What Actually Takes Place when Copper, Brass and Bronze are Antiqued

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  When we all look at things, some of us find it beautiful while others fail to see what we see. It is called beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it applies even more when we look at furniture and metals. I might find a fireplace metal surround beautiful, but you might not and it has all to do with the blacking of metals to make them more appealing and also to last longer. More and more people are now looking for the antique look in everything they buy and now manufacturers are starting to see the benefits and are using this process to decorate lighting fixtures, iron surrounds and many other decorative items. There are many ways to provide an antique finish and there are a number of steps involved in the process and all of them begin with the substrate.

Source

There are three types of materials that are used commonly and we will look at them now.

1. Brass, Bronze or Copper

These forms are usually used in outdoor applications and they form a protective oxide coating for things like outdoor lighting, marine hardware, fasteners and general decorative items. This oxide film that is applied allows the designer to give an artificial antique look with a further top coat that allows the surface itself to just age naturally after that point. This oxide develops naturally and looks much better than artificially produced items that have nickel sulphate added which are now avoided due to their carcinogenic properties. The brass, copper and bronze finishes are then polished to give that antique look and finish that consumers like.

2. Steel

Steel is stronger and costs less than that of the three metals previously mentioned. Steel doesn’t, however, form a protective coating when exposed to the weather and so it has to be electroplated with copper or brass to stop it from corroding and this then provides the appearance of a brass or copper surface that can then be antiqued. Because of its low cost, steel is generally used for indoor decorative items like the bases for lamps.

3. Zinc Die-castings

This is used for items that have a very detailed shape to them and which don’t need to be very strong. The design is too detailed to be machined or stamped out of steel  and so a zinc die-casting is the base metal used because it is very easy to mould into detailed shapes for a fairly low cost when compared to the others. Much the same as steel, zinc tends to corrode and so must be electroplated as well with copper or brass to give it some corrosive resistance and to be able to give it an antique finish. Zinc die-casting may also prove to be porous and so needs a copper strike to seal it before antiquing.

The antiquing process, then involves cleaning, doing a performance test to check for real cleanliness and then onto the electroplating. After that the surface is colored and then the finish is highlighted and burnished.

Click the links below for any posts you may have missed!

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The Sunday Showcase

How to Choose the Right Interior Doors

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