Products made from copper alloys (brass and bronze) can be easily painted dark brown. Prepare a mixture of 4 ml ammonia, 5 g of potassium oxalate and 200 ml of vinegar essence. It is necessary to coat the coinage with the prepared composition several times, allowing it to dry completely until it acquires the desired color.

The metallic gloss formed during this treatment soon disappears, and the product acquires an even brown color.

Shades of green can also be obtained using a solution prepared from 5–10 g of verdigris, 10 ml of ammonia, diluted in 1 liter of water.

The product is immersed in the solution several times, after which it acquires an olive green color.

For further processing add another 1 liter of water to the solution. The coinage is dipped into the bath for several minutes (the interval depends on the desired degree of coloring), then dried over the fire.

The operation is repeated several times until the metal acquires the desired color.

IN purple products made from copper alloys are painted as follows: the coinage is heated to 70–80 °C and wiped with a piece of felt or cotton wool soaked in antimony oil.

The green color of the coinage is acquired after treating the surface with a weak solution of copper nitrate and table salt. After the product has dried, it is wiped with a solution of 5 g of potassium oxalate and 10 ml of ammonia diluted in 100 ml of vinegar essence.

Painting should be carried out in this sequence until the surface color becomes dark green. To speed up the reaction, the coinage is heated over a fire to a temperature of 50–60 °C.

There is another way: the product ready for painting is treated with a swab soaked in oleic acid. A dark green layer of copper oxide forms on the surface. After some time, it begins to fade and eventually becomes light green with a yellowish tint. To fix the color, the operation is repeated several times.

All shades of yellow can be obtained by treating the coinage with a neutral solution of copper acetate (jari verdigris).

In addition, the following composition is used: 20 g of sodium hydroxide and the same amount of milk sugar are thoroughly mixed in 1 liter of water and subjected to prolonged boiling. 20 ml of a concentrated solution of copper sulfate is gradually added to the mixture.

The solution is allowed to cool and short term The processed products are placed in it, after which they acquire a golden hue. This processing method is often used for gold coloring.

A more saturated color with a reddish tint is obtained after wiping the surface with a paste of 4 parts powdered chalk and 1 part gold leaf, which are diluted with distilled water.

Sometimes a composition containing 15 g of ammonium sulfate, 10 ml of antimony chloride solution and 30 ml of water is used. It must be boiled and filtered several times, the sediment must be stirred in 2-3 liters of hot water. For better dissolution, add caustic soda.

The product is immersed in the bath and held until it acquires the desired color.

The coinage can be painted silver with a solution of 40 g of tartar and 14 g of tartar emetic in 1 liter of hot water. Then add 50 g hydrochloric acid, 125 g of tin powder and 30 g of antimony. The composition is heated and the product is boiled in it until it is covered with an even coating.

Another method of painting - mechanical - requires special equipment and skills. For this, powder paints or fine metal dust of various colors are usually used; the work requires a spray bottle, solvents and binding substances, which leave a thin layer of protective film on the surface of the product.

If all this is missing, then the powders are simply hammered into the metal with a mallet or a flat hammer. It is better to repeat this process several times, in between washing the embossing under running water.

After this method of painting, the surface must be treated with varnish - colored or transparent, the choice depends on the desire of the master.

It must be remembered that varnishes become cracked and become cloudy under poor storage conditions.

You can apply metal particles to the product using special equipment under pressure. But this method is very expensive and is not always available to a master working at home.

From the book: Korshever N. G. Metal work

You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

Painting is a great way to enhance and revitalize something. However, everything is not so simple when it comes to brass items, such as lamps, fasteners and other products. However, it is possible to paint brass: the secret is to properly clean the surface and apply a primer before painting. As a result, the paint will lay down in an even, uniform layer, adhere well to the metal and retain its original appearance longer.

Steps

Part 1

Prepare the surface

If necessary, separate the part. Some brass items such as door handles, water taps and fasteners are easier to paint if separated from the mounting area. There are also isolated objects, such as furniture, cutlery or lamps.

• If you remove any screws, nails, or other fasteners, save them so you can reattach the removed piece after painting.
• It is also advisable to check whether the part you are interested in is actually made of brass. To do this, bring a magnet to it. Brass is a non-ferrous alloy and does not contain iron, so it will not be attracted to a magnet.

1. Move the item to a well-ventilated area. Paint in an area with good ventilation, such as a garage or a room with wide open windows. This way you will be protected from harmful fumes. Also, wear a gauze bandage.

