Editing Patina on Your Piping

=Patina on your piping.....=

==Extracted from Brass Goggles Forum, retaining identical copyrights==

{| width="90%"
|
<br />
----
 Title: '''Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''CapnHarlock''' on '''February 24, 2007, 05:00:16 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Since it was mentioned in the Tactiles sticky post, I thought I would post a recent experiment that I feel has worked fairly well (imho) . [http://www.capnharlock.com/game/gallery/brass.jpg (http://www.capnharlock.com/game/gallery/brass.jpg)] is a photo of a PVC pipe-fitting painted to resemble somewhat-aged brass. <br /><br />Base coat is sprayed-on Krylon Fusion (for plastics) hammered-finish copper (a US product- I'm not sure of availability, but it bonds to plastics without priming.) <br />When dry, a light dusting coat of metallic gold was unevenly-sprayed-on.<br /><br />a wash was prepared, equal parts of Metallic Green, Metallic Sapphire Blue and Flat White acrylic hobby paints, heavily-thinned with water. The wash was randomly daubed on with a wide artist's brush and the part was allowed to dry standing on end to allow running and puddling. When dry it was sprayed with a satin-finish clear acrylic to seal.<br /><br />The photo-flash added a bit of extra shininess, but it seems to be a fairly-good approximation of patinaed brass for plastics. This technique will probably be used for prop-production for a Steampunk-based LARP game in the near future.<br /><br />Enjoy :)<br /><br /></div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Hex''' on '''February 24, 2007, 05:10:27 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Very useful, thanks for sharing. <br />I may have to <del>steal</del> borrow this technique. ;)</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Honky-Tonk Dragon''' on '''February 24, 2007, 06:11:31 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Interesting approach.<br />I too may borrow some of this technique for my current project, a steampunk themed paint job on my Vespa.<br />Thank you, good Captain.</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''sidecar_jon''' on '''February 24, 2007, 03:38:50 PM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">very nice looks right too... may i pass on a tip too, to make real brass/copper go green. Put the object in a bag with some ammonia, it goes green like a good'un. Only problem is that it also attacks stressed areas and can bite through thin pipe. (i once made a brass rod "globe" to go round a fake mermaid, when i patinated it all the carefully soldered joints pinged apart!)</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Vermilion''' on '''February 24, 2007, 05:47:53 PM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">This is great info! Thank you. With some foe rivits and the right meterial one could make some real neat pipe furnature. I think I just my have two for my next project ^.^ <br /><br />SIdecar-jon: do you just spray liquid ammonia onto the sides of the bag? How long would you leave in say an adverage thickness copper pipe? </div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Tinkergirl''' on '''February 24, 2007, 06:05:13 PM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">CapnHarlock - that's marvelous! I'm only sorry that Krylon doesn't seem to be available in the UK - I've seen it mentioned before. I have recently found a metallic spray paint that doesn't instantly melt PVC piping, however it does scrape off. I take it that Krylon doesn't scrape off?</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''sidecar_jon''' on '''February 24, 2007, 06:48:59 PM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex"><div class="quoteheader">[http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk/bg-forum/index.php?topic=44.msg492#msg492 Quote from: Vermilion on February 24, 2007, 05:47:53 PM]</div><div class="quote">SIdecar-jon: do you just spray liquid ammonia onto the sides of the bag? How long would you leave in say an adverage thickness copper pipe? <br /></div><br />Id use liquid ammonia cleaning solution, put it on a saucer, place that in the bottom of the plastic bag, suspend the copper over it and seal the bag, you want the fumes acting on the copper not the liquid. i left mine for an hour and more if it looked like it needed it.</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''CapnHarlock''' on '''February 24, 2007, 07:31:49 PM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Thank you :) <br /><br />According to Krylon's advertising info, the "fusion" line of paint forms a molecular bond to the plastic surface, and (minor) <br />experimentation it doesn't crack and scratch off the way "normal" enamel/acrylic/latex spray paint does. It really does seem to be a different formulation, because (by direct observation) it doesn't adhere at all when the ambient air temperature is below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit - more like a lumpy-gel than a a smooth spray-coating (my back porch was too cold for working anyway..)