Metal Effects Experiments: DIY Copper Patina!

I know a lot of you are eager to see my results with Modern Masters' copper patina paints, so let's get right to it!

First, I bought this seahorse statue at Home Goods for about $20, with the sole purpose of turning it copper:

Next, two coats of the Modern Masters copper paint:

After allowing the two coats to cure overnight, I brushed on a third coat of copper, and then quickly spritzed the whole thing with the same blue aging solution I used on my bronze fairy. (You need to apply the solution while the paint is still wet.)

Fun Fact: The aging solution is a mix of acids which cause the copper particles in the paint to oxidize, giving you a truly authentic patina.

Within about a minute the liquid started turning a funky grayish color:

And then... MAGIC TIME:

As you can see, there were several largish sections where the blue patina didn't take. Either the paint there dried too quickly or I just didn't put it on thick enough; it's hard to say. Since I wanted my seahorse almost completely covered with patina, I went back a few times over the next few nights to fill in those areas. Just use a small artist's brush to apply more copper paint, and then spray with the aging solution. Easy peasy, if a little tedious.

Eventually I decided it was as good and "rusty" as it was going to get, so I finished off the post and base with a dark brown paint covered with black glaze, to give it a faux wood grain.

Ready to see?

 Ta-daaa!

 I really like the texture on the face:

 

 While the patina was still wet I carefully wiped some of those hard edges on the head, just to help the copper show through. That's the only place I messed with it, though.

Oh, and see that discoloration on the neck? That's where I tried some of the green aging solution - but it was an old bottle past its expiration date, so it didn't really work. Just gave it a funky yellowish hue here and there.

Some of you have requested I compare this real patina to my faux version from a while back, so here's my first copper seahorse again, in the same light:

As I noted back then the paint I used was perhaps a bit too blue, but beside that, you can also see it's a lot more watery in appearance. The MM patina has a much more chalky, rubbed-in look.

Here's a side-by-side comparison:

Of course, if you like the extra rich blue, keep in mind that copper patina can run the whole gamut of blues and greens when mixed with other metals:

 via

Modern Masters will give you more of a pure copper, Statue of Liberty patina, but without the darker areas of grunge:

In fact, that's the one thing I still like better about my faux patina; the black wash gives it a sense of age and grit that you'd expect from old things. The MM patina is very clean feeling, though I suppose I could go back and spray on some grungy colors to dirty it up a bit. Hmm....

You'll notice the seahorse looks brighter here. It's all in the light: the metallic copper can catch and reflect the light, or look extra dark in shadow.

Some of you asked last time if you need to seal these patinas. According to the instructions, there's no need to apply sealer to any of your Modern Masters projects, but they do make one if you want to lock in the finish. If you don't apply a sealer, then your item will just continue to patina naturally over time.

And for what it's worth, I've been carrying around this seahorse by the body every time I move it, and nothing has come off on my hands. The patina actually feels surprisingly smooth and strong, like the side of a piece of chalk. The bronze patina, on the other hand, has more of a grit to it, like sandpaper.

So there you have it! I hope I answered most of your questions about this paint process, and maybe inspired some of you to get painting. And as always, please share your project pics over on the Epbot FB page, so the rest of us can see!

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