   • To protect the floor from paint, place an unnecessary rag on it. Place the brass item on a rag or on a work table or bench.
   • Before you start painting, open the windows and turn on the ventilation to prevent harmful fumes from accumulating in the room.
   • When painting, protect yourself with gauze, gloves, goggles and other similar means.
   • Make sure that dust does not fly around the room.

2. Scrub the item with steel wool. One of the most important steps when painting brass is to thoroughly clean the surface. This way you will remove dirt and traces of corrosion, and the paint will stick to the surface better. Wipe the entire surface with steel wool and rub special attention corroded and heavily contaminated areas.

   • After you have scraped off any dirt or corrosion from the surface of the part, wipe it with a damp, lint-free cloth.
   • Paint adheres better to rough surfaces, so you can use steel wool. Do not wipe steel wool over brass unless you intend to paint it.

3. Clean the surface with a degreaser. Before painting a metal surface, remove any grease, dirt, or grime from it. If grease, dirt and grime remain on the brass, the paint will not adhere well to the metal. Dampen a lint-free cloth with degreaser and wipe down the entire surface you are going to paint. After this, wipe the metal with a clean cloth dampened with water and wait about 10 minutes for it to dry.

   Part 2

   Apply primer and paint

   1. Choose spray paint in a suitable color. The paint must be suitable for metal: enamel, acrylic or oil paint, or other paints that, after drying, form a hard coating. As a rule, metal paints are produced in aerosol form, although liquid paints are also available for sale.

      • Do not use latex paints as they do not adhere well to metal and are not durable. Latex paint Only suitable if you have a high-quality primer.

   2. Apply a coat of primer. For brass, a reactive or bonding primer is best. This primer is a mixture of acid and zinc and will adhere to brass better than any other type of paint or primer. Shake the can of primer thoroughly and bring it 15–20 centimeters to the metal surface. Spray the primer in a wide, side-to-side motion. Apply the primer in a thin, even layer.

      Apply several thin coats of paint. After the primer has dried, spray paint in the same way. Shake the can and apply the paint using broad strokes from side to side. To spray paint in a thin, even layer, hold the can at a distance of 15–20 centimeters from the surface.

   3. Apply a clear protective layer. Once the paint has completely dried (usually about 24 hours), you can apply clear top layer. This will protect the paint and metal surface and give it extra shine. Choose a clear or enamel finish designed specifically for metal.

      • Shake the can and bring it 15–20 centimeters to the surface. Spray the coating using even strokes to obtain an even coat.
      • Set the part aside and wait until it is completely dry (follow the manufacturer's instructions). Usually protective coatings dry quite quickly, sometimes in just 30 minutes.

Metal is widely present in our premises, and is used where its unique physical properties compared to other materials are needed. However, metal often also decorates the living area with its presence. And in order to make its visual characteristics even more interesting, the metal surface can be given a particular color or texture. Metal painting itself is most often done for protective purposes, but the technique decorative painting has a lot of differences.

Coloring with decorative properties most often affected by various metal objects, lamp covers, heating radiators, sinks and similar items. In this case, work can be carried out both on objects used indoors and on external metal elements.

Advice for those who are planning to paint a metal surface at sub-zero temperatures

Although this advice may apply more to ordinary painting than decorative painting, situations are different. For example, you need to immediately paint a part that has just been brought in from the cold. Therefore, we will give some tips:

• The most the best way coloring in the cold is the use alkyd enamels jelly-like consistency with high adhesion (the ability to penetrate the surface structure);
• Painting a surface cooled to temperature values below +5 degrees Celsius, should be carried out exclusively with pre-treatment this very surface with a torch or heat gun. Otherwise, condensation will form on the surface on which the paint simply will not adhere;
• If the room itself is cold when painting, then the drying time of the layer can increase several times, which decorative painting especially unpleasant. Therefore, it is recommended to install heat gun, and cover the surface with film.

What are blacksmith paints

IN lately are very popular blacksmith paints, specially optimized for working with forged materials. Such paints are applied to forging for decorative purposes, which makes it possible to imitate the most various surfaces, starting from gold and ending with cast iron.

The cost of such paints is higher than that of ordinary ones. However, this is due to their increased shelf life, which reaches 5 years or more. At the same time, such paints also look really impressive, allowing you to give the required visual effect by the very fact of their presence. No need to apply various ways coloring.

Today there are many types of such coating, but the most popular is the German WS-Plast paint, produced by Weigel & Schmidt GmbH. These paints allow you to give metal surfaces a variety of different colors and textures. Here you go emerald color, and graphite characterized by red tones, and various types antique colors. Moreover, such a coating not only decorates, but also protects the metal surface from corrosion and other troubles caused by the influence of nature.

