

Before patination, the metal craft is prepared by degreasing with acetone. The brass product is washed well under running water with soapy water and dried.

A special composition called “sulfur liver” is made to coat brass.

Prepare the product as follows:

Mix sulfur with potash in a ratio of 1:2.
The mixture is placed in a glass container and placed on low heat.
After the powder has melted and sintered, time it for 15 minutes. After the specified time has passed, remove from heat.

The baked mass is crushed and stored in a tightly closed glass jar.

You can age brass with your own hands at home as follows:

20 grams of the resulting powder are diluted in a liter of water. The brass product is completely immersed in the solution. After dyeing, the object will turn out to be a soft golden hue.
To obtain a light gray color on the metal, liver sulfur and sodium chloride are diluted in a liter of water (take 3 grams of each). As soon as the brass placed in the solution achieves the desired effect, it is taken out and washed with running water.
Ammonia is added to the copper sulfate solution. Once it turns a bright blue hue, lower the cleaned brass material. After a few minutes, take it out and heat it up. This treatment produces a brown color.
Brass is treated with sandpaper and a chloride patina is applied.
To obtain a black tint, the metal is dipped in a composition of copper metal and nitric acid.
Brass is treated with a cotton pad soaked in nitric acid.

Attention! The listed methods of patination of brass are often used to change the shade of other metals.

Metal paints with patina effect

Metal paints with patina effect

– these are special means for patination (artificial aging) of metal. In the natural environment, all metals except gold and platinum become coated with an oxide film over time due to interaction with moisture and air. This effect is most noticeable on products made of copper and bronze, which become covered with a greenish coating. Such a film can preserve the metal or, conversely, destroy it.

The fashion for vintage items has caused a rush of demand for artificial patination technologies. This process allows you to simulate oxide deposits on the surface, while maintaining all the properties of the metal. Together with zinc primers, patina enamels create an additional protective barrier against corrosion. Prevents oxidative processes on metal. And they create a patina effect - an imitation of aging of the entire product or its elements. You can choose a color for a specific type of metal (copper, silver, gold) or use shades of graphite, lapis lazuli and emerald green.

Ways to create a patina on metal

To patina metals, powder dyes, oxidizers, oil-based products, bluing (blackening) and paints with a patina effect are used.

Powder patina.
Before the advent of this product, silver paint with coloring pigments was used. However, before applying a powder patina, the metal must first be primed and painted. The procedure is simple and does not require special skills. But in this case, the patina is only the final outer layer.
Acidic compounds.
For patination of metal, various mixtures with acids and oxidizing agents are produced. Essentially, they trigger the process of natural oxidation of the metal. This technology is acceptable for small interior products that are not affected by moisture. Oxidizing agents should not be used for external structures.
Oil and wax products.
Oil-based patina is a paste-like product that is applied to various surfaces. It can be bitumen or oil art paint. Its properties are similar to wax patina. The thick, non-flowing composition is suitable for vertical surfaces, but it dries very slowly.
Blueing.
This is a separate technology for blackening metal, mainly steel and cast iron. Burnishing can be done in different ways: alkaline, acid, thermal. The alkaline method is often used for iron. In thermal heating, steel is heated in the open air until it darkens. Other metals are rubbed with oil and heated to form a film.
Paints with patina effect.
These are ready-made decorative compositions that create an imitation of natural patina on the surface. Using ready-made paints is convenient and cost-effective. They can be applied at home. To protect against corrosion, it is recommended to use enamels together with zinc-rich primers.

Where are patina effect paints used?

Manufacturing of forged and antique designer products.
Decorative design of interior and exterior items.
Restoration of antiques and museum relics.
Painting of garden furniture, gazebos, canopies, stairs.

Heat-resistant modifications of enamels with a patina effect are also produced. This expands the scope of their application and allows the processing of products heated to high temperatures or in contact with fire. These compounds can be used to paint barbecues, stoves and fireplace grates, as well as to weld and cut painted metal structures.

The nuances of artificial patination

Before patination of metal, you need to carefully select the method and composition. If you make the wrong choice, the effect may be far from expected. It is better to apply the product to a small area or to the same metal to evaluate the result. If you lack the skills, it is most convenient to use paints with a patina effect - for example, Zinkor-Top Patina. This is decorative enamel, completely ready for use. Thanks to the variety of colors, it is easy to match it to a specific metal. After drying, the color fades a little.

