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(More customer reviews)Patination is a way of coloring metal, using the chemistry of the metal itself to create colored oxides, chlorides, etc. It's a controlled form of corrosion, usually for decorative effect, but sometimes to put a protective layer on the metal. Outdoor copper and bronze show some of the greens and browns that are possible. This book puts that chemistry, and a much larger palette of colors, into the crafter's hands.
This book is encyclopedic. Three factors affect each patination: the alloy or element being treated, the chemistry of the solutions applied to the metal, and the way the treatment is applied (time, temperature, and so on). Hughes systematically explores all three dimensions. The discussion includes reproducibility of each patina, since some have squirrely chemistry that gives variable results. It also describes the mechanical and chemical durability of each patina, factors that define the kinds of applications where it may be used.
This book is not for the home hobbyist, though. It uses very harsh chemicals in most treatments. Many are highly toxic, and many present special hazards in handling and storage.
The only weakness I found in this book is the range of alloys covered. A number of interesting copper/gold combinations are traditional in Japanese metalwork, valued for the unusual colors of their natural oxides. These were severely under-represented. No book can cover everything, though.
Just thumbing through this book is wonderful, seeing the range of colors and textures that can be coaxed from the metal's surface. It's also helpful to anyone who loves metal artwork, as explanation of effects that you mught see displayed.
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The Colouring, Bronzing and Patination of MetalsThe techniques of metal colouring, bronzing and patination are assuming a new importance in contemporary fine metalwork and design. Richard Hughes and Michael Rowe have assembled and tested the recipes included in this book, which is the most comprehensive work on the subject currently available, an essential reference and sourcebook for practitioners and all those involved in sculpture, architecture, design and the decorative arts. It brings together hundreds of recipes and treatments previously scattered in a variety of old books and technical papers, and provides the artist-craftsman with a very wide range of coloured finishes. Each of the recipes included has been tested and evaluated by the authors, and the practical procedures involved are clearly explained. In addition, they have devised techniques that considerably broaden the range of surface finishes that can be obtained. The metals covered are bronze and yellow brass in cast form; copper, gilding metal, yellow brass and silver in sheet form; and silver-plate and copper-plate. The book is easy to use; all the recipes are classified according to the colour and surface finish they produce on each metal. Colour illustrations show over 200 examples of finishes as test pieces of metal, or as cast or spun bowls. Notes accompanying each recipe draw attention to potentially dangerous processes or chemicals, and to the correct safety precautions. Safety procedures in general are covered thoroughly in a separate section. Detailed information on practical workshop methods and how to avoid any problems that may be encountered is given in sections on the various techniques. A glossary of archaic chemical terms and their modem equivalents is included. An historical introduction outlines the various metalworking traditions with which the use of colouring techniques is associated. An extensive bibliography gives over 400 references of historical, practical and theoretical interest.
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