Also popular is hammer paint (Hammerite), which is currently becoming more and more in demand. The reason is that such paint does not require the application of a primer, and can even be used directly on surfaces damaged by corrosive processes. However, if the rust is loose, then it will still have to be removed. The surface treated with this coating becomes monochromatic with the effect of unevenly shaped patterns and aluminum flakes.

The application of this paint is mainly practiced on ferrous metals such as steel and cast iron. However, it can also process some non-ferrous metals.

How to show patina

Patina is a characteristic greenish coating that appears on the surface of copper and bronze products after oxidation. On at the moment The best way to show this effect is WS-Patina paint. In this way, it is possible to age the metal and give it a characteristic respectable shine.

Antique painting

One of the most popular ways to paint black metal is the antique effect. In this case, several coating options are applied to the metal surface in a certain order. But first, the metal itself must be properly prepared. Him in mandatory cleaned from corrosion, sanded, remove dirt and grease. Only when you are confident that the surface is clean can you begin the process, which is divided into several stages:

• Using a brush, apply metallic paint to the surface. Don't be afraid to do it casually, as this will only help with the effect we are creating;
• Once the first layer has completely dried, it is necessary to apply a craquelure primer. The latter allows you to obtain a layer of transparent film created from polymers;
• The craquelure coating is applied after the primer layer has dried, which allows you to get characteristic cracks, similar to those that appear on things that have been used for decades and even centuries.

Important! Instead of a craquelure composition, the effect of antiquity can be achieved by applying burnt umber to the paint. In this case, it is best to work with a dry cloth, and remove the residue after the paint layer has dried.

Bronze metal painting

Bronze coating is one of the most visually impressive. Therefore, people often strive to recreate it. And there are several ways to do this, and they all involve the use of bronze paint.

First of all, the surface is prepared. Dirt, grease and rust are removed. After this, a layer of metal primer is applied to it, which will increase the adhesion of the layers applied above. At the third stage, bronze metallized paint is applied in 2-3 layers.

If you want to give this bronze layer the effect of antiquity, then the recesses must be treated with patina, which allows you to get the effect of darkening over time. After this, glazing is carried out, during which we go over the protruding elements and those places that are characterized by abrasions with white paint. After the latter has dried, a transparent varnish is applied to seal the effect.

Conclusion

Painting for all other types of metals occurs in a similar manner. Modern metallic paints allow you to create the effect of brass, copper, silver, gold and other metals.

Don’t be afraid that you won’t succeed. Practice shows that such methods of metal processing are feasible without any serious knowledge. The video tutorial below will give you comprehensive information on this matter.

Many metal surfaces can be painted without paint if they are coated (chemically or electrochemically) thin layer colored oxides or salts firmly adhered to the surface. The last condition is not so easy to fulfill. For example, iron in humid air quickly (and without our help) becomes covered with a red-brown coating of oxidation products, simply put - rust, but this method of painting is no good, because the rust barely sticks and gets dirty when touched.

Here we present several recipes for coloring non-ferrous metals. Only some of them are suitable for home experiment, the rest require chemical reagents, which you can’t buy either in a pharmacy or in a photo store. However, we hope you have already signed up for a chemistry club.

Copper and brass tarnish fairly quickly when exposed to air. But they will retain their shine if chemically painted. Preparing the parts will take some time because the surface must be completely clean, without traces of dirt or grease. Wipe the polished part thoroughly with a cloth soaked in gasoline, and then with damp chalk or tooth powder. After washing the part in running water, hang it on a harsh thread or fishing line and do not touch more with your hands so as not to leave greasy stains (even if the skin looks completely dry, there is still at least a little fat on it). Dip the part in a dilute solution of nitric acid (no more than 5-10 ml per 100 ml of water) and rinse again, better hot water. Preparations are complete.

What happens next depends on what color you decide to paint the copper. If it is black, then hold the part for about five minutes in a solution in which per 100 ml of water there are 0.9 g of sodium hydroxide and 0.3 g of ammonium persulfate (NH 4) 2 SO 4 (it is used in photography). The solution temperature is 90-100°C.

In a solution of potassium chloride, nickel sulfate NiSO 4 and copper sulfate CuSO 4 (4.5, 2 and 10.5 g per 100 ml of water, respectively) at the same temperature, copper and brass will acquire a pleasant chocolate shade. Brass will turn azure after briefly soaking in a mixture consisting of 3 g of lead acetate (lead lotion can be used), 6 g of sodium thiosulfate (hyposulfite), 5 g of acetic acid and 100 ml of water. The temperature of such a solution is about 80°C.