<br /><br />Apparently the HAZMAT import tax has made it too expensive to import into the UK on a widespread basis :( A bit of searching via Difference Engine Telegraphy has revealed one importer at [http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/krylon_fusion.htm (http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/krylon_fusion.htm)] but it seems outrageously-expensive.<br /><br />Another search provided a hint that an airbrush (liquid) paint called "Special T" in the UK may have similar properties. (??)<br />(Note: I am in no way associated with the manufacturers or vendors of any of these products) <br /><br />A fallback that works almost-adequately is to clean the PVC surface with acetone (removes the black US pipe-schedule printed info), sand the surface lightly with a fine emery-cloth then prime with a water-based latex spray paint and let it cure for at least a day (even though the can directions say 15 minutes), then spray on the metallics/add washes and seal with a clear coat.<br /><br />You end up with a thicker coating that can obscure fine details, but at least it seems not to flake off when looked-at, much less actually used. <br /><br />Perhaps I should acquire an armored-airship and begin a pirate-career, smuggling contraband artist's-supplies into Britain. :)<br /><br /></div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Honky-Tonk Dragon''' on '''February 24, 2007, 07:36:28 PM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Another idea is to use paint with actual metallic particles in it.<br />There is this stuff (http://"http://www.prismaticpainting.com/items.lasso?type=Paint"). It is actually a two-part system, the first part is basically just acrylic polymer with different metal dust (pigment) dispersed in it, and the second part is an oxidiser. It'll cost you a little over $20 US for both parts, $30 if you opt for their sealer.<br />OR...<br />You could make it yourself. Golden Artist Colors sells just the acrylic polymer, I'd recommend GAC 100, to which you could add your own metal dust/fine shavings (if say, you've got them laying around lab...) after that layer dries, give a rub down with some fine grit sandpaper and use SIdecar-jon's oxidation technique.<br /><br />On PVC, you would, of course, need to follow CapnHarlock's prep suggestions.<br /><br />I haven't tried it, but it should work... I mean it's not Zepplin-science is it?</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Platyhelminthes''' on '''February 25, 2007, 07:13:56 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Honky-Tonk Dragon-- I've added my own copper powder to acrylic medium for oxidation effects on paintings before, and it works great! The method I used was to paint a layer of clear medium, then quickly dust the surface with copper while the medium was still wet. Once it dried, I filled a squirt bottle with vinegar and sprayed the embedded copper. After the vinegar evaporated, I had a lovely mottled verdigris effect, which I then sealed in with clear polycrylic spray. <br />Just a note, verdigris is an unstable pigment, and so the color did shift some over time.<br /></div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Cryptovitas''' on '''February 25, 2007, 07:45:38 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Definitely going to give this a try on my laptop. If it works well, you're my new favourite person.</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''FantÃ´mas''' on '''February 25, 2007, 08:03:14 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex">Not sure if anyone here is familiar with it...however Hobby Masters sells a variety of three products manufactured by A-West called Patina-it, Weather-it and Blacken-it.[http://www.hobbymasters.com/browseproducts/A-West-Patina-It.html (http://www.hobbymasters.com/browseproducts/A-West-Patina-It.html)]<br />quite effective correctly used, though also rather poisonous I fear. I used them on a project in 1999 when I was constructing my own fountain pen from scratch and was pleased with the results.</div><br />
----
 Title: '''Re: Patina on your piping.....'''<br /> Post by: '''Honky-Tonk Dragon''' on '''February 25, 2007, 08:35:43 AM'''
----
<div style="margin: 0 5ex"><div class="quoteheader">[http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk/bg-forum/index.php?topic=44.msg649#msg649 Quote from: Platyhelminthes on February 25, 2007, 07:13:56 AM]</div><div class="quote">Honky-Tonk Dragon-- I've added my own copper powder to acrylic medium for oxidation effects on paintings before, and it works great! The method I used was to paint a layer of clear medium, then quickly dust the surface with copper while the medium was still wet. Once it dried, I filled a squirt bottle with vinegar and sprayed the embedded copper. After the vinegar evaporated, I had a lovely mottled verdigris effect, which I then sealed in with clear polycrylic spray. <br />Just a note, verdigris is an unstable pigment, and so the color did shift some over time.<br /><br /></div>Hmmm....<br />You just reminded me that the inventory of my studio includes a jar of bronzing powder...<br />I may be experimenting with this sooner, rather than later...</div><br /><br />
|}