STEEL PATINAS & DYES

Janet E. – QUESTION: [quote style=”boxed”]STEEL PATINAS[/quote]

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]elp … So I think you’ve talked to my husband Mitch in Atlanta – he’s a metal artist usually doing really large furniture pieces and gigantic bells – well we signed up to do a couple of artist markets/ fairs and quickly realized people want stuff they can carry out – so we bought a plasma to add to our inventory. He’s put me in charge of ‘finishing’ i.e. taking them off the machine and turning them into something. I’m a piano player. I don’t really do metal – but apparently I do now. 🙂 I have a few of your patinas, but we have a big show in October and I need to finish 300 pieces – mostly mobiles of various cut outs that people will hang outside. What would be your suggestion for the best of your kits to get this 300 going? Go dyes and patinas or just patinas? Buy your airbrush? Plus – is your clear coat uv stable? Most all of our stuff will be outdoors. Thanks … I’m sure we’re going chat a lot! HA!„

ANSWER:

For starters, I would go with SUPER STARTER KIT & DYES COMBO PACKAGE, although depending on the sizes of the pieces your’e doing, may not be enough product for 300 pieces.

I would encourage you to incorporate the Dyes with the Patinas, as you can get a lot more color & contrast. The patinas are beautiful by themselves, but certain colors can only be obtained by using 1 or more of the Dyes OVER the patinas.

An airbrush isn’t mandatory, but would be beneficial, so that’s up to you. And it’s only used for the Dyes, not the patinas. And yes!…Both of the Clear-Coats I offer have a high degree of UV Inhibiting properties.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thanks,

Bill

p.s. a few more things that may help:

First, I’d like to recommend that you join an online forum of 11,000 like-minded folks, just like you & me. It’s called, www.plasmaspider.com – I use an older Hypertherm 1000, fine-cut consumables up to 3/16″, but most of my work is done using 14awg-10awg. My table is a 5’X10′ by Dynatorch. Most guys use Corel Draw, but I don’t. I use Inkscape, XARA Photo & Graphic Designer, BobCadv21 with BobArt & BobNest.

Here’s Some Information Regarding my Line of Steel Patinas, Dyes, Stains & Finishes for Plasma-Cutters & Metal Artists:

Patinas Have No Pigments Unlike Paint or Powder-Coating. Patinas Work by Safe Chemical Reaction With the Iron & Carbon Content of Your Steel. The Dyes are non-pigmented, translucent colors that are specially formulated to bond with metal and that’s all types of metal, as well as any non-porous surface. The Dyes are used alone OR on top of the patinas to add colors not achievable with the patinas alone. Note: The STEEL F/X® PATINAS will Not Work on Stainless Steel, Aluminum or Any Other Non-Ferrous Metal.

The Absolute Best “Bang For Your Buck” is the ‘SUPER STARTER KIT & DYES COMBO PACKAGE’

as it Contains 9 Patina Colors and 11 Dye Colors. You Can Make a Lot of Money on Your Steel Pieces With This Kit.

The Patination of Steel is a form of ‘Controlled Corrosion’. The Patina Volor/s Are Subject to Fast Deterioration, Darkening & Rusting & Because of That, MUST be Clear-Coated.

The Clear-Coating Will Preserve Not Only the Steel, But the Colors That You Have Achieved With the Patinas and/or Dyes.

Properly clear-coating an outdoor, patinated piece will give it a 15-20 year life-span, possibly more. In answer to your question, all patinated steel has to be properly clear-coated as that coating is what gives longevity to the doors or railings you mentioned.

For pieces that are to be displayed indoors, you can get by with oil, wax or a single-stage clear (rattle can) aerosol from any hardware store. Rustoleum® & Krylon® are two leading brands. Not so great for an art piece or high-end piece that needs a deeper film thickness and “dipped in glass” look. That’s why I use a 2-stage clear, which is an automotive finish, as it has no equal in appearance, UV protection and longevity.

I would encourage you to watch all of the videos HERE. And, have a look at the eBook, which I will attach below at no charge. Write down your questions & email me or call me at 1-800-710-1273.

I can be hard to get on the phone some days, so email is probably best for starters. The 2nd Edition of the eBook,

which will include a LOT more info, is due out sometime Next Year.

I’ve included some links for resource materials to help you get started.

Thanks!

Bill

http://steelf-x.d.pr/10L8I eBook ‘Steel Patinas & Finishes’ Download

http://steelf-x.d.pr/14FVX Free DXF files, (normally $79.99) .zip file

http://steelf-x.d.pr/1d3S6 DXF FILES & eBook Combined (.zip file)

There’s some pretty good info in my eBook, ‘Steel Patinas & Finishes’ that may help. The goal of the eBook & Instructional Videos is to shorten your learning-curve by years!

The whole process of colorizing steel, either with patinas or dyes, is really very, very easy. And it’s the single most important thing you can do to increase the value of your work. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Bill