Copper can also be greened. To do this, it must be dipped in the following solution: for 100 ml of water - 20 g of copper nitrate Cu(NO 3) 2, 30 g of ammonia and 40 g of ammonium chloride (ammonia) and sodium acetate; a solution of the latter substance is easy to obtain from soda and vinegar. Please handle copper nitrate with care, avoiding contact with the face and especially the mouth.

With the exception of the blackening experiment, we do not indicate reaction times anywhere. Choose it yourself based on experience, taking into account that the longer the processing time, the more intense the color.

The next metal that can be chemically painted is zinc. It is used infrequently, but everyone is well familiar with galvanized objects - buckets, basins, troughs. The object of the experiment can be any old, unusable galvanized object. Wash its surface with a solution of soda or wipe with a cloth soaked in gasoline, wash with hot water and soap and rinse several times. On the galvanized surface we will apply a mixture of substances that will react with zinc; giving colored compounds. Here are the paint recipes.

Black: 2 parts copper nitrate, 3 parts copper oxide, 8 parts hydrochloric acid and 64 parts water; After color appears, rinse the surface with water and dry.

Green: 10 parts each of copper sulfate and tartaric acid, 12 parts water and 24 parts sodium hydroxide solution in water (1:15); As soon as color appears, immediately rinse the surface with water, otherwise there will be a brown tint.

Blue: per 100 ml of water - 6 g of any nickel salt and the same amount of ammonium chloride,

Golden: mix a solution of 1 part tartaric acid, 2 parts soda and 1 part water with clean clay; Rub the surface with the mixture, and when it dries, rinse with water.

Brown-bronze: a mixture of 1 part verdigris and 5 parts acetic acid; Rub the surface with the mixture, rinse with water and dry.

Copper: since zinc is more active than copper, it is enough to moisten it with a solution of copper salt, for example, copper sulfate.

By the way, you can paint a picture on a zinc surface with such paints.

Let's move on from zinc to aluminum. Painting it is somewhat more difficult: there are more operations, and you cannot do without electric current. Aluminum oxide and salts are unattractive, so another coloring method is needed. He is famous: this anodizing. Its essence is that current is passed through an aluminum part immersed in an electrolyte; in this case, an oxide film less than 0.1 mm thick is formed on the surface. Since aluminum parts serve as an anode in a galvanic bath, the process is called anodizing. The oxide film is permeated with microscopic branched pores in which dyes are well retained. You can paint an anodized surface with organic dyes, including natural ones, but it is better to use inorganic substances. Typically, the part is treated alternately in two dye solutions, and the brightly colored reaction products remain in the pores.

Polish the aluminum part, degrease it with gasoline or acetone, and wash it in hot water and hang it on a wire. Dip the part for two to three minutes in a 5% solution of sodium hydroxide, rinse again and immerse in a weak solution of nitric acid (20-30 ml of acid per 100 ml of water). Of course, you can no longer touch the part, and if working with the suspension is inconvenient, help yourself with tweezers.

Rinse the parts again in hot and cold water and hang it on a wire in a glass. You can place a stick or pencil on the edges of the glass and wrap the wire around it once or twice, choosing such a height so that the part is a few centimeters above the bottom. Connect the part to the positive pole of the current source. Hang cathodes - steel plates - in the same way. Batteries can serve as a source of current, but they will run out very quickly; A battery or transformer with a rectifier is preferable.

Pour a solution of sulfuric acid into the glass with the part (20 ml of acid per 100 ml of water; be careful!). Include a key or switch and a rheostat in the circuit to regulate the current. To measure it, you need a milliammeter, but a tester, which many radio amateurs have, is also suitable. Close the circuit and set the current at the rate of 20-25 mA per 1 cm 2 of surface. The part will immediately become covered with gas bubbles - this is the release of oxygen, which oxidizes the aluminum. At room temperature the process lasts about an hour.

Rinse the anodized part in running water and begin painting. Immerse the part alternately in two dye solutions, soaking in each for 5-10 minutes and rinsing each time in running water. Rinse the painted parts again and dry.

Here are the compositions of coloring solutions and their possible concentration (in grams per 100 ml of water):

• blue or cyan color - potassium ferrocyanide (1-5) and iron (III) chloride (1-10);
• brown - potassium ferrocyanide (1-5) and copper sulfate (1- 10);
• black cobalt acetate (5-10) and potassium permanganate (1.5-2.5);
• yellow - potassium dichromate (5-10) and lead acetate (10-20);
• golden yellow - sodium hyposulfite (1-5) and potassium permanganate (1-5);
• white lead acetate (1-5) and sodium sulfate (1-5);
• orange - potassium bichromate (0.5-1) and silver nitrate (5-10).

O. Holguin. "Experiments without explosions"
M., "Chemistry", 1986