It is also necessary to maintain a balance so that patination does not deteriorate the appearance of the product. This will also affect its artistic value, which is important for collectible or rare pieces. When processing wrought-iron stairs and railings, it is better to apply paint only to shaped details: curls, flowers, vines. This gives them a more naturally aged appearance. It is also important to follow the principle of contrast: dark metal is covered with a lighter patina, and light metal is covered with a dark patina or blackening (blueing).

Brief application instructions

Regardless of the chosen composition, the metal surface must be cleaned of old coatings, loose rust and dirt, then dust-free and degreased. If these are ready-made paints with a patina effect, then they can be immediately applied to the prepared surface. When using forged furniture or steel structures outdoors, it is better to pre-treat them with zinc-filled compounds. Such primers will create a protective anti-corrosion layer and an even coating for painting.

The use of paints and varnishes with acids and bluing technology require special care! Personal protective equipment must be used. Ready-made enamels with a patina effect are easier to apply. It is enough to protect your face and hands from paint and ensure good ventilation when working indoors. Do not paint near a fire source or at extremely low temperatures.

Do you need advice and help in choosing the right composition?

Call us at: +7, 8 (800) 555-34-18

You can leave a request in writing by e-mail:
[email protected]
We work for

Call right now, we guarantee the quality of our products and affordable prices!

Do-it-yourself patination of forged products

Before changing the color and covering forged products with a protective film at home, they are cleaned, degreased, coated with primer and paint.

Patination of forged parts can be done with the following paints:

Alkyd. Cover large outdoor items.
Textured. They give the forged material a roughness and matte finish.
Molotkovs. Visually “break” the craft into fragments. It is advisable to use forged products painted with a hammer only indoors. Such decorative elements will harmoniously fit into the avant-garde style of the apartment.
Powder. They are of good quality and can last a long time. A special advantage is the low cost. Forged furniture can be powder painted only if it has not been welded or mounted before.
Electrostatic, which have the best quality, but a high price.

After painting the forged elements with the main color, they are dried and covered with patina.

Patination is carried out in contrast:

The dark base color is diluted with light colors.
The light shade is patinated with dark tones.
Metal with a textured structure is completely treated with patina.
Quite smooth parts are not completely patinated - only some patterns, handles, curls.

Do-it-yourself patination of forged products at home is done in various ways. Patina can be applied with a brush, using gloves, or by performing artistic painting.

In the first method, a small amount of coloring agent is scooped up with a dry brush and passed over the surface in different directions. This action creates the effect of noble metal peeking out from under the base color.

In the second method of patination, gloves are put on your hands and the patina is taken. Apply it to the surface, placing accents in the right places.

When performing artistic painting on forging, several types of patina with different shades are used. When applied, the metal is visually given shape and volume.

How to change the color of metal?

How to change the color of metal to make it look like antique? Since time immemorial, craftsmen have used the methods of oxidation, bluing and patination.

Various methods are used to carry out the work:

Metal processing over an open fire . This method is one of the most popular and ancient among jewelers. For a more beautiful and even color, it is recommended to calcinate the wire over an open fire in advance, even before creating the decoration. This is due to the fact that the heating rate of the metal may differ in different areas, therefore, there is a danger of burning it out and making it brittle. In addition, if the original working metal is varnished, the fire will remove it and pre-prepare the wire for work.
Treating metal with a sulfur liver creates a patination effect. Typically a proportion of 50 ml of water/1 drop of product is used. It is recommended to use water at 20-23 degrees, close to room temperature, since with hotter water the patination reaction occurs faster, and the resulting patina becomes less stable and will begin to wear off when it touches clothing, skin, or the surface of the box.
Ammonia solution (in the first case, exclusively its vapors are used). To process, place the decoration in a jar with a lid, into which pour 1 ml of ammonia of 5% concentration. The color of the metal changes relatively quickly; it can be adjusted by observing the changes over time.
Ammonia solution (in the second case it is used together with water). For processing, the product is sprayed with water or placed directly into the solution for 1 second, and then it is sent to a container where ammonia vapor is formed. Under the influence of water and ammonia in steam, the color of the patina becomes close to blue.

How to make a golden patina on silver with your own hands

Silver coins with patina look beautiful. If they are stored in a special leather album, silver sulfide is formed under the influence of hydrogen sulfide. Patina can be gold, yellow, crimson and even black. If a silver coin has copper in it, it may develop a green patina.

After some time, changes will begin to occur. The coins will be covered with a golden patina

To obtain a golden patina on silver at home, do it yourself as follows:

Vitriol (50 g) and potassium permanganate (5 g) are added to distilled water (1 l).
The resulting solution is brought to 80 degrees and silver coins are dipped into it.

