"... Verdigris; where engineering becomes art ..."
A patina is the thin surface layer that
forms on many metals due to their natural ageing and weathering.
A genuine patina can take many years to develop, and because of
this, chemical treatments are available to speed
up the production of certain patinas. Different metals produce
different patinas depending on their treatment and the results can be somewhat
unpredictable; creating a patina is definitely more of an art
than a science.
Freshly galvanised steel can be a bit too
bright and shiny at times. After a few years of exposure to
the atmosphere it will naturally weather to turn a
matt grey. However, it can be artificially aged using special
acids that will quickly turn it a matt and mottled
grey-black that weathers to a
very attractive powdery
grey-white rather reminiscent of old lead.
Perhaps the best known patina is the blue-green verdigris that
forms on weathered copper and bronze.
However, these metals can also develop many other
rich and varied
patinas, ranging
from the classic brown statuary bronze through to the deep
maroons and reds
seen on forged and heated copper.
