Fume Jar for Patina

My first ible..

Just a basic fume jar for creating patina on copper and the like.

Step 1: Tools & Meterials

Copper Wire (I used 12AWG)

Hot Glue Gun

Pickle Jar (I used one with a wide opening)

Patina solvents (ammonia, or Vinegar and salt, or whatever you like.)

Very optional (spray Lacquer)

Step 2: Bend the Wire.. Make the Hook

Time to bend the wire..

I used copper because the stainless steel I had was far too thin and the copper will patina over time, and I hope help speed the reaction.... (hey ya never know) :)

Step 3: Hot Glue the Wire to Lid

Need I say more??

Well, resist the temptation to glue the mount to the center, but rather try to align the ' shaft ' of the hook to the center of the lid. My lid has one of those pop up for freshness indicators, so I used that for center, hey this aint rocket science, good enough for you is all you need.

The good part about this is if the wire gets frail it can be removed and reattached. The lid should be resistant to the fumes for some time (you could get fancy and spray with a lacquer coat). Once the unit has met its service life (or been dropped) it can be recycled back into the world. Keeping this little project green!

Cheers

James!

Comments

[roanoke]

Hi James,

Your example has exactly the patina color I would like to create on the vertical surface of my kitchen island which is already clad in copper. Could you let me know how you would use your fume jar in my situation?

Much appreciated,

Pieter

[Blackcloud161]

...Suggest testing on a small part of it first...

You could use vinegar and salt. Scrub the salt into the copper using the vinegar and let dry. It will likely take several attempts to get right. Also (just came to mind) if your island is sealed with a coating that will have to come off. Once you get the result you are looking for you will need to seal it. This often shifts the color depending on the sealer used. Generally not to much shifting occurs but it will likely happen.

[Edbed]

Neat idea.

[seamster]

Nice and simple. Thanks for the idea!