Our Patinas

Blue-green is the most familiar patina—it is similar to the natural verdigris attained by copper, brass, and bronze over long exposure to the elements. Many formulas produce similar effects; ours was chosen for its low toxicity and ease of application.

Like most of our patinas, blue-green is labor-intensive in application. It is a torch technique patina, in which liquid is brushed onto metal heated to dry it instantly and produce a reaction with the metal's surface. Blue-green is the quickest and most foolproof of the torch technique patinas to apply. It is also easy to control, and varied brushstrokes and heat control can create many different effects, though the color variation is within a relatively narrow range.

Blue-green also serves as the base for several multi-layer patinas. In addition to white blue-green (see below), other patinas are layered on top to make ochre, white ochre & black ochre, dark green & black, as well as silver blue-green and purple. It is also used as a base for pigmented patinas.

A layer of white patina can be applied over blue-green to produce white blue-green. The white patina tends to be very opaque, but needs to be carefully rinsed off to keep it from being too easily smeared by the wax or in future handling.