Patination Chemicals

[The Dragon]

I was looking at the link Peter Bond provided on patination today. I have to admit that it has been 30 years since I took 'O' Level Chemistry and while I get the general gist of it I'm really none the wiser.

Can anyone supply me with a more common name for the following and if possible a supplier in th UK for any of the items not readily available:

Sulfurated Potash
Ammonium Chloride
Cupric Sulphate.

I know I can Google them but I would prefer recommendations if possible.

Thanks.

[Rob Taylor]

Sulfurated Potash Liver of Sulphur http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...prcode-998-161
Ammonium Chloride is an ingredient of Flux but we don't sell separately
Cupric Sulphate we don't sell

[Solunar Silver Studio]

Well - I Googled it...I can't bear living in ignorance!!

Sulphurated potash is just liver of sulphur...or potassium polysulphide.
Ammonium chloride is otherwise known as sal ammoniac...not that that helps much...all these old fashioned names!
Cupric sulphate is apparently copper (II) sulphate ...the lovely blue crystals that you grow on a string in school...or use to back in the days of yore.

As for where you get any of them... There are chemical suppliers but I bet you have to buy in bulk and I don't suppose they will sell to just any old 'Dragon'...perhaps Peter can enlighten you to suppliers! I guess that is why everybody uses liver of sulphur because it is relatively easy to get hold of by the 'plebs'!

[mizgeorge]

Sal Ammoniac Sal Ammoniac Block (and lots of other places - it's used in soldering)

Copper sulphate (don't ask...) Copper Sulphate for Cattle with FREE Delivery from £6.00 and other Health I think it's also used for something to do with fish, but can't remember what!

[ps_bond]

Ammonium chloride is otherwise known as sal ammoniac...not that that helps much...all these old fashioned names!

There's a Swedish liquorice that is coated with ammonium chloride - kind of an acquired taste. It's called "salmiak".

As for where you get any of them... There are chemical suppliers but I bet you have to buy in bulk and I don't suppose they will sell to just any old 'Dragon'...perhaps Peter can enlighten you to suppliers! I guess that is why everybody uses liver of sulphur because it is relatively easy to get hold of by the 'plebs'!

Rose Chemicals have always been pretty helpful for most of the chemicals, although many of the more innocuous ones are readily available on EBay.

One that is a pig to get hold of is rokusho - there's a lot of debate as to what the composition really is; it seems to be only really available from Japan (and Reactive Metals IIRC, although I think theirs was sourced from Japan too).

A lot of these chemicals are used elsewhere too - copper sulphate is a component of Bordeaux mix (fungicide for roses), for example. Ferric nitrate is used in some of the traditional photo processes; ferric chloride is a PCB etchant that Maplin sell (at least used to). Sodium thiosulphate is used for fixing black & white negatives/prints - newer proprietary mixes are probably not sodium thio. though. Calcium chloride is available from some homebrew shops (as is citric acid in moderate bulk so long as you don't come across as a junky). Small amounts of nitric acid are used as a pH reducer in hydroponics.

Obvious safety disclaimer here... Be aware of what you are actually mixing.

[Gemma]

Oh I knew I'd heard of sal ammoniac somewhere...
Some came with my sweet making kit from panduro

[The Dragon]

Thanks Guys,

I'm looking for ways to get a 'blue' and 'light green' patination on copper, you know the one that's like dragonfly wings, changing colour as they move. These were the chemicals suggested that I couldn't quite get my head around. I want to try and have a bit of a play next week if I can.

[Coco]

I quite fancy patinating some copper and that sounds really nice ....I might steal your idea! Mwahahahahaaa!


Are all those chemicals really stinky though? I don't want to stink the class out...

[mizgeorge]

Peter, saltlakrits is an acquired taste, but once you've got it, it's with you forever I have to make trips to Ikea to stock up on it!

[The Dragon]

I quite fancy patinating some copper and that sounds really nice ....I might steal your idea! Mwahahahahaaa!

Steal away hun, I'd love to see what you come up with. I like the idea that two people start out with the same components, go away and create something then come back and compare the end result. Sounds like fun.