On Jan 25, 7:39*pm, Andy Dingley wrote:
On 26 Jan, 01:04, ransley wrote:

* How do you get new copper to look naturaly aged green and stable,

You find a copy of "The Colouring, Bronzing, and Patination of Metals"
and then spend ages studying it.

Copper goes either brown(ish) or green(ish) with most reagents (so buy
some nitrate-based stuff). Much depends on the copper alloy, the
reagent (obviously) and the process (time / temperature / agitation)
you use to apply it. Getting nice colours is one thing, getting
consistent results, stable *results or predictable results is quite
another. Japanese work uses the same reagent repeatedly and varies the
alloy instead. This is allegedly an easier route to reliable
consistency (although some of their alloys are arsenical and quite
toxic).

Avoid chlorides. That's not patina, it's corrosion - and it's very far
from stable or robust.

For simple results, buy a commercial bottle of Green Goop or Brown
Goop. You'll get better results than anything short of serious
investment in materials and techniques.

Nitrate base, do you mean plant fertilizer. Green Goop, Brown Goop,
what is in the products, I never heard of them in the US, I will try
google on the goop.