Safe patina use and disposal

Hi all,

I teach at Northern Arizona University and we are currently trying
to update our safety methods in the studio.

We use liver and sulphur and black max to patina our metals.

What is the proper disposal methods for these patinas?

Also, after reading Charles Lewton Brain’s Jeweler’s Safety Report,
he mentions using automotive enamel to seal patinas. We do not have
a spray booth. Occasionally we use matte finish (a sealer for
charcoal drawings) to seal patinas on copper, but if using on a
pendant it gets funky if worn on the skin for long. Does anyone have
any ideas for sealing patinas on jewelry that is to be worn against
the skin that does not require a spray booth or discolor the metal?

Thanks much,
Chelsea Stone

Greetings,

I flush spent liver of sulfur down the sink with PLENTY of water.
This seems to be safe as we only use small amounts. As for protecting
a patina, I have my students use a high quality carnaba wax. It seems
to protect the color and does not interact with skin chemistry as much
as other protectants we have used.

Peace,
Richard

Hello Richard,

I have my students use a high quality carnaba wax. 

I will be grateful if you could describe how to use the carnaba wax
to protect patina, another words, do you melt the beads of carnaba
and than brush it on?, and how do you prepare the metal, and the
wax for that purpose?

Thanks in advance
ekrem.

Hi Ekrem,

We do both chemical patina and heat coloring, especially on copper.
After the patina is the to desired color, we thoroughly wash the
piece with plenty of water and hand soap to stop the action. We use
both los and sometimes ammonia in a vapor treatment. We use a
prepared carnaba, I think it is Trewax brand. We work it into the
surface with plenty of hand rubbing and then soft cloth buff it to
harden it.

Hope this helps.
Peace,
Richard

I will be grateful if you could describe how to use the carnaba wax
to protect patina.... 

Check out the paste wax used to treat hardwood flooring. The brand I
use is largely carnuba wax dissolved in a little turpentine… from
which one could conclude that you could just dissolve pure carnuba in
turps and you’d have your own paste. FWIW I’ve done that too and it
works well. Just let the carnuba soak in the turps over night, it
dissolves slowly but it will dissolve.

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
Visit TouchMetal.com at http://www.touchmetal.com

Hi Trevor,

First of all I would like to thank you for the valuable
and if you don’t mind, I have a couple more questions, one being,
what is the ratio of turpentine to carnuba beads? The next is, are
there any tricks in applying the solution on the surface, do you dip
it in, or apply the solution with a brush? And finally, do you buff
the waxed surface, or rub it with a piece of cloth?

I promise, I will not bother you again on this matter!

Thanks again and Brgds.
ekrem.

carnuba as a wax finish... what is the ratio of turpentine to
carnuba beads? 

As I recall a little turps goes a long way. I got into using carnuba
through woodworking and there the general rule is put your carnuba
flakes (yes, I’ve only used it in flake form) in a small jar and pour
in just enough turps to cover the flakes. As I recall this results in
a fairly soft paste, almost runny but not quite. I found that this
was a little too soft for me so I remember using a little less turps,
something like 2 parts turps to 3 parts wax.

Once the wax has dissolved in the turps it’s very easy to thin it out
as you need to. If I needed some in a thinner consistency I’d just
measure out a small amount from the “master” batch and then add a bit
of turps to that. Stir it up and you’ve got a nice runny batch that
you can brush on or even dip things into.

The initial dissolve of the carnuba can take some time, especially if
you’re scrimping a bit on the turps. You can speed it up by heating
the mixture gently in a double boiler but be prepared to wear a fume
mask and/or provide A LOT of ventilation. Warmed turps will give you
a wicked head-ache in no time and I’m sure that means it ain’t doing
you any good. Frankly I found this way too much hassle and I just
practiced a little patience to let the stuff dissolve on it’s own,
with a bit of mixing now and again to help it on it’s way.

One (obvious?) footnote here is that since you’re mixing up your own
wax you have the option of adding other things to it too, such as
other waxes like paraffin (will lighten and soften the wax) or beeswax
(will make is a little more golden and smell great) or even a little
shellac. The thing to keep in mind, or learn by experimentation, is
that carnuba is a VERY brittle wax. If it’s applied in anything like
a thick layer it will tend to dry and flake off. This is why adding a
small amount of the secondary waxes can be beneficial, they take the
brittle edge of the carnuba and make it a little more durable as a
finish. At least that was what I read and experienced.

... are there any tricks in applying the solution on the surface,
do you dip it in, or apply the solution with a brush? 

That all depends on (a) what you want to do and (b) how much turps
you use to thin it out. I’ve used it as a thick paste on woodwork and
wood carvings to a watery consistency applied with a brush. Mix it to
suit you needs and take it from there.

And finally, do you buff the waxed surface, or rub it with a piece
of cloth? 

As you wish and as your needs dictate. Both work fine but it’s
important to let the waxed object sit for about 20 minutes before you
start buffing or polishing. In some ways the buffing is best on things
that are going to get handled a lot because the heat of buffing thins
the wax and that, believe it of not, make the finish look better and
last longer. Thicker in not better when it comes to wax finishes.
That said I used a cloth to apply and rub-polish wax on our
hand-carved wooden spoons and they’ve survived years of heavy use.
Metal is different though so if it were me I’d start with the buffing
and see how I liked those results.

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
Visit TouchMetal.com at http://www.touchmetal.com

Trevor, I learned more about my favorite wax from your post than I
have in 25 years of using it. That was a great post!!

Thanks,
Rexarino

Hi Trevor,

Thank you for the excellent explanation, and passing on valuable
tips from your experience. I will try it on silver which I hand
carve by push gravers and see how it works. Because of the carvings
being sharp end delicate, I only use powdered charcoal applied with
a swab or thumb (which is much better), and that’s why I asked if
buffing is required.

Thanks again for the comprehensive explanation.

Best Regards,
ekrem.