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Official Patina Thread - DIY, Guides and Showcase

MrMeowgi

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Yea man it still looks nice. After the new year I'm going to get a few more copper mods to do up. I'm still down for the smpl mod you did. Ha ha

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CrazyChef v2.0

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Man, I can't wait until spring. Can't really patina outside when it's 22° outside.
 

CrazyChef v2.0

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I said stop rubbing that Steely Dan @CrazyChef v2.0 looks weird like a growth on that thing
This one smells a little "funny"... Not sure why. I mean, I try to keep 'em clean.

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strigamort

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So it's no secret (to anyone within shouting distance of me over the last few days) that I lost my Admiral (clone), Dead Rabbit and a new ijoy 20700 all in one shot. Soooo upsetting! That one was black/brass. I'd stripped the paint in preparation for a patina, but I never got the chance to do the job before what I'm now calling "The Incident".

Anyway, I ordered a whole new setup. Admiral clone, only this time in copper (better for what I wanted to do), a new blackout DR and a fresh 20700.

Out of the box I set it all up to make sure everything was working in tip top shape. No concerns, it's as great as I remember. After that I took it all apart and used my new polishing jig to get a proper shine on the mod (for fun, don't judge me). Then I went to town with a quick and dirty vapor tank, salt/vinegar solution in a spray bottle and a few coats of urethane to seal in the purdy.

What do you think? Yea or nea? I like it a lot but I'm easily bored so we'll see how long it lasts. :)

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Fudgey Finger

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Looks good! I'm getting tired of having so much brass and copper to polish I've been thinking of trying this for a while now. I don't have any clones to try it on though so I keep getting cold feet.
 

strigamort

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Well, you can always pick up one of these. They are pretty much excellent. I wouldn't be worried about forcing a patina on an authentic, but I can appreciate your hesitation. I've done a lot of this, but never on copper, or it's alloys. Always been on carbon steel from when I made knives.

What is it that worries you? I imagine there could be some pitting after a forced patina, but I've not stripped one yet to see. I mean I've seen bad pitting after stripping cerakote from M4 tool steel (a non stainless alloy) using vinegar as the bond breaking agent, but I digress. :)

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strigamort

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Thank you KP. You've always been very nice as well as helpful. I appreciate that.

I took a couple of pictures in the sun today. The depth and brilliance of the blue aren't really coming through in pics, but I'm no photographer.

I've had a couple of people ask me about the process of doing this. I'm going to write up an instruction with pics because it's really easy and there's no reason why everyone can't give it a shot if they are interested.

Totally a side note, but for those with tube mods that require polishing... I'm sure you've seen (or already own) a polishing jig. You know, the two piece deals that chuck up in your drill? Anyway, the ones from Mod Maker or Complyfe(?) are kinda expensive. I found one made by Vandy Vape (of all companies) and they sell them here- https://www.tenacioustxvapes.com/bu...-Jig-Tool-Thingy/p/99409761/category=26378229 for $11. I'll post a pic of mine. It's cheaply made, but solid and I love how well it works. For the price (unless you buy one from China direct) you can't beat it.

Btw... ARGH! I just got a call from my gf. She found my other setup at her dad's house! Oh well. Better to have two complete setups than none.

#firstworldproblems

I'll post up the instructions asap. :)

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KingPin!

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Thank you KP. You've always been very nice as well as helpful. I appreciate that.

I took a couple of pictures in the sun today. The depth and brilliance of the blue aren't really coming through in pics, but I'm no photographer.

I've had a couple of people ask me about the process of doing this. I'm going to write up an instruction with pics because it's really easy and there's no reason why everyone can't give it a shot if they are interested.

Totally a side note, but for those with tube mods that require polishing... I'm sure you've seen (or already own) a polishing jig. You know, the two piece deals that chuck up in your drill? Anyway, the ones from Mod Maker or Complyfe(?) are kinda expensive. I found one made by Vandy Vape (of all companies) and they sell them here- https://www.tenacioustxvapes.com/bu...-Jig-Tool-Thingy/p/99409761/category=26378229 for $11. I'll post a pic of mine. It's cheaply made, but solid and I love how well it works. For the price (unless you buy one from China direct) you can't beat it.

