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STEEL F/X® PATINAS – WORK YEAR ROUND!

Posted on by BILL WORDEN
03
Sep

Winters or Freezing Weather Won’t Stop You From Doing Patina or Dye Work on Steel Art, or Other Metals, As There Are Several Ways to Get The Necessary Water To Your Work-Piece or Work Area.  Below Are a Few Ideas & I’m Sure You May Have Others.

1) Warm Water in a Trigger-Spray Bottle or Even Better, a 1 or 2-Gallon Pump-Sprayer Filled With Hot Water is Just Fine.
2) A Heated Garden Hose. <$110 for a 25′ hose.  amazon.com/Pirit-PWL-03-25-25-Feet-Heated-Hose
3) Another Option is a Wall-Mounted, Propane-Fired Outdoor Shower.  Mine was Purchased for Under $150, has 100% Duty-Cycle and Came With a 10′ X 3/8″ Hose & Shower-Head w/ Paddle-Switch.  I Bought it to Bathe My Dogs, But Have Found Several Other Uses For It, Including Warm Water Outside When My Regular Outdoor Garden Hose Was Too Cold to Use.
4) If You Have a Utility Sink in Your Shop, With a GHT (Garden-Hose-Thread) Threaded End, You Can Run Your Water Outside From the Utility Sink.  I now Have 1 Sink Inside & 1 Sink Outside.  Very, Very Handy! You Can Also Do All of Your Patina Work Inside the Shop. I Just Prefer Indirect Outdoor Lighting for Truer Color Definition.  Working With Northern Light is Best, as There is Little to No Glare & a More ‘Full-Spectrum’ Lighting.
5) A 20-Gallon Rinse tank (See www.plasmaspider.com – Tech Tips viewtopic.php?f=89&t=11813 For Photo), With Clean Water & a Half-Gallon of Propylene Glycol Would be One Other Way. Denatured Alcohol or Isopropanol Added to the Rinse Tank Water Would Also Work as an Anti-Freeze w/ No Negative Effects on the Rinsing/Neutralizing of the Patinas.  Don’t Use Automotive or RV Anti-Freeze, Though.

Note: If You Have a Yard Hydrant That Was Properly Installed, as Opposed to a Standard Hose-Bib, It Won’t Freeze Up as Long as You Disconnect Your Hose at the End of The Day. Moving Water (Through a Hose) Takes a LOT Longer to Freeze Than Static Water.

Click to Enlarge

HOW TO INSTALL A YARD-HYDRANT
NO-FREEZE YARD HYDRANT

 

The Metal Solvent Dyes  AND Stains (Alcohol Inks) Won’t Freeze & Don’t Require Any Rinsing!  

Thought for the Day: “It’s Simple Until You Make it Complicated”, Author Unknown.

Bill Worden, STEEL F/X®

bill worden_steel-fx-patinas-owner_signature.img

1-800-710-1273

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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

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