Bill,
Thanks for your help. The auburn rust patina is a product from Kings that I was trying out before a issue a bulk purchase.Problem with them is that there is no tech support. That is why I was so glad to see you introduce your products, You along with others such as Jason and Gary offer a great product but more importantly offer outstanding customer service, so to make a long story short it is a acid based etch patina. Trying to get ready for show at Humane Society in the spring, Very disappointed when I seen what was happening. Thanks for your help, greatly appreciated!
Hi Tim,
Sorry for the slow response, but I have a couple of thoughts to share. First, April (parrotlady) was 'spot-on' about the need for thorough drying of the metal and patina prior to clear-coating. But, I would highly encourage you to use clean, dry shop air instead of using a heat gun. Heat will adversely affect the color of the patina & speed up any flash-rust that forms prior to clear-coating. The reason your parts darkened is exactly what April mentioned: iron oxide formation UNDER the clear-coat. Before applying ANY clear-coat or sealer, there will always be a small amount of flash rust, which actually looks green under magnification. You MUST remove the flash rust PRIOR to clear-coating. I use a lint-free Tack Rag & very lightly wipe the piece that has been patina'd. You don't need to rub, scrub or burnish, just lightly let the tack rag pick up the flash rust. This will not hurt the patina or affect the color. You are now ready for Clear-Coat,
my absolute favorite being Deltron DC-3000. I won't use anything else & I've tried dozens & dozens of different types.
If I have a piece that has a lot of delicate areas that aren't conducive to tack-ragging, I will spray a tie-bond coat prior to the final top-coat. I've not had any problems with de-lamination of the top-coat OR continued rusting between the substrate & clear-coat when using this method.
I do not encourage or endorse the use of Clear-Powder-Coat over a Patina'd piece of art. Again, the heat of the powder-coating will inevitably darken the patinas & force any remaining moisture from within the steel surface profile to "flash" under the clear-coat.
The Flash Rust acts as a Powdered Release Agent which is exactly what you do not want!
Hope this makes sense. It will be covered in more detail in my book, which is scheduled for download on February 6th.
Bill Worden
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