A patina is a surface coating on a bare metal surface formed by a chemical reaction. It is different from applied coatings like painting and powder coating in that the effect is caused by actually reacting a solution with the metal surface. Metals react with moist air on their own at a gradual pace. By using a blend of acids and/or salts, the process is greatly accelerated to a timeframe that is manageable for decorative application. Also, there are nonreactive patina products available that either modify existing patinas or splash color on bare metals. One such nonreactive product is dye oxide patina.
When people think of putting a patina on metal, they usually think of metals like copper, silver, and bronze. This is because these metals have the greatest range of reactive colors over the other metals. Unfortunately, the cost of these metals makes them practical for jewelry and not so much for large artworks. Steel is the most widely used industrial metal and the most inexpensive. If diligent, one can find steel even cheaper—or even free—in scrap form. As this article implies, there is still a good selection of finishes for steel besides the traditional rust finish.
Surface Preparation for Metals
If you are applying any finish to steel, whether it is a patina or otherwise, proper surface preparation is paramount. There are several ways to prepare the surface of steel. To get the desired results any combination of the methods mentioned here may be needed. There is mechanical debris removal with abrasives and wire brushes, acid pickle, and solvent cleaning.
There are two major kinds of mild steel, cold rolled and hot rolled steel. Hot rolled steel is shaped and rolled at high temperatures. Hot rolled steel has a black oxide coating called mill scale. To patina hot rolled, the mill scale must come off. A good and inexpensive way to accomplish this is to use an acid pickle consisting of equal volumes of water and muriatic acid. If you buy the safer muriatic acid then it’s OK to use full strength due to reduced fuming. This could be hazardous due to the fumes and exposure so be sure to wear gloves and eye protection. One way to mitigate the hazards of handling acid is to use the smallest volume possible. One way to accomplish this is to apply the pickle with a foam brush. This is better than making gallons of corrosive acid solution for dipping. Cold rolled steel just needs to usually be wire brushed followed by a wipe down with solvent. If the cold rolled is heavily rusted, then it will more than likely need an acid pickle.
Acid Pickles
When abrasives and wire brushes are insufficient to remove extensive rust or heavy millscale, an acidic pickle can be most helpful. One of the fastest-acting pickles is muriatic acid. In most situations, it is best to dilute this powerful acid with water. In extreme cases, though, it might be best to dunk the steel in the concentrate right out of the bottle. Keep in mind this acid can blind you almost instantly, it burns skin, and the fumes are toxic with a suffocating odor. Also, when you are done pickling, you have to rinse with a lot of water to mitigate flash rusting because the steel will be in an activated state.
If fumes are a major concern, there is an acid that produces almost no fumes and converts rust into an insoluble primer base that can be painted. That acid is phosphoric acid. There are several brand-name rust removers/converters on the retail market based on phosphoric acid. But typically, phosphoric acids 25-30% concentration is suitable for rust removal and/ or conversion. The principle of the reaction is the iron oxide in the steel corrosion products is converted to iron phosphate. This phosphate is relatively inert and insoluble and offers a barrier that can be painted over.
Abrasives and Wire Brushes
As far as abrasives are concerned, the most effective tool is an angle grinder with a flap wheel. Flap wheels come in a variety of grits and can be had cheaply in bulk online. Benchmark abrasives is my favorite brand. Another option is the sanding adapter kits sold for angle grinders. Like the flap wheels, the sandpaper discs come in several grits from coarse to fine. They are beneficial as they have more abrasive surface area to work with.
There also paint/rust stripping grinder wheels that are basically a tough plastic porous matrix with silicon carbide grit embedded. Not only are they good for stripping back paint and rust, I have found they are decent for removing mill scale from hot rolled steel if you would rather avoid muriatic acid. They do cost more than flap wheels or grinder wheels but in my opinion they are worth it. I buy the 5 pack from Benchmark abrasives.
There are also sanding kits available for angle grinders. These consist of a rubber pad that is screwed onto the spindle and a sanding disc applied and secured with a nut. Unfortunately, you can only sand with one side of the disc at a time.
Wire brushes also come as fixtures for angle grinders. Usually, two configurations are found. One is a flat wheel for crevices and irregular surfaces, and cup brushes for flat sheet and plate.
Vinegar/Peroxide Patina Formula
Vinegar/peroxide patina is a formula derived from all easily accessible materials and is of low toxicity. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar and once dissolved, add the peroxide until the total liquid volume is 16 ounces.
2 tablespoons of rock salt or kosher salt
2 ounces or 1/4 cup of 5% distilled vinegar
3% Drugstore Hydrogen Peroxide until total volume is 16 ounces
Rust Patina
A rust patina is exactly as it sounds, a coating of rust oxidation on steel. One of the simplest ways to accomplish this is to leave bare steel outside in the weather. After a few weeks or months, depending on moisture and humidity, the metal will start an oxidation process eventually coating the whole surface.