Btw... ARGH! I just got a call from my gf. She found my other setup at her dad's house! Oh well. Better to have two complete setups than none.

#firstworldproblems

I'll post up the instructions asap. :)

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I’d love to have a go at this some day...look forward to your guide ...I remember chef having a patina thread somewhere too, he was experimenting with all sorts of stuff to bring out different colours
 

strigamort

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For those more familiar with painting/coating. Is there a way that I can get a smoother finish? I'm tempted to play around with wet sanding and additional coats, but I feel like it ain't broke so... You can kinda see (in the last pic) how some of the verdigris is raised above the level of other spots. Without making a coat that's rediculously thick, I'd love to have that depth inside a smooth coat. Probably never see it well in pics, but it's rather beautiful in person. Any ideas?

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strigamort

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Out of curiosity, any idea why there aren't more stickies? I love it when there are a few project ideas at the top, or even better, a consolidation thread with links to many diy threads. It's probably the eternal tinkerer in me, but yeah, I always look for those first thing when I check out a new sub-forum. :)

Oh, and me and my beloved first Admiral are back together. The awkward silence at first was... er... awkward, but we got over it quickly. There's a little weirdness between the two of them, but I give it half a day max before they are best friends.

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Yes, I need to get more sleep tonight. I know.
 

KingPin!

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Don’t see why not ...maybe change the title to show us your Patinas and I’ll sticky this one :cheers:

Guides and links etc can go in one place then
 

strigamort

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That would be an honor, but let me do the instructional and see if that's worthy? I hope I didn't come across as asking to have a sticky myself, I was just curious about why there aren't any currently. That said, I ain't about to tell you what your job is so feel free to immortalize any thread of mine that you see fit.

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CrazyChef v2.0

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Very nice! You can get all kinds of color variations with different types of salts, acids, and combinations. Heck, one of my favorites to use is Sriracha! Check out my patina thread HERE for some ideas.
 
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KingPin!

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That would be an honor, but let me do the instructional and see if that's worthy? I hope I didn't come across as asking to have a sticky myself, I was just curious about why there aren't any currently. That said, I ain't about to tell you what your job is so feel free to immortalize any thread of mine that you see fit.

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Not at all ... chefs thread is really cool as well ....I dont mine choose between you I’ll make one a sticky for guides and showcase Pics and plonk in this sub section

Can even merge if you prefer guys, if I do though chefs will become the master as it’s older

Have a chat let me know what you wanna do
 

strigamort

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KP, will do. Thanks again. :)
Very nice! You can get all kinds of color variations with different types of salts, acids, and combinations. Heck, one of my favorites to use is Sriracha! Check out my patina thread HERE for some ideas.
Dude... Badass. I wish I'd seen your thread before I started. I would have left most of the salt and cleared over it. It definitely occurred to me to do it, but seemed like a bad idea. I didn't have the guts. :(

:)

I appreciate you mentioning sanding between recoating. I'm going to do exactly that. I only have paper to 1000 grit right now. Is that fine enough for in-between coats? Is it enough for the final finish? I doubt it for the final, but maybe between coats.

I'm trying to come up with a plan for my brass Admiral. I want something as funky as possible (as most do I guess).

So I had polished the brass mod the day I lost it. It sat between couch cushions for a week or so. I put it on the drill with the jig. About 2 minutes and a dollop of Brasso and you can see a clear difference. The reflection from the lights on the cleaned end are diffused much less than on the "dirty" section. You can see it well in person.
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CrazyChef v2.0

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Not at all ... chefs thread is really cool as well ....I dont mine choose between you I’ll make one a sticky for guides and showcase Pics and plonk in this sub section

Can even merge if you prefer guys, if I do though chefs will become the master as it’s older

Have a chat let me know what you wanna do
I would say it's probably best to merge them, and I'll change the title on my post to "The Official Patina Thread" so that's it's no longer just about what I do, but for everyone to use.
 

KingPin!

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I would say it's probably best to merge them, and I'll change the title on my post to "The Official Patina Thread" so that's it's no longer just about what I do, but for everyone to use.

