METAL COLOURING TECHNIQUES

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colours will be familiar as the transitory and variegated colourings that

occur when annealing operations are carried out. Although there are a few
standard finishes that are produced by heat alone, such as the Bronze Metal
Antique finish which is used with bronzes having a high copper and tin
content, the technique has generally been little used recently. This is
probably because it is difficult to produce even and standardised colours, as
the process requires considerable care and skill if particular colours are to be
obtained.

Preparation and cleaning

It is essential, when preparing an object for heat colouring, to ensure that
the surface is thoroughly degreased and clean, and is not handled after
cleaning. Any slight surface contamination will tend to cause imperfections
in the final finish which may be indelible, particularly in the case of the
bronzing and interference colours produced at lower temperatures.

Colouring
Although colouring can sometimes be carried out using a torch, it is
generally preferable to use a kiln or muffle furnace, so that the whole object
is more evenly heated. On copper and bronze a range of interference colours
is produced at lower temperatures, similar to the temper colours produced
on steel, ranging from pale golden yellow, through orange and greenish
tints to red. The most distinctive colours are produced on highly polished
copper surfaces. Colour development is best monitored visually in practice,
as timings will vary with the particular kiln used.
At higher temperatures opaque colours are produced, the most even
finishes being black or dark brown. On cast bronze these opaque colours are
generally even and adherent. On sheet copper, on the other hand, the black
layers tend to flake as the metal cools revealing underlying variegated
colourings whose precise form is difficult to predict or control. Although
these variegated surfaces are often interesting, it should be borne in mind
that they occur at temperatures above the annealing point of the metal, and
will therefore have only a restricted application in practice.
Brass is generally less easily coloured by heat alone. Although yellow
brass castings can be coloured in a kiln at higher temperatures to produce
opaque brown, grey or black finishes, the surfaces produced tend to be
variegated and are somewhat unpredictable. Rolled sheet brass is very
difficult to colour by heating, producing only very pale lustre colours even
at high temperatures, and the technique cannot be recommended for use
with this material.
Additional techniques
One particular technique has been used to obtain red and purplish red
colours with copper and bronze. The object to be coloured is heated to red
heat in a kiln or muffle furnace and then rapidly plunged into boiling water.
The technique is clearly limited to objects of a certain scale, particularly
since it must be carried out rapidly as it is important to lose as little heat as
possible during the transfer from the heat source to the boiling water. A
torch can be used to heat the object, but it is generally more difficult to
obtain an even colouring by this method, except with small articles. If a
torch is used with sheet materials, then it should be noted that more even
colourings are produced on the reverse of the face that is heated.
A method of colouring is sometimes used that is particular to the
technique of raising copper and gilding metal objects by hammering. After
the metal has been worked for some time, it becomes work-hardened and
must be annealed by heating with a torch, prior to further hammering.
Annealing produces oxide layers on the surface which are normally removed
by pickling the object in dilute acid. If the pickling is omitted, then the
oxide layers will gradually build up and be modified as the object is
successively hammered and annealed. The disposition of colours cannot be
controlled, but the technique produces very variegated surfaces which will
include many of the colours typically seen in annealing.

9 Vapour technique
Metal surfaces can also be coloured by exposing them to the action of
vapours or gases for varying lengths of time. The idea of producing patinas