If time is of the essence, then we need to speed things up chemically. Thankfully, most formulas for rusting steel can be made from readily available products. One very simple method uses just salt water and warm sunshine. Just repeated application of salt water and allowing the warm sun to work takes several days instead of weeks. If it is winter or you live in predominantly cloudy conditions, then perhaps a little more active solution is needed. A cheap but very effective recipe involves a mix of salt, vinegar, and peroxide. This solution is of low toxicity and fast acting. It gives the most intense chili red color upon contact with steel. The proper proportions are in the recipe below. It is best to make a fresh batch each time. If you want more information, check out the instructible.
Other Rust Patina Formulations
The above paragraphs give a description of the easiest, most cost-effective, and safest route to obtain a fairly consistent rust patina. There are numerous other ways to accomplish the same results but they require corrosive and/or noxious chemicals. One method is a strong acid like hydrochloric or sulfuric acid diluted to less than 5% and a trace of copper to accelerate rusting by galvanic corrosion. Bleach with peroxide is rather effective but you have to cover your clothing and eyes to keep bleach out. Also, the mixture fizzes profusely so you can only add bleach to peroxide a little at a time.
Black Patina
There is a product called gun bluing that is sold wherever sporting goods are sold. The typical use is to give a handsome bluish-black finish to gun barrels. It is a poisonous light blue acidic liquid that turns mild steel black on contact. Its active ingredient is selenium dioxide which oxidizes the iron to magnetic black iron oxide and also deposits elemental selenium. Apply to clean steel and burnish to desired results then promptly rinse. If you do not rinse this patina off thoroughly, the metal will start rusting under the patina. Also, it should be known that gun bluing is ineffective on stainless steel alloys.
Heat Coloring of Steel
If you have a shiny and freshly polished piece of steel, you can create an impressive pallet of color just by heating it in air. What happens is the oxygen from the air plays upon the hot steel and starts forming oxides. The layers of oxides are thin at first and the transparent colors that result are an interference effect. The colors are difficult to control. Although you can use a torch, an even heat source is best. A ceramic support over an electric heating element or in an oven will give more consistent results. Placing a few drops of water or oil on the metal before heating can create some interesting patterns. Many of the blues, magentas, and violets cannot be clear coated because the thickness of the clear coat added to the oxidation changes its optic properties. The golden and bronze finishes can be clear-coated but will eventually darken with age. A periodic application of renaissance wax is recommended for protection but also the coating is thinner and would be helpful for preserving more delicate coatings.
Copper Patina on Steel
It is possible, with diligent care and preparation, to obtain a copper finish on bare steel. This is not the same as electroplating and is not nearly as durable. In fact, the process is more like electroLESS plating or immersion plating.
Copper is less chemically active than iron, if you have copper in a compound form dissolved in water, then some of it can be displaced by more active metals like the iron in steel. It is usually necessary to add a small amount of acid to the copper solution so to "activate" the steel surface by removing residual oxides, and assist in keeping the copper salt dissolved in the process.
Once applied, the copper patina solution must be rinsed with clean water and sealed by a clear coat at once unless the steel will rust from underneath. A 10% solution of copper sulfate with a few drops of sulfuric or muriatic acid added is a good place to start. There are also a few companies that market proprietary products that have been tested
Japanese Brown Patina
Japanese brown patina is a reactive patina that can be applied hot or cold. The appearance is based on the application. For instance, a fine light spray would produce a more even coat while dabbling with a sponge would give a more mottled and variegated appearance.
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Fillers and Pigment Extenders for Paints
What Are Fillers and Pigment Extenders?
So what are fillers and pigment extenders? Why are they used in paint? There are two main reasons why these kinds of materials are used in paint. One is for economical reasons because pigments are very expensive. The second reason is more important: Many fillers and extenders improve the performance and handling of the paint while being applied.
Most fillers and pigment extenders are white or colorless powders. Many are naturally occurring minerals with widespread occurrence. Usually, though, the mined minerals need to go through processing to remove impurities. Others are synthetic to produce a product ready for paint formulation.
Calcium Carbonate
Calcium carbonate (whiting, chalk, drop chalk, or limestone) is a white powdery substance. It is a simple compound of the element calcium bonded to carbonate. It occurs naturally as marble and natural chalk. It is mostly made synthetic since it’s very inexpensive to precipitate a calcium chloride solution with a sodium carbonate solution. Mixing both clear solutions forms calcium carbonate in a finely divided form.
How Is Calcium Carbonate Used for Paints?
