patina Archives

United States Capitol Visitor Center – Days 7-10

janey freid2019-01-25T16:02:51-07:00January 25th, 2019|How we do it|

Readying and Applying Metal Patina Day 7: January 22, 2009. With the spray application of LuminOre® Bronze completed, the outer frame project is nearing the half-way point. The sprayed metal requires some time to cure and fully harden prior to the finishing steps. Despite the frigid temperatures, shop heat is left at 74 degrees overnight to aid the process. We can’t wait to see the gas bill for this month. During the cure process, the metal coating develops a bit of a sticky glaze on the outside which must be removed before patination and final finishing. Again, mostly hand work. We usually remove the glaze with a light abrasive blast, and this was no exception. Some of day 7 is spent sandblasting, but the remainder of our time is used to hand-tune the frame surface so we have a nice even metal base that will take the patina and give [...]

What is Oil Rubbed Bronze?

janey freid2019-01-29T12:03:25-07:00January 25th, 2019|How we do it|

Oil Rubbed Bronze isn’t Bronze at all, it is Copper with a Patina Finish. The other answer is that Oil Rubbed Bronze can be anything the manufacturer or craftsperson wants it to be. Since there is no true definition, most agree in broad terms that Oil Rubbed Bronze should have darker brown tones with a bit of the metal base material showing through. No Solicitors Abandon All Hope Bronze Raised Sign How you get there is another story, and often you can’t get there at all. Many are happy to give the illusion of oil rubbed bronze by faux-finishing the piece or using a spray paint of some sort. This makes it very difficult to have a little metal showing through, since we are talking paint in this case. Look at oil rubbed bronze furniture, lamps, kitchen and bath accessories. You will usually find that the coloration is [...]

How to Patina, Part II

janey freid2019-01-22T10:28:07-07:00January 21st, 2019|How we do it|

How We Do It We look forward to the way metal ages over time, but waiting years for this weathering process is not always the most practical way to enjoy the coloration changes. Patination is the art of applying coloration to metals. It can be done to add a sense of mood and drama to an object, to enhance and highlight detail or to accelerate the aging process. The patinator can utilize compounds to hasten the natural process or can add other patina colors such as blue, red, or black. VFW Plaque Detail Artists have been using patina since, least the 1800s. Sculptor, Auguste Rodin used patinas on many of his bronze pieces. Likewise American Western Artist Frederick Remington, used patinas on his 22 famous statues depicting Cowboy and Western American life. Atlas with the Weight of the World In addition to the naturally occurring browns [...]

How to Patina, Part I

janey freid2019-01-22T10:28:13-07:00January 21st, 2019|Metal Coated|

What is Patina? Commonly pronounced in the US as pa tee’ne, or puh tee’nuh”. Most broadly defined as the observed and physical change in a surface over time caused by exposure to oxygen or other environmental elements and compounds. Hilton Resort, Hawaii On metal, it is the film of corrosion on the surface caused primarily by the reaction of the metal with oxygen. To put it in perspective, think of an old penny, a rusty pipe, or the Statue of Liberty. However, there is more to it; The natural rate of change depends upon the aggressiveness of the environment. Since the level of pollutants, rainfall, and acidity vary locally, the rate, chemical make-up, and therefore the color and depth of the patina will also vary. Rates of patina build-up and color will change year-to-year, and even seasonally. Paris Door Knob Patina is not confined to metal. It can also refer [...]

How Good Are Your Signs And Plaques In the Winter

janey freid2019-01-27T15:52:21-07:00January 21st, 2019|Atlas Posts (All), How we do it|

Calypso Address Numbers in Pewter - March 29, 2009, Lake Mills WI USA Atlas Signs and Plaques are Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to the suitability of LuminOre® and HDU for exterior applications. According to the LuminOre® manufacturer specs, the process has undergone ASTM testing equivalent to 30 years weatherization. Our experience with the product has been fantastic, both with client projects we have completed over the past years, and with our own informal testing in Wisconsin and Colorado. As an example, we sprayed a design on a piece of limestone and left it to the Wisconsin elements for four seasons of hot, wet, dry, and cold. The coated limestone has been left to fend for itself and has undergone countless freeze-thaw cycles. It has been left on the wet earth, rained on, baked, and left under salt-laden snow for months. We are amazed, but never surprised, when [...]

What Is The Difference Between Copper, Bronze, And Brass For Plaques

janey freid2019-01-27T15:57:44-07:00January 21st, 2019|Atlas Posts (All)|

Copper, Bronze and Brass Signs and Plaques All that glitters is not gold Shakespeare Proverbs more famous quotes It’s All About the Alloy Swirls On the Vertical Address Plaque - Copper Copper is the primary metal that makes up the alloys of bronze and brass. Copper itself is soft and easily hammered to shape. As we all know, copper in its fresh state has a pinkish coloration that surface corrodes quite rapidly showing blue, green, and/or brown oxidation. At Atlas Signs and Plaques, we induce this beautiful corrosion, which we call patina, to give our copper signs and plaques a bit (or a lot) of age and take away that “new penny” look. Copper was one of the earliest metals utilized and may have been used as early as 10,000 years ago in hammered tools and adornments. Not long after the art of extracting and [...]