good morning. i am working with copper components to create a new
line that complements my glasswork. i am texturing the copper and
then coloring it with a torch. when i seal it with a laquer, it
changes the colors. can any of you point me in the direction of a
sealant that doesn’t change the colors acheived by torching? the one
i’m using now is made by g.j. nikolas, #2105 clear lacquer.
thanks D
Dee Janssen
Dee Janssen GlassWorks
http://deejanssenglass.com
Pam. Where do you get the Nikolas #2105 clear lacquer? I sometimes
incorporate etched copper pieces in my large wall enamels and would
like to keep them from tarnishing.
Alma Rands
good morning. i am working with copper components to create a new line that complements my glasswork. i am texturing the copper and then coloring it with a torch. when i seal it with a laquer, it changes the colors. can any of you point me in the direction of a sealant that doesn't change the colors acheived by torching? the one i'm using now is made by g.j. nikolas, #2105 clear lacquer.
There is not such a coating and it is unlikely there ever will be.
The striking optical effects of these heat oxides are due to the
refraction of light in the thin film of oxide on the metal surface.
By putting any type of coating over it you change the way the light
interacts with the oxide film. The resulting effect can be a loss of
intensity or color shifts or both. Some coatings are better than
others but none are really great.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
Where do you get the Nikolas #2105 clear lacquer?
jesse
Alma,
I got the lacquer from Whole Lotta Whimsy. Here’s a link:
http://tinyurl.com/dl6vy7
James is completely correct, of course. Any coating is going to
change the nature of the patina, which is why I don’t use it on my
silver work. However in the case of copper, I decided it was better
to go with the look achieved with the lacquer than to have the
pieces turn dark and make my customers skin turn black. It just
happens too quickly with the copper. At least, that’s been my
experience with the copper clay I’m working with.
Pam East
Where do you get the Nikolas #2105 clear lacquer?
I got it from mcmaster-carr http://www.mcmaster.com
interesting how this topic keeps “popping up”. 
another alternative clear coat that I’ve been playing with for these
temper colors, is Everbrite ProtectaClear. It goes on thinner than
most lacquers that I’ve tried(including Nicholas and Incralac). The
thinner the layer the less it “kills” the colors. On my last TEST
pieces…the ProtectaClear made the blues and greens lose a lil
of their vibrance…but they were still visible. I’m going to try
another test with the same product…but thinned a lil with xylene
to see if that helps lay down a thinner layer and retain more color.
I’ll pass on the results.
Bill Roberts
I’ve used simple Johnson’s paste wax quite successfully - that
doesn’t mean that eventually the piece doesn’t darken somewhat, but
I’ve two bowls that I raised and then heat treated in my oven - one
is wonderful shades of brown, fuscia, blue and gold and the other
one mostly gold with a bit of blue. Although it’s been longer than 10
years since I waxed the bowls, the colors are still visible (not as
bright as they once were). I simply rubbed a thin coat of wax on, let
it almost dry, then buffed it, and then applied a second coat and
buffed. It looked nice and though over the years the copper is
darker, it still looks pretty good.
I’ve also used liquid turtle wax with the same effect.
Kay
I'm going to try another test with the same product......but thinned a lil with xylene to see if that helps lay down a thinner layer and retain more color. I'll pass on the results.
bill, is this what you are testing with?
if so i will order the spray can and test with my pieces. thanks for
the info.
Has anyone tried using Renaissance Wax for this? I’ve been looking at
that option recently, but haven’t made up my mind to buy any yet.
LJ
is this what you are testing with? http://www.everbritecoatings.com/wheels.html if so i will order the spray can and test with my pieces. thanks for the info.
Yup…same site. That page is about someone’s experience with
ProtectaClear on aluminum wheels.
Everbrite has a LOT of info on there…this is the main page for
the ProtectaClear.
IT’s a pricey product… but covers a lot of area.
Bill Roberts
Has anyone tried using Renaissance Wax for this?
I’ve used it. It delays the tarnish, but doesn’t stop it. The shine
is brilliant.
Dianna