It is mainly used as a filler in paints to extend pigments. I find calcium carbonate quite satisfactory when used to extend pigments when preparing dispersions. It lightens the color a bit but is translucent, especially in solvent-based paints, which means adding it to another color will not instantly turn them into pastels. It is also used to prepare “French Mineral“ pigment. These are basically organic pigments mechanically bonded to a calcium carbonate base. This combination is much easier to disperse in water-based paint mediums.
Another use of calcium carbonate is to make painting grounds for canvases and hard board panels used for artists' paintings. Gesso is essentially chalk in an acrylic or vinyl binder that prepares porous surfaces to be painted on with acrylic and oil paints.
Calcium carbonate is used to make chalk paint for application on porous substrates like wood. Adding calcium carbonate to latex or acrylic paint makes the paint gritty and textured. It lends itself well to decorative distressing and chalk paint does not need a primer to be applied.
Talc
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral composed of magnesium silicate. It is often refined to a bright white powder and is used as a thickener, lubricant, and as filler in paint and two-part epoxy resin. In paint, talc adds texture and body to the paint vehicle. Also, talc is often used to make universal tints and pigment dispersions. Its unique structure can aid in the dispersion of organic pigments.
Like calcium carbonate mentioned above, talc is also useful for making grounds.
Kaolinite Calcined
Kaolin clay is a white clay that is used to make porcelain, chinaware, and even toilets. Like all fillers mentioned thus far, kaolin can be used as a painting ground. It can also be ground with organic pigments to make inexpensive paint colorants that are easier to disperse in water-based media.
Kaolin not only extends pigments, but for latex paints, it also contributes to a harder paint film with improved adhesion.
Barium Sulfate
Barium sulfate, also referred to by its natural mineral form barite, is a dense white powder. It is mainly used as a pigment in coatings. In oil-based paint, it is nearly transparent and used as a filler and extender and to modify consistency. Titanium white, by itself, is an unsatisfactory white pigment for oil paints due to the spongy film it forms. A mix of titanium white and barium sulfate fixes this and is referred to as permanent white. When barium sulfate is combined with zinc sulfide, it’s referred to as lithopone.
Aluminum Stearate
Aluminum stearate is a white powdery compound that is a metal salt of a fatty acid. It's often referred to as an aluminum soap. Aluminum stearate is added to oil paints to stabilize the dispersion of pigments and to give the paint body as well. When a high enough concentration is added to a drying oil, aluminum stearate can cause it to thicken and gel. This is the same process as making napalm from petrol.
Not only can aluminum stearate thicken drying oils, but it can also assist in the dispersion of pigments into the oil. The stearate is allowed to coat the pigment particles, therefore preventing agglomeration of the pigment particle. Some oil, like linseed oil, can be heated and a 2% solution of aluminum stearate can be created to add to the pigment prior to grinding. Alternatively, the correct amount of aluminum stearate can be added to the pigment and ground together in a mortar and pestle prior to mulling on the slab with drying oil.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth—DE, or Kieselgur—is a silica-containing sedimentary rock. It is mainly used as a filtration medium in water purification. It also finds applications in the concrete, pesticide, and explosive industries. It is formed from fossilized exoskeletons of diatoms.
Diatomaceous earth is lightweight and porous and has several properties beneficial to paints. One is that diatomaceous earth is amorphous silica and not crystalline silica. This mitigates the health risk associated with crystalline silica. Diatomaceous earth lends durability and hardness to a paint film and therefore less resin is required. Also, due to its unique porous structure, diatomaceous earth speeds up the drying of paint film. Diatomaceous earth is useful as a matting agent when a less glossy finish is desired.
Wollastonite
Wollastonite is a mineral consisting mainly of calcium metasilicate. It is a white to off-white powder often used in ceramics because it acts like a flux and is also an additive to reduce shrinking of clays during firing. This last use is attributed to wollastonite’s lack of moisture and other volatile components. It also has applications in the concrete and coating industries.
Its main use for paints and coatings is attributed to its high whiteness, high alkaline pH, and its ability to enhance the durability of coatings. The alkaline pH of 10 is especially favorable to the formulation of water-borne emulsion paints. Alkalinity stabilizes emulsions and helps reduce rusting of iron and steel substrates. This alkalinity also means less ammonia is needed reducing the odor of the emulsion paints.
Nephelene Syenite
Nephelene Syenite is a silica-deficient sodium aluminosilicate mineral filler. It is essentially free of crystalline silica and is being sought after by the coating industry because of this property. The particles are an angular platelet type that easily interlock and have low overall surface area. With the hardness of nephelene and the interlocking particles, this filler adds durability and scuff resistance to coatings. The low surface area makes for easy dispersions in any paint medium. The alkaline nature of this mineral is beneficial for stability in water-based coatings as already noted for wollastonite.
