What's the best method for adding color to metal?
January 29, 2010 3:01 PM Subscribe
What's the best method for adding color to metal without it chipping off? I have some brass flowers like these that I want to color but I have no idea where to start.
Is cost a factor? Also how many of these do you want to color? If the answer is "no and quite a few" I would consider powder coating. This is not something you can do at home, but a professional can put on just about any color(s) and make it as hard as enamel if the job either interests him or fits a minimum size. Look it up in the Yellow Pages or ask any hot-rod enthusiast.
posted by Old Geezer at 3:15 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by Old Geezer at 3:15 PM on January 29, 2010
There are spray paints made specifically for adhering to metal without flaking off. Krylon is a well-known brand name, but stores like Walmart, Kmart and Target sell their own version, and they all work well. My husband has used these kinds of paints for outdoor metal painting (tractor parts, a decorative windmill, and other miscellaneous) and never had any problems.
posted by amyms at 3:24 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by amyms at 3:24 PM on January 29, 2010
Response by poster: Electroboy, how do I add patina to the metal? Also it seems like a lot of work for a little flower. These flowers are for necklaces so they don't need to endure rain, wind, snow, apocalypse, etc. I just don't want a finish that's going to easily chip off. The powder coating thing is too costly, time-consuming and all around hassle for what I need these for. I do appreciate your responses though.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:24 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:24 PM on January 29, 2010
Sand, primer than paint. Your local hardware store should have everything you need.
posted by wongcorgi at 3:27 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by wongcorgi at 3:27 PM on January 29, 2010
These flowers are for necklaces so they don't need to endure rain, wind, snow, apocalypse, etc. I just don't want a finish that's going to easily chip off.
The spray paint I mentioned would be perfect for that (and it's very inexpensive).
posted by amyms at 3:28 PM on January 29, 2010
The spray paint I mentioned would be perfect for that (and it's very inexpensive).
posted by amyms at 3:28 PM on January 29, 2010
Response by poster: Amyms, I was thinking about spray paint, but these are very small flowers, about 2.5 inches in diameter. Do you think they are too small to be evenly coated? I feel like a blast from a spray paint can might be overkill for such a small object.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:30 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:30 PM on January 29, 2010
Do you think they are too small to be evenly coated? I feel like a blast from a spray paint can might be overkill for such a small object.
I think you'd be fine. Just place them on some old newspaper and hold the spray can at least a foot away and spray in small bursts. (You can do some practice sprays on something else, even on the newspaper, until you get a feel for how strong the force of the spray is going to be).
posted by amyms at 3:36 PM on January 29, 2010
I think you'd be fine. Just place them on some old newspaper and hold the spray can at least a foot away and spray in small bursts. (You can do some practice sprays on something else, even on the newspaper, until you get a feel for how strong the force of the spray is going to be).
posted by amyms at 3:36 PM on January 29, 2010
They have to be bare metal, but you usually just dip the metal into the patina solution or spray the solution on. The chemicals in the solution reacts (usually some kind of oxidation reaction) with the exposed metallic surface and color the surface of the metal. Here's the basic process.
Keep in mind that the colored coating is pretty thin, so you'll probably want to spray with clearcoat to keep from wearing it off.
posted by electroboy at 3:46 PM on January 29, 2010
Keep in mind that the colored coating is pretty thin, so you'll probably want to spray with clearcoat to keep from wearing it off.
posted by electroboy at 3:46 PM on January 29, 2010
Here's someone that offers small quantities of solution. Also, that previous link on instructions isn't great, this one seems a little more accessible.
posted by electroboy at 3:52 PM on January 29, 2010
posted by electroboy at 3:52 PM on January 29, 2010
There is a resin based faux enamel that you wight want to look into. This is more like real enamel (a thin layer of fused glass) than paint.
If you go the patina route you're going to want to experiment and do some sort of clear coat. Patinas can be very rugged and wont chip, but some of them will rub off over time. In this case they'd be rubbing off onto you, which is probably not desirable.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 3:59 PM on January 29, 2010
If you go the patina route you're going to want to experiment and do some sort of clear coat. Patinas can be very rugged and wont chip, but some of them will rub off over time. In this case they'd be rubbing off onto you, which is probably not desirable.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 3:59 PM on January 29, 2010
If you spray paint, it's a good idea to treat the metal with nitric acid first, then liberal flushing with water and drying before spray painting.
If you can't get your hands on nitric acid, wash them really well with dish detergent and maybe wash with isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) to get rid of as much grease/surface contaminants as possible.
I would be worried about evenly coating both sides of the petals, evenly, without filling in the fine details with too much paint. If you can borrow a fine airbrush, it might work better than a big-ol' spraypaint can.
Hmm, if there's some way to afix these to something, a good hard spray of compressed air might be able to clear our any fill-in details...
Too bad brass can't be usefully anodized; that would be the ideal way to colourize these.
posted by porpoise at 7:11 PM on January 29, 2010
If you can't get your hands on nitric acid, wash them really well with dish detergent and maybe wash with isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) to get rid of as much grease/surface contaminants as possible.
I would be worried about evenly coating both sides of the petals, evenly, without filling in the fine details with too much paint. If you can borrow a fine airbrush, it might work better than a big-ol' spraypaint can.
Hmm, if there's some way to afix these to something, a good hard spray of compressed air might be able to clear our any fill-in details...
Too bad brass can't be usefully anodized; that would be the ideal way to colourize these.
posted by porpoise at 7:11 PM on January 29, 2010
The book The Colouring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals is an amazing reference and might have some techniques that would be useful for you. It's pricey, but it may be available at a library near you. (My copy is in storage at the moment, or I'd check what it says about brass. Amazon's "search inside" feature returns 166 results for a search for "brass", fwiw.)
posted by Lexica at 3:46 PM on January 30, 2010
posted by Lexica at 3:46 PM on January 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by electroboy at 3:06 PM on January 29, 2010