What is patina?

Before learning how to change the color of metal, it will be helpful to know what patina is. Patina (from the Italian patina) is a coating that forms on copper products or products made from alloys using copper. Patina is always multi-layered, but on the surface there is only a green-blue or brown layer visible to the eye.

There is an artificial patina, which is created specifically by treating the metal with various chemical compounds; and natural, which forms on the product over time and is an oxidation reaction under the influence of storage and maintenance conditions.

Patina, formed naturally, can be seen on ancient copper coins, monuments, gates, castles, and temple domes. The metal is covered with a film of dark brown to bluish-green shades, which is a kind of protective layer of the base metal.

How to make a green patina on copper with your own hands

In order for the copper to acquire a green tint, the product is dipped in the following solution:

1 liter of water;
50 g of copper sulfate;
5 g potassium permanganate.

All components are mixed until smooth.

The composition is applied to copper products with a brush and dried

You can get a green patina for coloring copper at home with your own hands in this way:

Vinegar is poured into a glass jar.
The copper handles are cleaned with sandpaper and a thread is attached to them.
The parts are dipped in vinegar and hung on threads so that they do not touch the bottom. The jar is closed with a lid.

Leave the container alone until the copper turns green with a slight drop of blue.

Attention! This patina is poisonous, so it is not recommended to green up jewelry in this way.

What does it mean to “patina” a product?

What does “patina” mean in terminology? This means coating metal products with a special coating that will give the item an antique appearance. Metal products can be patinated using chemical compounds, solutions, vapors, after contact with which the product changes color and becomes special.

The film that forms on the product after the patination process is protective and, when used, protects the metal from environmental influences and external aggressive conditions.

Various natural shades of patina on copper products are known. Green, olive, blue, brown, reddish, close to black. These colors appear on copper and copper-containing alloys - brass and bronze. The patina that forms naturally on metal looks beautiful and even has the epithet “noble”.

Aesthetic and practical effects prompted jewelers and decorators to invent ways to create artificial patina as a way of aging a product. There are two ways to patina metal: random and stable.

With a stable method, the result of patination can be accurately calculated. For example, if you use liver sulfur, the coating will turn out to be brown in color; the degree of its saturation can be adjusted by exposure time.

With a random method of applying patina, the result cannot be predicted, since it will depend on how the metal behaves in reaction to certain agents. But this method always produces an interesting and artistically valuable result.

There are a variety of agents and reagents available for plaque formation. Let's consider the most popular ones for patination of copper and brass.

Available effects on metals

Metal objects are not so often found in apartments. However, with the help of such elements it is possible to create a unique design. Their functions can be performed by candlesticks, lamps, chandeliers. Such products have an attractive appearance. However, in some interiors they want to give a special antique effect. For this purpose, the patination technique is used. With its help, you can achieve different results:

The antique effect on silver objects looks very beautiful. This type of metal is highly susceptible to sulfur. Its use allows you to get different colors - from pale yellow to bright turquoise. Under the influence of chlorides and amino acids, it is possible to achieve a black tint. However, in this case the film will turn out to be quite rough. If you simply blacken the silver, you will be able to achieve an excellent antique effect.
Gold does not react with virtually any chemical substances. If the alloy contains honey or nickel, after some time orange or brown spots will appear on the surface.
Copper products are often found in residential premises. The formation of a green film on a copper base is observed under the influence of chlorides. It is possible to obtain black color due to interaction with the oxide. Copper reacts very quickly.
Bronze products are easily subject to molecular destruction. In this case, a blue or green coating may form on the surface. The most noble result can be achieved with a black patina. This effect is created by processing the oil. Copper shavings are used for calcination.

How to patina copper?

How to patina copper so that the product acquires an antique effect? One of the popular remedies is acetic acid or ammonia vapor. Copper wire or plate at a temperature of 20-25 degrees quickly comes into contact with chemical fumes and forms a coating. You can speed up the process and increase the intensity of patination by increasing the air temperature in the area of the procedure.

To create a patina, the product should be placed in an airtight container with ammonia or acetic acid poured into the bottom (follow safety precautions, work with gloves, you must also hold your breath or use a respirator). Follow the process; the decoration will begin to turn brown. Do not overexpose so as not to increase fragility and damage the metal).

Remove the product after reaching the desired color intensity and rinse with water. Using a velvet cloth with polishing paste (goyi paste), polish the jewelry, brush, rinse again and dry.