Patina on steel

[copperfrog]

I'm starting to work with sheet steel. I usually work in copper. I am dismayed at so few options for color patina in steel. Basically black, gray and rust color. As I am making flowers, I would love thoughts on how to add color and texture without spending hours trying to paint a masterpiece. Thoughts?

[Steve Sells]

heat,  try tempering colors

[Frosty]

I'm going to use fused enamel, I just hope there's a torch technique I don't have the kind of kiln necessary to do it that way.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

The cleaner the steel the more the heat temper colors will show. You wont get a full array of the colors if the piece is not clean and pretty much bright.

They can be tricky to control. There is a chart of the colors and temps online, just look up tempering colors of steel. 

If you were going for mostly all of one color a well controlled oven might help. I usually just use a torch and then compressed air to cool and stop the colors changing further. 

The thinner parts run faster than thinner so with a torch I start with the thicker parts first.  

Finally I prefer to clearcoat the piece afterwards to protect the colors and the piece from rusting. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark Mountains. A way to get a brass finish on steel is to heat and use a brass brush.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[JHCC]

You can also add color with wax, either a paste wax applied cold (gilders' wax or shoe polish) or a hard wax applied hot (colored crayon). Both will require buffing.

[Les L]

You can use copper sulfate dissolved in water to get a copper finish. 

[Frosty]

Add a little DC current and it'll copper plate it, which is an option I'd like to avoid for applying blue and touches of yellow enamel.

Once again, anyone out there know how to enamel mild steel? I'm hoping for a torch process as I don't have a kiln.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Scott NC]

  There's a lot of old formula books out there that have solutions/chemical mixes for coloring steel and iron.  The chemicals involed put me off.  Red flag...   I have a book, "The Coloring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals" and it doesen't even mention iron and steel.  It's pretty comprehensive.

When I get home I will see what there is on enamaling on steel....  Probably dangerous too....

[JHCC]

23 hours ago, Frosty said:

Once again, anyone out there know how to enamel mild steel? I'm hoping for a torch process as I don't have a kiln.

Google “torch-fired enamel techniques”. It seems fairly straightforward, with a couple of important details you need to pay attention to in order to achieve success. 

[Frosty]

I'll have to experiment, I've torch enameled copper but iron and steel behave differently or so we were told by the lady who taught us. It had to do with the COE of iron alloys vs that of cooling glass. That's the reason for the counter coat in the videos, it in part prevents the piece from warping while preventing the enamel from spalling. If possible I'd really like a flower to be the same color on both sides.

Copper enameling doesn't require a counter coat, copper having a much lower COE. Enameled copper flowers would be easy but my feeling is a forged steel flower is more appropriate for the founder of IforgeIRON.

I know it's not a must but I'd sure feel better about it.

Does that make sense or am I being old fart silly?

Frosty The Lucky.