Vinegar, Ammonia and Acid

So I’ve been experimenting with home oxidizing/patina techniques to make metal look all antiqued and grungy-fied and mysteriously wonderful. 

As a student with a student budget, I stubbornly so far have refused to buy those fancy patina mixes and livers of sulfur; instead, I have tried “home” remedies.

I took three copper pennies and dumped one into vinegar and salt, another into ammonia and salt, and the last into some hydrochloric acid that I diluted down a ton (have I mentioned that I was a Biochemistry major in college?).

The vinegar one was supposed to get a wondrous green patina.

The ammonia was supposed to be patinated (I just learned this patina verb – before that, I was saying “patina-ed,” which I still kinda like) in a lovely deep blue.

The acid penny was supposed to get black and crusty.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that these results weren’t permanent. Upon rinsing with water, I lost my lovely colors from the vinegar penny and the acid penny. Now Vinegar Penny is still stubbornly bright and shiny, and Acid Penny looks like it’s got gangrene. 

I think, for pennies, I still prefer heat oxidization.

But the acid is doing fun things to my steel – just as long as it isn’t plated. O_o

These are my newest pieces I’ve been experimenting on with patinas/grungy oxidization.

The spots on the coin are a faint blue from soaking it in the ammonia and salt . . . I think that might be fun to keep playing with.

I had so much fun making this coin pendant, I’m thinking of making a mini-line with my collection of foreign monies.

I oxidized all this steel wire to give it this yummy grungy antiqued look – yom.

Doesn’t this one just remind you of some Northern Canadian Native American talisman? 

 

I am just lovin' this. *happy sigh*