Does anyone know any patination recipes that don't involve scary chemicals?
I've found a couple on the internet which turns metal a greenish colour - one with ammonia, white vinegar and salt and another with urine :o. Apparently you can get other colours using general household stuff but I can't seem to find them.
As always, any help much appreciated.
hard boiled egg in a sandwich bag
If you've got a few bob to spare, I can thoroughly recommend Jinks McGrath's Jeweller's Guide to Decorative Finishes - it covers hammering, rolling, etc., but also lots of patination for various metals - I seem to recall tobacco featuring heavily. But I'd still invest in liver of sulphur if you want to patinate silver - it really isn't difficult to handle (grind up, add warm water, dunk), and the colours are stunning - well worth the effort (and the smell!!!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jewellers-Directory-Decorative-Finishes-Enamelling/dp/0713670932
Quote from: ralphus on October 23, 2007, 11:14:51 PM
Does anyone know any patination recipes that don't involve scary chemicals?
I think you'll find that all patination involves chemical. They are only scary if you don't handle them according to the instructions!!
Just give it a go with LOS and wear gloves and a nose peg :D
Quote from: sparrow on October 24, 2007, 11:00:06 AM
If you've got a few bob to spare, I can thoroughly recommend Jinks McGrath's Jeweller's Guide to Decorative Finishes - it covers hammering, rolling, etc., but also lots of patination for various metals - I seem to recall tobacco featuring heavily. But I'd still invest in liver of sulphur if you want to patinate silver - it really isn't difficult to handle (grind up, add warm water, dunk), and the colours are stunning - well worth the effort (and the smell!!!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jewellers-Directory-Decorative-Finishes-Enamelling/dp/0713670932
Thanks Sabine and Mari. I actually have this book on loan from the library and had forgotten all about it. Actually looked at it properly tonight and I might have to buy it!
What colour does liver of sulphur produce?
Quote from: beads-on-toast on October 23, 2007, 11:30:13 PM
hard boiled egg in a sandwich bag
Thanks Anna. I'm assuming that you have to shell the egg and mash it up a bit. How long do you leave the metal (copper at the moment) in for or is it a matter of experimenting?
Quote from: LittleHen on October 24, 2007, 02:51:17 PM
Quote from: ralphus on October 23, 2007, 11:14:51 PM
Does anyone know any patination recipes that don't involve scary chemicals?
I think you'll find that all patination involves chemical. They are only scary if you don't handle them according to the instructions!!
Thanks Jessie. I also don't know where to get scary chemicals from and I'm likely to damage something!!
Will invest in a nose peg ;)
LOS does all kinds of colours, depending how long you leave it before you take it out and rinse it - you can either dunk the silver in or paint the LOS on....in order, I think it goes straw/gold first, then red, then...errr.....green, then bluey/purple and finally black. The attached pictures aren't great, but this was LOS painted on in various layers and rinsed every time I had the colour I wanted - the earrings go darker the further inside you go...might have to do this in two messages...let's see...
Yup...sorry...still not great with attachments!
Lovely pieces Chrystal and Sabine. Thanks for showing them.
George, thanks for the link. I'm a shiny shiny shiny person too but I'm being forced to experiment in my classes!