How to age/etch/oxidize metals?

[HelloStranger]

What do you call this technique where you give the metal surface a rugged/aged look like the star in this picture? Is there a link on how to do that? Can I finish-seal it as a protection?



I'm in school for metal fabrication and this is going to be my first project (for a female friend of course). It'll look good in my my portfolio too.

Many thanks.

[WillieB]

What do you call this technique where you give the metal surface a rugged/aged look like the star in this picture? Is there a link on how to do that? Can I finish-seal it as a protection?

[ATTACH]34782[/ATTACH]

I'm in school for metal fabrication and this is going to be my first project (for a female friend of course). It'll look good in my my portfolio too.

Many thanks.

Lay it beside a highway in VT in winter for 24 hours. It'll be aged.

[H80N]

What do you call this technique where you give the metal surface a rugged/aged look like the star in this picture? Is there a link on how to do that? Can I finish-seal it as a protection?

[ATTACH]34782[/ATTACH]

I'm in school for metal fabrication and this is going to be my first project (for a female friend of course). It'll look good in my my portfolio too.

Many thanks.

The easiest way is to do a yahoo or google search on

"patina formulas for steel"

and you will find a wealth if info... formulas and technique for producing patinas on steel... everything from rust to parkerizing... copperplate... blueing etc etc...

Have fun and pls keep us posted...

[USMCPOP]

To rust steel, a mix of vinegar, salt and hydrogen peroxide works. It's less dangerous than muriatic acid/bathroom cleaner or the like that has hydrochloric acid in it.

For aluminum, various alkaline chemicals will etch it. Some highly basic cleaners like Simple Green or tire cleaner (that say not to leave on aluminum long) will etch. So will Easy Off oven cleaner in the yellow can (the heavy duty kind). Wear eye protection and gloves, as you don't want sodium hydroxide in your eyes or on your hands. It will blind you in a heartbeat. Worst of all are drain cleaners that contain lye or are pure lye.

Another thing that will rust steel badly is Sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride). That's what's in the tinning blocks used to clean soldering iron tips. For that matter, various fertilizers and chlorides will accelerate rust.

[Cgotto6]

My local steel supplier here started carrying this brand metal finishes and patinas. I have used a few with really good results. http://metalfinishesplus.com

[cayager]

metal fx

go to a site called plasmaspider.com. there is a company that advertises on there called metal f/x they have all sorts of metal finishes. alot of guys use them.its really neat stuff.

[tommy2069]

i always just used good old salt in a water sprayer. we had a box boom come in one time and we had to do some repairs to it but we also had to make it look like we never touched it so after welding on it we sprayed it with salt desolved in water.by the next day it was nice and rusty. we done the same thing with two keels for some boats we are going to build. the coast guard came up with some new regulations for all new boats but if you already started a boat the regulations didn't matter so we set up two keels and swept them with a sand blaster then sprayed them with salt by the time coast guard came a week later it looked like the keels had been out in the yard for months.

[Pitalplace]

I just use straight vinegar. Spray it every day til you get the patina you want.

[jmpgino]

What do you call this technique where you give the metal surface a rugged/aged look like the star in this picture? Is there a link on how to do that? Can I finish-seal it as a protection?

[ATTACH]34782[/ATTACH]

I'm in school for metal fabrication and this is going to be my first project (for a female friend of course). It'll look good in my my portfolio too.

Many thanks.

With a picture like the one you posted, do you honestly expect an answer that you would understand or even comprehend on your topic, you did get the too correct though, use google, it works rather well if you filter the rubbish out.

[regal2800]

These guys have every patina you want. They work almost instantly.

http://www.sculptnouveau.com