Friday, January 23, 2026
Lucky 7 Table/Desk Sculpture
The Lucky 7 Table/Desk Sculpture is a small, blue sculpture in the shape of the number 7. Made of wood and metal, it features intricate carvings and a free-standing design, perfect for adding a touch of novelty to your office, study, entryway, or workshop. Crafted in the United States, this unique sculpture is sure to be a conversation starter and a charming addition to any space. With dimensions of 10 inches in height and 5 inches in width, it is a versatile piece that can be easily displayed on a shelf or desk.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Modern Geometric Wall Sculpture-Dimensional Metal Art In Red & Blue
Add a bold modern statement to your space with this original geometric abstract wall sculpture. Hand-crafted from welded steel, this dimensional artwork features a striking interplay of angular red forms framed in deep cobalt blue. The clean lines and sharp geometry create a dynamic zig-zag rhythm that changes with light and shadow — perfect for modern, industrial, or minimalist interiors.
Each piece is individually made, ensuring unique texture, depth, and color. Durable enamel paint provides a smooth, vivid finish suitable for indoor or covered outdoor display.
Features:
• Handmade modern metal wall sculpture
• Colors: rich red with cobalt blue frame
• Dimensional, welded steel construction
• Contemporary geometric design with depth and motion
• Ready to hang (hooks or loops integrated into frame)
• Great for living rooms, offices, studios, or galleries
Approximate Dimensions:
( 15 inches × 10 inches× 2 in inches)
Bosch Plexiglass Specialty Jigsaw Blade Review
Clean, Chip-Free Cuts in 1/8" Acrylic
Cutting acrylic sheet cleanly is one of those jobs that looks easy until you actually try it. Standard wood or metal jigsaw blades tend to chatter, melt the plastic, or leave a frosted, chipped edge that needs heavy sanding and polishing afterward. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Bosch Plexiglass Specialty Jigsaw Blade performs on 1/8" (3 mm) acrylic.
Designed Specifically for Acrylic
Bosch designed this blade with a very fine-tooth geometry and a ground cutting edge optimized for brittle plastics. Instead of tearing at the surface, the teeth shear the material smoothly, minimizing stress cracking and edge chipping. The result is a cut that looks more like it came off a table saw with a plastic blade than a handheld jigsaw.
Near-Perfect Edge Quality
On straight cuts in 1/8" cast acrylic sheet, the edge quality is impressively clean:
No visible chipping along the cut line
No melted beads re-fusing to the edge
Minimal haze, even before polishing
Square, smooth profile suitable for solvent welding or flame polishing
In many cases, the edge is good enough to use as-cut for display panels, light diffusers, or instrument covers without additional finishing.
Reduced Heat and Stress Cracking
A common problem when cutting plexiglass is heat buildup, which causes melting, re-welding, and micro-cracks that show up later. The Bosch plexiglass blade runs noticeably cooler because it clears chips efficiently and doesn’t rub aggressively. This is especially important when making long straight cuts where heat can accumulate.
Best Cutting Technique
To get the best results:
Use a medium jigsaw speed (not full throttle)
Clamp the acrylic firmly to prevent vibration
Support both sides of the cut
Use painter’s tape on the surface for extra scratch protection
Let the blade do the work—don’t force the feed rate
With proper support and a guide fence, straight cuts come out remarkably straight and polished-looking.
Ideal Applications
This blade is excellent for:
Control panel faceplates
Light boxes and LED diffusers
Display cases
Window panels for enclosures
Sign backing and lettering panels
For anyone working with thin acrylic on a regular basis, it turns a jigsaw into a surprisingly precise plastic-cutting tool.
Final Thoughts
The Bosch Plexiglass Specialty Jigsaw Blade proves that the right blade makes all the difference. On 1/8" acrylic sheet, it produces an edge that is nearly perfect straight off the saw—clean, square, and chip-free. For hobbyists, fabricators, and metalworkers who also work with plastics, this blade is easily one of the best upgrades you can make to your cutting setup.
The Abstract Triangular Metal Wall Art is a stunning sculpture made of metal, featuring a unique and abstract design. The piece exudes a sense of modern artistry and creativity, perfect for adding a touch of artistic flair to any space. Its geometric triangular shape and metallic material make it a striking focal point for any room, bringing a sense of sophistication and style to the décor. Featuring a unique gradient paint scheme, translucent solvent dye accents, it is Ideal for those who appreciate contemporary art and want to make a statement with their home decor. Measuring 16 inches from point to base and 11 inches wide at the base.
I have recently obtained a solar powered power back to assist with charging my devices on the go. Whether it is to charge my phone outdoors, or charge my airpods while picking up Uber riders, this is a convenient asset to have if you are on the go.
