sodium bicarb/peroxide ratios?

For metal. High carbon steel blade. Exact metal not known. I need to put a patina on it and heard throught the forum this mix works well, never got a recipe though. I think it was attributed to Kevin Cashen.
 
Last edited:
Here's all I have. Not sure what color / patina / texture you're looking for. Never heard of a peroxide / bicarb mix...

1. Gun Bluing.

The simplest (and the most easily obtained) way to patinate brass and copper based artifacts is with commercial gun bluing solutions.

Start with a volume of water just large enough to immerse your item. Warm water works faster.

Thoroughly wet the piece in water to drive off any air bubbles. The patina will not colour under the bubbles, resulting in bare spots.

Immerse the piece in the water, and slowly add small amounts of gun blue to the water until the artifact starts to brown. Be sure to gently and continuously agitate the solution over the piece.

When the piece has developed a blackish skin or ‘fuzz’, take it out, and with a soft brush (like a toothbrush), wash it under water to see if it has developed the colour you want.

If you want it darker, re-immerse it and repeat the process.

Neutralize the piece with a wash of baking soda and water and rinse well. Dry the item completely and seal the patina with your choice of either a wax or Tung oil.




2. Brown (light to dark)

Chemicals: Ferric Nitrate - ½ teaspoon
Distilled water - 1 pint

Method:

Heat the metal until a drop of water sizzles on its surface.

Brush or spray on the solution while constantly reheating the metal, until you achieve the desired colour.

You can get any shade from a chestnut red to a dark brown, but try not to burn it by applying too much heat.


3. Brown to Black

Chemicals: Potassium sulfide (aka sulphurated potash or liver of sulphur) - a flower or lump the size of a nickel (it has to be fresh, or it won’t work).
You can tell if it is fresh by the colour: yellow is fresh, dusty white means it’s garbage.
Distilled water - 1 pint

Method:

Use the hot process or immerse in warm solution.

Do this outside as it smells strongly of rotten eggs (the sulphur you know!)


4. Greens

Chemicals: Cupric Nitrate – 1 teaspoon
Distilled water - 1 pint

Method:

Apply to heated metal with brush or spray method. Build up applications to the desired depth and colour.






5. Olive Green

Chemicals: Cupric Nitrate – ½ teaspoon
Ferric Nitrate – ½ teaspoon
Distilled water – 1 pint

Method:

Heat metal and apply.



6. Cold Process Green.

Chemicals: Cupric Nitrate – 40 gm
Ammonium Chloride – 40 gm
Calcium Chloride – 40 gm
Distilled Water - 1 Litre

Method:

Use the cold process. Several applications are needed.

(One can also get a great brown green by urinating on the piece at interval—and it smells like it for ever and ever.)


7. Reddish brown (cast brass)

Chemicals: Cupric Sulfate - 125 gm
Sodium Acetate -12 1/2 gm
Distilled water - 1 Litre

Method:

Boiling immersion for 10 – 15 minutes. The colour will develop after 10 – 15 minutes.


8. Red (cast brass)

Chemicals: Cupric Nitrate - 8 oz
Oxalic Acid - 8 oz
Distilled Water - 1 gallon

Method:

Heat metal and apply.

Further Reading

For more recipes and techniques, check out Richard Hughes’ and Michael Rowe’s book, ‘The Colouring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals’.
I’ve been using it for years. It has lots of colour plates.

Good luck, and remember to patinate outside!
 
Thanks for the recipes. I was interested in the baking soda, peroxide recipe is becuase it was said it looked like rust bluing which I like the look of. I have etched with acid, and used mustard, lemon juice and such. Might have to try our something of this list.
 
Dustin Golat said:
For metal. High carbon steel blade. Exact metal not known. I need to put a patina on it and heard throught the forum this mix works well, never got a recipe though. I think it was attributed to Kevin Cashen.
Click to expand...


Not me, I have never tried that mixture, but it does sound interesting.
 
sodium bicarbonate + peroxide + liquid soap [or detergent] is the best thing to get skunk smell off your dog !!
I wonder if the bicarbonate would act as a buffer for the peroxide ?? Where's a chemist ?
 
You know, I've worn Google out searching for some reference to this and the only thing I can find out is that the mixture is a great antimicrobial for dentures and denture cream. You sure it was those two items?
 
For rusting solution on hawk heads I have used in the past. 1 part peroxide to 1 part brown vinegar and salt. I would buy the 16oz vinegar and 16oz peroxide and about 2 table spoons of salt. Spray on till you get the color brown you want. To accelarate this spray bleach on in between coat of vinegar/peroxide. I then would neutrilize in sodium bicarbonate and water. Do all this outdoors and at your own risk, gives off some pretty mean fumes. You can get a black patina by boiling in water after rusting. This may be what you thinking of.
 
Actually I think I misread the original post I was reffering to. Looks like upon review Sunshadow was saying that the process was to etch (with maturitic I would assume) and then neutralize with a baking soda, peroxide mix. I have used sodium bicarb to neutralize so I will have to try the mixture to do so sometime. Heres the qoute.

"Kevin Cashen had a recipe for neutralizing after etching damascus involving sodium bicarb and hydrogen peroxide that someone pointed out was suspiciosly like rust bluing"

I must read more carefully. Well, I will have to give one of the great suggestions in this post a try. Thanks for the help.
 
Well............ If you are trying to get an "old" look, take a look at this....

Plow4.jpg


This thing was carried to 1000 grit, but I didn't like the look..... Sooooooo, I reverted to a little recipe that Raymond Richards told me about.

Take your blade to whatever finish you want, then get yourself a "dobber", like the ones that Tandy sells for dying leather. "Dobb" on some cold gun blue in a random pattern. Keep "dobbing" until the blade is covered. Let the cold blue dry or haze over, then dip the blade in "Clorox".

You will notice an immediate "rusting" of the blade. When you see the rusting begin, rinse the blade in water, use some #0000 steel wool, and look at your results.

If it is not enough, simply clean the blade really good, and do it again, and again, and again until you get the "look" you are after.

Thank you for tuning in to this local station:D........... Robert
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top