Technique
ALL LEVELS | METAL
Grab a lidded
and use this traditional container and technique to color metal with enclosed fumes. by Judy Freyer Thompson
F
uming a piece of jewelry — patinating the metal by exposing it to just the fumes of a chemical patina, not to the patina itself — might sound complicated and potentially noxious. But this age-old technique doesn’t require a
dedicated patination room or a large specialized setup, though you will, of course, need adequate ventilation. You can easily create an effective “fuming tent,” a device to hold and concentrate the patina’s fumes, with just a simple lidded plastic container and a glass dish. The patination liquid goes into the glass dish, the dish goes into the plastic container, and your prepared piece of jewelry is suspended above the liquid. Once you snap on the lid to capture the fumes, all you have to do is wait for the chemical reaction to cause the patina to appear. Simple.
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Scrap copper wire hooks
Duck tape Plastic lidded container
Fishing line
Duck tape
Copper earrings with salt particles on surface
Fumes
Glass dish
Ammonia
Figure
materials ■
Copper-based metal piece to patinate: copper, bronze, brass, sterling silver, shibuichi, etc.
toolboxes, www.art jewelrymag.com/reference ■
Finishing
additional tools & supplies ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Flex shaft, drill bits; or hole punch White vinegar Plain uniodized salt: table, sea, or kosher Ammonia Containers: Plastic container with tight-fitting lid Small glass dish to fit in plastic container Method to suspend metal in container (choose from): Fishing line, duck tape Wooden dowel Degreasing spray (such as Citrus Magic or Simple Green) Clear urethane spray or other sealant ■ ■
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See Safety Basics, www.artjewelrymag. com/howto
Select the metal you want to patinate. You can use this ammonia fuming method to patinate any copper-based metal, such as copper, bronze, brass, sterling silver, shibuichi, etc. Drill a hole in the metal. I prefer to fume my pieces after I’ve drilled a bail or ear wire hole . That way, I can simply thread scrap wire through the hole to securely suspend the piece above the patina. If you don’t want to drill a hole through your metal, you’ll need to wrap scrap wire around it or find another way to hang it. Pickle the metal. Mix a solution of two parts white vinegar to one part plain (noniodized) salt in a nonmetal container. Submerge your metal in this pickle solution, and leave it there while you prepare the fuming container.
Prepare the fuming container. In a well-ventilated area, pour a small amount of ammonia into a small glass dish so the liquid is approximately 1 ⁄ 4 in. (6.5 mm) deep. Place the glass dish in a p lastic lidded container. Devise a way to suspend your pieces above the glass dish. You could use duck tape to secure fishing line taut across the container, or you could wedge a dowel against opposite sides of the container. The method you choose should allow you to securely suspend your metal above the ammonia without letting it touch the liquid. Close the lid tightly to begin capturing the fumes. Clean the metal. Check your metal for firescale; if any remains, keep the metal in the pickle until the metal is firescale free. Then, remove the metal, and use a toothbrush and dish soap to scrub it thoroughly. At this point I like to spray the metal with an environmentally-friendly degreasing spray to remove any remaining residue.
you may also like To learn how to make a copper star, left , check out Judy Freyer Thompson’s “Fold-Form Mini Copper Stars” artic le (January 2011).
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