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HONEY-PINION PATINA FINISH ON STEEL

Posted on by BILL WORDEN
07
Mar
Q:    Bill, I Have a Customer That Wants a “Honey-Pinion Patina Finish? Do you offer something to give this type of look? Thanks, Dale K., 3/7/17

 HONEY PINION FINISH ON METAL ART

A:  Dale,

That’s actually pretty easy:  COPPER F/X™ & TORCH F/X™ are the two patinas that you’ll want to use.  You’ll need to soak a ‘heavy-nap’ paint roller cover with the TORCH F/X™ and lightly drag (in the same tracks) the roller 2-4 times until the color range emerges, then quickly rinse.  
This, of course, after the COPPER F/X™ has been applied to the steel & rinsed well.   The steel at this point does not have to be dried, but it can be if needed. 
The TORCH F/X™, as with all of the STEEL F/X® Patinas will work on the steel, even if the steel is wet.
  
Do Not Roll or Rotate the roller as if it were on a paint roller handle, but instead, hold it in the same position, with one hand on the left end and the other hand on the right end, and drag w/o letting it rotate.
Alternatively, you could use a fairly large ‘micro-fiber’ towel, folded or rolled up & accomplish the same thing.
Another ideal method would be a piece of ‘Shearling’ (sheep’s wool that saddle-makers use) and use the same “dragging method”.
There is one other method, using a dip-bath of the TORCH F/X™, but it’s not too practical unless you’re cranking out dozens or hundreds of pieces with this type of honey pinion finish.  
The TORCH F/X™ in the bath CAN be recovered & used again, but the minute presence of iron in it from the dipping can have deleterious effects on how well it works the next time.
Please let me know if I’ve explained this well or if you have any further questions.
Thanks, 
Bill
BILL WORDEN

My name is Bill Worden. I am the founder & owner of STEEL F/X Patinas, which began officially in the fall of 2006. I had my first exposure to metal-finishing when I was 14 yrs. old. (1968) My Chemistry teacher showed me how to silver-plate a copper penny without heat or electricity. The whole process, which I found incredibly cool, took only a minute or two. I was hooked on what could be done chemically, to transform the surface of varying metals. I have been a metalsmith since 1972, working with precious metals originally, and currently focusing primarily on CNC cut steel art and chemically induced Color Case-Hardening of firearms & custom knives. I have developed many steel patina formulas that react safely with the steel to bring out a myriad of colors & effects without hiding the polished steel beneath. I have also developed a one-of-a-kind patina, (STAINLESS F/X™), which works equally well on Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel & Copper. My greatest reward is teaching & helping other metal artisans to produce finished products that are beyond the norm of painting or powder-coating. I truly love working in the lab, experimenting with what will work & developing new products. Many of my customers, in a very short time, have become masters of steel patinas on their own work and are producing some heirloom quality works of art! I live in St. George, Utah with my wife, Kris and my two sons, Tyler & Trevor.. I welcome your calls & emails & will do my very best to provide you with all the help & product innovation possible. The STEEL F/X® PATINAS Company Motto is "KAI-ZEN", a Japanese word that loosely translates to: "CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT" Thank you for helping to make STEEL F/X® PATINAS a Reality...Without all of my loyal customers, we wouldn't exist. Keep Up The Good Work! Bill D. Worden, STEEL F/X®, LLC (STEEL F/X® PATINAS) 1.800.710.1273

2 thoughts on “HONEY-PINION PATINA FINISH ON STEEL”

  1. mark holladay says:

    hi bill is there any thing I can put on galvanized to protect it from muriatic acid and what is the best way to darken it ?I ordered some copper f/x & torch f/x but wanted to leave some galv.on the edge of my piece

    • BILL WORDEN says:

      Hi Mark,
      You could use the Clear Gel that’s on the site, or a liquid paint mask. Both are about the same in cost & effectiveness. Or, depending on your final finish objective, you could prep & clear-coat the areas that you want to protect. STAINLESS F/X™ works well as a darkening patina for Galvanized. I’m working on some other formulas for darkening galvanized, but they’re not ready, yet.
      Bill

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