How to Patina Metal

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Collect your patinating necessities.

   You can find most of these items and ingredients in your home.
   
   You'll need a suitable container to soak your metal in a patinating solution, like a plastic container or cheap bowl.
   
   After patinating, you can clean this container and reuse it as you see fit, but it must at least be deep enough to completely submerge the metal you'll be patinating.
   
   Including these things, you'll also need:
   Clean rag (or paper towels; for drying) Container Hydrogen peroxide (3% solution; optional) Metal (to patinate) Plastic/rubber gloves (optional; recommended) Salt (any kind OK) White vinegar
2. 2

   Step 2: Prepare to patinate the metal.

   For the best results, always clean your metal and container before patinating.
   
   Even fingerprints or invisible residue can influence the outcome of your patination, so clean and dry your metal and container carefully and thoroughly.
   
   In most cases, a few drops of dish soap and a scrub brush will be enough to clean light to moderately dirty pieces of metal and containers.
   
   Soak especially dirty metal pieces in degreaser.
   
   This will remove build up in difficult to reach nooks and crannies.
   
   If you're trying to patinate steel, cleaning it with Trisodium Phosphate can be very effective.
   
   Then rinse off the metal and allow it to air dry.Wearing clean gloves while cleaning and handling the metal can protect your skin from harsh cleaning agents while preventing fingerprints from being re-transferred., Add vinegar to your clean, dry container so there is enough to completely submerge the metal.
   
   Then add an equal amount of salt to the vinegar, stir it thoroughly, and insert the metal so it can sit in the solution and create a vinegar-salt patina.Allow metal to soak in vinegar-salt patinating solutions for no less than half an hour.
   
   This solution can produce many colors of patina depending on soak time, metal composition, temperature, and other factors.
   
   For more intense oxidation, first soak the metal in only vinegar.
   
   Following that, add hydrogen peroxide and salt to the vinegar as subsequently described., The addition of hydrogen peroxide and salt to your vinegar will cause many iron alloys, like steel, to rust.This can add color, character, and realism to your patina.
   
   For every four parts white vinegar in your container, add one part hydrogen peroxide and one half part salt to the solution.For example, if you have four cups of vinegar in your container, you would need to add one cup hydrogen peroxide, and one half cup of salt.
   
   If you don't know the amount of white vinegar in your container, remove your metal for a moment and pour the vinegar into a measuring cup, then return it to its container. , For a truly natural look, you may want to leave your patinated metal without a coat of sealant.
   
   However, this kind of patina can be susceptible to flaking or fading.
   
   After your metal is fully dry, you can protect its patina with:
   A clear coat of acrylic finish.
   
   This will create a smooth, hard barrier between your patina and the forces that cause it to flake and fade.
   
   Waxes.
   
   For example, you might find regular beeswax or renaissance wax helpful for preserving the surface of the patina and its color.
3. 3

   Step 3: Soak the metal in vinegar.

4. 4

   Step 4: Intensify oxidation with peroxide

5. 5

   Step 5: if desired.

6. 6

   Step 6: Allow your metal to dry and consider a sealant.

Detailed Guide

About the Author