Design Studio Workbench: Metal Shapes and Patina

by Catherine Jeltes in Studio Bits
     
Currently on my workbench in my jewelry studio:  shapes of patinated metals (mainly copper) in various stages of design.
 
The two flowers and long metal strips are copper sheet metal that has been cut, filed, textured with a hammer, and heated with a butane torch to apply a heat patina.  Don’t you love the variation?  It just goes to show that for me at least, a heat patina can be quite inconsistent, and very difficult to replicate.  The longer strips may be ring bands, pendants, or even cut into flowers.  I haven’t quite decided yet.
 
The two smaller rectangles on the left, the pendant on the chain, and the ring at the top are all copper that has been patinated with a salt and vinegar solution (see Vinegar and Salt Patina to learn how.)  I love the results (feeds my draw to rustic textures and earthy color.)  The rectangles may be destined for pendant design, or potentially trimmed for earrings.  Many options!
 
Finally, the butterflies and the circle cut-out are both brass that has been treated to a heat patina, hammered for texture, and patinated with Gilder’s Paste.  It may be hard to tell on your monitor, but the cyan blue in the “paste” patina is more blue and less green than the verdigris patina achieved with the vinegar and salt solution.  I tend to prefer green of the salt/vinegar patina when paired with the copper.  However, if time is a consideration, the quick application of a gilder’s paste patina can’t be beat.  What possibilities do you see when looking at these metal elements?
 
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