▪ Patinas and Protective Finishes Q & A ▪
Adding a nice patina to your wire jewelry can make the difference between "So what?" and "Wow!" There are seemingly limitless patina colors...from rich blacks, browns, greens and blues to vibrant reds and oranges.
Besides being appealing to the eye, finishes can also be functional. You might use a clear coating to prevent tarnishing of your shiny copper. A nice patina is a great way to hide minor imperfections and tool marks.
One of my favorite finishes is Liver-of-Sulfur. With LOS, you can create some really beautiful aged looks. To help you get started with this easy-to-use finishing method, check out this Liver-of-Sulfur article.
This is the place for you to ask any questions related to patinas and protective finishing techniques or issues. And, as with all the Q & A forums, if you're a wire jewelry artist yourself we welcome your ideas and experiences!
→ Patinas and Protective Finishes questions asked by other visitors.
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Patina and Protective Finish Questions Asked by Other Visitors
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Sealant and Silver Do you ever use a protective finish on silver? I have read arguments online against sealing silver, but is it really as bad an idea for tarnish prevention?...
Liver of sulfur and brass
Hi Stacy, thanks for taking time....
experimenting for a long time with LOS finishing, found good technique for copper... brass is a different story,...
Blue patina
What ammonia use for blue patina?
Stacy's Answer: I use regular old household ammonia that you can purchase in the cleaning sections of supermarkets ...
Krylon to finish copper Does Krylon matte finish work well to protect copper from tarnishing or do you recommend some other finish? Does it work to spray the coating on an entire ...
Copper Patina I have a nice shiny length of copper 10' x 3'. I am using it as inlays in my kitchen cabinets. I want to patina this copper with liver of sulfer. Can I ...
Protective Finish for Copper
How can one prevent copper from turning green and is there a coating that would protect the client's skin?
Thank you,
Riki
Stacy's Answer: Thanks ...
Polishing Oxidized Chain What is the best/easiest way to polish silver chain once it's been oxidized? I've been polishing it by hand with steel wool, but it is soo time consuming....
Question About a Protective Finish Hello Stacy, I would love to know what protective finish you use on some of your jewelry pieces. It looks nice and shiny and I think it would protect the ...
Adding A Nice Finish After Antiquing I do not have a tumbler yet and after I patina a piece I want to rub some off and give the piece a very nice finished look. I work in Sterling Silver and ...
Copper turned a gunmetal color
Hi stacy,
I made copper bangle bracelets. They were patinated in liver of sulfur. I then experimented with brass brushing some of the bracelets instead ...
Using and Disposing of Midas Green Patina and Copper Oxidizer
Hi!
I am working with copper and brass patinas for the first time, and wondering if you have tips on the use and/or disposal of either of these products,...
Stopping the Patination
Do you know the ratio of water, salt and vinegar to stop the process? Thanks
Stacy's Answer: Hi Gail!
I don't use salt and/or vinegar as that can ...
Patina or LOS Is Liver of Sulphate the same as black patina? I have a bottle of black patina and is a light greenish blue color. I want to use it on a piece of copper ...
silver plated copper wire and liver of sulfur?
Hi!
I was wondering if the liver of sulfur will work on my silver plated copper wire? They are anti-tarnish but I read somewhere else that it can work ...
Oxidizing Silver with an Egg I had a custom oxidized sterling silver ring made and the finish is pretty much gone. The jeweler told me I could re-oxidize the ring with a hard boiled ...
Protection for copper necklaces I read your tips about Liver of Sulfur and thought they were very helpful and i looked up Permalac sealant to protect the copper is this also ok to use ...
Permalac EF
Stacy can you tell me where you purchase Permalac EF? I live in Southwest Florida.
Stacy's Answer:
Hi Jody! I purchase the Permalac EF from ...
Seal polished copper
Hi - I'm wondering after I polish the copper - do I need to seal the copper?
Stacy's Answer: Hi Cindy!
It is only necessary to seal the copper ...
Sealing Liver-of-sulfur on Copper Hello, So I've just used some Stabilized LOS on some copper necklaces. I want to make sure that no residue comes off onto my customers clothes or skin....
We are trying to apply a patina to bronze.
Where is a source for the LOS?
Stacy's Answer: A quick internet search reveals many retail sources for Liver of sulfur. Jewelry supply companies ...
Heavy Dark Patina
I want to buy patina gel from COOL TOOLS but will this product heavily darken silver for a "Dark-Dark" patina on silver.
Stacy's Answer: Hi Carolyn!...
Copper Earwires Hi Stacy, I have seen some copper wires and was wondering how safe they are to wear? I know copper has some therapeutic benefits for joints. Can you ...
To Seal or not to Seal? Hi Stacy, I have used Permalac™ sealer on a few copper necklaces I have made and then oxidised, with mixed success. Occasionally, the sealer has left a ...
Preventing Blue Patina from Coming Off I have to know...on the bracelet "Aegean" how do you keep that beautiful blue copper color from coming right off? How does the moisture from one's skin ...
