So, I am getting ready to start a pretty big project (series) and I am now in what I like to call my “testing phase”. When you are an artist that enjoys using as many media and techniques as I do, and you also have as many wild-ass ideas as I do, it pays to spend a little time experimenting before getting started on your piece/s.
One of the things I will be incorporating into my upcoming project is copper. I was given a bunch of copper flashing scrap by a friend and I will be fashioning this into plaques for the pieces I am planning. I want the copper to look old and creepy/cool/pretty so I have been doing some research on creating a nice patina. I settled on two methods I found in my research. One using ammonia, posted on Instructables by user creatinglinus (http://www.instructables.com/id/Blue-Patina-on-Copper/), and a vinegar and salt patina found on Rena Klingenburg’s Jewelry Making Journal (http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/vinegar-and-salt-patina/).
I wanted the copper to be treated like it will when I use it in my work so I hammered it out, stamped words into it (“ammonia” on one and “vinegar” on the other). I also sanded it down and washed it with Dawn dish soap. Once it was all clean I only touched the edges as I didn’t want the oil from my skin to be left on the copper.
These methods are applied in very different ways… I had to construct a “fume chamber” for the ammonia method, where as you actually soak the copper in the vinegar and salt for that patina. I got everything set up and started my experiment Friday afternoon. Even though you can clearly tell the difference between each method by smell alone, I decided to be all scientific and shit. I labeled each container and set them out in front of the corresponding containers of stink.
With the ammonia fume chamber method the color builds up the longer you leave it in the container. With the vinegar, you leave it in for a specified amount of time but the patina builds up over time after you have removed it from the vinegar. This is the result I got after three hours in the fume chamber, and this is what the copper looked like directly after removing it from the vinegar.
I wanted a lot of patina so I decided to leave the copper that was in the fume chamber overnight. To avoid the obsessive checking that I started doing I had to shut down my studio, close the door and go to bed early! When I got up in the Saturday morning this is what I found. I could have let the ammonia one sit longer but decided to take it out in order to move the experiment along.
You must allow the copper to air dry completely for the ammonia method, and for the vinegar method, the longer you allow it to sit, the more patina the grows. I again shut my studio down and then went out for an early Mother’s Day adventure with my son. {Sidebar: I got a new sewing machine for Mother’s Day. My first ever brand new sewing machine! I have been sewing for over 30 years and this is the first time I have had a brand new machine… I am beyond giddy!}
When I came into my studio last night this is what my copper pieces looked like.
After following the instructions on cleaning/rinsing to stop the chemical reactions I was sad to see that the pretty green of the patina from the vinegar washed away. Now, I think there are some things I should have done differently that may have prevented that, and probably would have given me better results in both methods. The biggest issue was the salt I used (both methods call for salt). I only use kosher salt when cooking and didn’t have any regular old table salt on hand. I think the smaller grain of table salt would have been better for this and I will use it next time for sure. I also feel like I peeked and fussed with the copper too much. My excitement and curiosity got the better of me… I am over it. I will not be such a looky-loo when I do this again.
In the end I found that the patina created by the vinegar is much too fragile for what I plan on doing with the copper in my upcoming project. Even with finer salt and better coverage, it is very flakey and the art that I am creating is intended to be handled and touched. Even with a good sealant, I think it wouldn’t hold up to much of this touching. I also prefer the gorgeous blue that the ammonia fumes produce. Not only is it pretty, but it looks a little creepier (or older… or more decrepit?… whatever… I just like it better).
So ammonia it is! Thank goodness because I couldn’t find a small container of ammonia at the grocery store. I don’t use it for cleaning, so I had no idea what in the hell I was going to do with two quarts of the stinky shit! Now I know… I am going to make a lot of fumes! I am going to be honest here and admit that I am pretty excited by these results. You know I love feeling like a mad scientist when I do my art! Bwahahahaha!!!
I am working on an altered book for a round robin swap that will begin in June, and I think I am going to perfect this method on that book. There are a couple of other things that didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to but this experiment was more about decided which patina I liked better. I will address the metal stamping not showing up very well in my next round of experimenting for the book.
I hope to be back with those results next week some time, but I have been pretty busy with the podcast and keeping up on my personal blog, so we shall see when I actually get this done. Now am going to go shower and get this dirty penny smell off my effing hands before I go nutso!
Katie Cahill Art 