Aging new copper?

[julianf]

I've got some 15mm copper pipe, new.

It's all shiny. I want it brown / aged.

Is there some household chemical that I can throw on it? I think ammonia blackens it, but I won't have that knocking about and probably can't mail order it quick enough (if at all?)

Thank you

 

[jsf55]

I believe urine is one of the cheapest if not the best

 

[voipio]

Ferric chloride solution will "age" copper rather rapidly. Try different concentrations to produce the desired effect. Salt and vinegar is another combination. A lot slower to act, though. Nitric acid is another, though it might be harder to get hold of. Phosphoric acid will also tarnish copper. It's worth testing a sample of the pipe first.

 

[Agroshield]

Is there some household chemical that I can throw on it?

This is saying baking soda:

How to Darken Copper

Craftsuprint is the leading digital hobby crafts and craft downloads website. Upload and download all sorts of craft products, tutorials, videos, and much more.

www.craftsuprint.com

It will either work or it won't but it is not going to be difficult to try it.

 

[julianf]

Ferric chloride solution will "age" copper rather rapidly. Try different concentrations to produce the desired effect. Salt and vinegar is another combination. A lot slower to act, though. Nitric acid is another, though it might be harder to get hold of. Phosphoric acid will also tarnish copper. It's worth testing a sample of the pipe first.

Ive got some phosphoric, but, in my experience, most acids seem to clean off anything rather than add - i know hcl makes copper pink again.


Ive been on ebay and bought some ammonia, but im running out of time, as i need it to look "old" before the end of the week (ill do some photos if i achieve it!)

I have some ferric chloride somwhere, but i fear it would take me longer to find it than the copper would take to age naturally!

 

[julianf]

This is saying baking soda:

How to Darken Copper

Craftsuprint is the leading digital hobby crafts and craft downloads website. Upload and download all sorts of craft products, tutorials, videos, and much more.

www.craftsuprint.com

It will either work or it won't but it is not going to be difficult to try it.

ill give it a go, thank you

 

[Seadog]

Phosphoric will dissolve the zinc leaving a copper finish.

 

[julianf]

Phosphoric will dissolve the zinc leaving a copper finish.

Its copper, not brass

 

[Seadog]

I thought we were talking brass at one point

 

[Onoff]

My brother uses Tomorite for greeney blue:

https://flic.kr/p/2p5G2t6

Brush it on and let it dry and repeat until you get the desired effect. Then lacquer it to fix the patina.

For browns through black this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Horological-Curator-Antiquing-Patination-English/dp/B07CGQBCSR/ref=asc_df_B07CGQBCSR/

 

[Slowcoach]

If it’s not 3mtr long ( or 6) try and find a plumber doing refits and swap with removed old pipe.

 

[Ali]

I don’t know if this is any help Julian, but just out of idle curiosity and having stuff lying around

The dark one was heated a bit with a torch then dumped in a very concentrated salt solution the heated again and wiped off with WD-40.

 

[Onoff]

I believe urine is one of the cheapest if not the best

Cat wee certainly ruins it. Had a box of 15mm behind a sofa in the outhouse. The old she cat, on her last legs and gone senile was weeing everywhere. We confined her to the one room. Litter tray use went out the window. Cleaning up after her as best we could, once she'd gone we took all the furniture out and found she'd wee'd on the box of copper. Totally ruined the lot, all green / black and pitted.

 

[Ross365]

Ferric chloride is used to etch printed circuit boards and I did one just the other day. The copper started off bright, then started to dissolved, but at no time went dark.

 

[julianf]

My brother uses Tomorite for greeney blue:

As in the garden center stuff???

 

[voipio]

Ferric chloride is used to etch printed circuit boards and I did one just the other day. The copper started off bright, then started to dissolved, but at no time went dark.

Just tried ferric chloride on some copper tape and, as you say, the metal stayed bright, but my recollection from years ago was that partially etched and rinsed copper would have a dullness to it, and would tend to darken fairly quickly. There were probably other chemical vapours about, which helped the process, including sulphuric acid aerosol from lead acid batteries being (over)charged. I do remember fingerprints would reveal themselves on clean copper over the course of a few days.

 

[Onoff]

As in the garden center stuff???

Yep.

 

[graffian]

I had some new brass parts for a 1940's instrument which still had a few old brass
parts, and the old parts were nicely aged. I am guessing copper and brass may react silmilarly?
I asked on here about aging brass, someone suggested I try dipping the parts in salt n vinegar.
So I chucked the bits in a coffee jar with some the salt n vinegar. After being in the salt n vinegar the new
and old bits all looked pretty much the same.

 

[Kram]

Sulphur/liver of sulphur. Amazon has sulphur cheap on next day delivery and if I remember correctly you already use sodium hydroxide

How to Make Liver of Sulfur and Colorful Patina on Copper

How to Make Liver of Sulfur and Colorful Patina on Copper: There are different ways to make Patina on metal, but the most mysterious and still popular way to do it is with Liver of sulfur. In this tutorial, I will resume my three videos from YouTube about LoS. I will teach you how to produce...

www.instructables.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elixir-Gardens-Flowers-Sulphur-Animals/dp/B00IRCIUJG/

 

[DAPPH]

Wipe it with vinegar soaked cotto

I've got some 15mm copper pipe, new.

It's all shiny. I want it brown / aged.

Is there some household chemical that I can throw on it? I think ammonia blackens it, but I won't have that knocking about and probably can't mail order it quick enough (if at all?)

Thank you

Vinegar on cotton wool pads well rubbed over it , warm it dry , once it turns colour to what you want wash it off with clean warm water several times to stop any further changes .