green(ish) patina?

ScottRoush

ScottRoush

Joined
Jan 10, 2010
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howdy folks... i'm gonna be submitting a knife for a local art auction/fund raiser thing that has an environmental/recycling theme. my idea is to 'recycle' a rr spike into a gardening/weeding/multi-purpose type knife and i would like to put some kind of greenish patina on it. i don't know of any acids that will do this.... but about forge welding some copper accents along the spine and oxidizing the copper??? or hot brushing some copper onto it???

any other ideas???
 
i was about to say use copper for the guard, and accents then patina those into a nice green color. I don't think carbon steel will patina into green.

maybe electro plate it with copper once it's done? I remember doing that as a science project to a 16D nail once.
 
yeah... i think copper accents are the way to go.... but since i'm using a rr spike... with most of the spike intact... a guard might be awkward. hmmm... or maybe really cool? i haven't seen any rr spike knives with guards...
 
...
maybe

etch copper in ferric chloride

then etch the steel in the same solution

I believe that it will coat copper onto the steel.
then patina it with ammonia fumes
(- hang it in a container with some liquid ammonia on the bottom.
That ammonia should get you to the green...)

somebody tell me if that's way outta whack...

or
drill holes in a pattern
put copper wire in the holes and peen it in.


or instead of the actual colour green
more metaphorical than literal scan your junk shops and reuse something...
 
Mossanimal said:
howdy folks... i'm gonna be submitting a knife for a local art auction/fund raiser thing that has an environmental/recycling theme. my idea is to 'recycle' a rr spike into a gardening/weeding/multi-purpose type knife and i would like to put some kind of greenish patina on it. i don't know of any acids that will do this.... but about forge welding some copper accents along the spine and oxidizing the copper??? or hot brushing some copper onto it???

any other ideas???
Click to expand...

I suspect copper will act like brass in this respect, get some stranded copper wire or a copper wire tooth brush from the welding supply store. Try soaking the knife in plain old white vinegar. after about 30 minutes to an hour use the wire toothbrush and scrub the area where you want accents. The copper should transfer to the steel. ( brass acts this way too) Also there is a copper epoxy in the plumbing section of your favorite hardware megastore. looks very close to actual copper. For the green you can submerge the piece in brine hook it to a battery trickle charger, (POSITIVE SIDE ONLY!) and turn it on, should give you a deep green in about 30 seconds.

Jason
 
You can supposedly get a green-ish Parkerized finish by applying cosmoline right after parkerizing, while the blade is still warm from the solution.
 
thanks for the input guys... i will play around with some of these ideas. gonna be fun...

as to finding something at a junk store... i'm 'recycling' a rr spike...
 
If it's green you're after, why not keep the spike steel and cover the sheath with green leather?
 
Or, paint the handle with verd-antique. That is what they paint all those garden cans and decorations with. You probably can get it at the hardware store, and surely at a craft store or supplier. Woodcraft carries it.
 
Of the various means to turn copper green, ammonia is about the best. Mix it with sawdust to get a stipple effect, place the knife in an airtight container with the sawdust on all sides.

An alternative:

Ferric nitrate to give a dark brown background, rub the bronze or copper with a 3M pad to bring out highlights and texture, reheat, then use cupric chloric applied very dilute with a stipple brush or spray bottle. Many layers to build up the colour rather than one shot green. It tends to peel if done too fast. Both ferric nitrate and cupric chloride should be applied to heated bronze or copper.

You can use a soldering torch or even a heat gun. Temp should be between 100 and 200 deg Celcius
(It does not work on brass. Besides, brass has no class!)

http://www.knifeknowhow.com
 
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