@strigamort you good with this ^^ because I can’t undo it :)
 

Vape Fan

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For those more familiar with painting/coating. Is there a way that I can get a smoother finish
There is ! Take a look around @ Modern Masters https://www.modernmasters.com/landing/professionals/brands/me

I've used some of their products. The base colors look like metal, as well as the patina agents and be applied with whatever you want. Spray/spirts bottle, rag, paper, sponge, anything... crumpled then flattened paper makes for some good effects. And you can use more than 1 patina color, and overlap them.
 
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strigamort

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I'm not sure what it means to merge threads, but I'd like you to do whatever is most beneficial to the forum. I'm not concerned about anything else. :)

I'm going to start getting stuff ready for the instructional. Should I just post it up like a regular thread when I'm done? If so I'll just write it, upload the pics and post it like a regular thread. After that you can do with it whatever you see fit. :)

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strigamort

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There is ! Take a look around @ Modern Masters https://www.modernmasters.com/landing/professionals/brands/me

I've used some of their products. The base colors look like metal, as well as the patina agents and be applied with whatever you want. Spray/spirts bottle, rag, paper, sponge, anything... crumpled then flattened paper makes for some good effects. And you can use more than 1 patina color, and overlap them.
Thanks! I've certainly considered using store bought products for the patina. If I remember correctly Hobby Lobby sells bottled products for a patina but the setup and process was most of the fun. These days I'm more inclined to get the job done and enjoy the finished product. I gave the website from the link a cursory glance, but I'll have a better look later this evening. My only stipulation is that it's reactivate and not a fake coating that could just as well be used on a piece of paper. I found stuff like that at the fabric a couple of days ago.

Anyone here ever done any electrochemical plating? I have done a lot patina work, anodizing on titanium (but never aluminum), plastic dieing, media blasting, stripping, large scale decal placement, etching, various types of painting and I've made many bricks of decorative micarta. Nothing directly related but all in the same vein-ish. :) h

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KingPin!

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I'm not sure what it means to merge threads, but I'd like you to do whatever is most beneficial to the forum. I'm not concerned about anything else. :)

I'm going to start getting stuff ready for the instructional. Should I just post it up like a regular thread when I'm done? If so I'll just write it, upload the pics and post it like a regular thread. After that you can do with it whatever you see fit. :)

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All three threads merged and now stickied in Aesthetic modifications

@CrazyChef v2.0 @strigamort
 

wildleg

Member For 3 Years
Hello everybody! My first post here and my first attempt at patina'ing something..
I think I'm almost ready to finish up. I did 3 clear coats, waited a few days, then wet-sanded it down with 600grit paper and once again with 1500 grit sandpaper. After that I painted on 3 more clear coats. My only question is: Do I have to wet-sand once more before I wax it....? OR do I just let the clear coat dry for a few days and wax it without sanding again?
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KingPin!

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Hello everybody! My first post here and my first attempt at patina'ing something..
I think I'm almost ready to finish up. I did 3 clear coats, waited a few days, then wet-sanded it down with 600grit paper and once again with 1500 grit sandpaper. After that I painted on 3 more clear coats. My only question is: Do I have to wet-sand once more before I wax it....? OR do I just let the clear coat dry for a few days and wax it without sanding again?

:inlove:

Gorgeous patina! @CrazyChef v2.0 will know
 

MrMeowgi

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Hello everybody! My first post here and my first attempt at patina'ing something..
I think I'm almost ready to finish up. I did 3 clear coats, waited a few days, then wet-sanded it down with 600grit paper and once again with 1500 grit sandpaper. After that I painted on 3 more clear coats. My only question is: Do I have to wet-sand once more before I wax it....? OR do I just let the clear coat dry for a few days and wax it without sanding again?
Man that patina looks great. All I ever did was clear coat after. One or two quick coats then sand then 1 more coat. Never used wax but not sure what the benefits would be on a copper tube
 

CrazyChef v2.0

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Hello everybody! My first post here and my first attempt at patina'ing something..
I think I'm almost ready to finish up. I did 3 clear coats, waited a few days, then wet-sanded it down with 600grit paper and once again with 1500 grit sandpaper. After that I painted on 3 more clear coats. My only question is: Do I have to wet-sand once more before I wax it....? OR do I just let the clear coat dry for a few days and wax it without sanding again?
:inlove:

Gorgeous patina! @CrazyChef v2.0 will know
Absolutely stunning!

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