Weathering/Eroding copper hull

[Paraplax]

Hi all.

Frist time im interacting with this page, usually just look at the pictures of kits in progress.

 

Im currently building Billing Boats HMS Victory and i decided to copper plate the hull (over 2000 tiles, phew) the plating is finished long last, but I'm toying with the idea of weathering/eroding the copper as it would be most realistic. I made a jar of saltwater and tested it on the rudder, which is yet not attached to the hull, and left it over night. Nothing has happened what so ever. I'm thinking that method is gonna take ages.

Does anyone know a quicker method of eroding copper, so it doesn't have to take 3 weeks?

 

 

Paraplax

[Larry Van Es]

I Have the Model Shipways Syren and have tried every method mentioned here with no success. I have even tried some not mentioned here (urine). Other people with the same model have had no problem. I recently decided that the problem was that my copper has some kind of protective film on it and I didn't steal wool the plates after I stamped them to simulate nails. I made some more test strips and steel woolled the crap out of them. This allowed some very uneven oxidation but it looked horrible. I've decided to leave it alone. After a couple of years it's started to darken a little. They warn you not to leave finger prints on the plate. Heck every plate has my fingers all over them with no effect.

[Paraplax]

I tried acetic acid, use to clean household appliances like coffee machines and electric boilers, with a pinch of salt. This does the trick and very fast too. I got a nice green colour in a matter of hours. The first layer didn't yield anything other than a matt look on the copper, the second layer did the trick.

 

Before I tried it I polished the copper to a nice shine and then applied the first layers. Left it for 30 minutes and then applied the second layer and left it for an hour or so.

You do get the vinegar smell from the acid, so do it in a ventilated room.

[maurino]

Hi Paraplax , I'm trying with wine vinegar (100 ml), 1 teaspoon salt and a few drops are ammonia, after a few hours you have a patina of green oxide. I attach a photograph of the rudder of my schooner.
Mauro

 

[Paraplax]

Hi Maurino. Looks good.

 

I've attached two pictures of my rudder. I don't use ammonia, as the smell is to strong and my wife would kill me.

[maurino]

Hi Paraplax , I like the look of your old copper plates !!!

Mauro

[Paraplax]

Cheers. Still a work in progress. Once I found the amount of green on the rudder I like, I can't wait until I start on the hull.

[Ulises Victoria]

Another option may bye just to dry brush some green/white color over the copper plates. Never tried it before over actual copper plates, but over copper color paint on a plastic ship. It worked very nice, although maybe what I did was a bit overkill. You can do it more subtle. Just stop sooner.

Edited March 2, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[Paraplax]

I was thinking about doing it with pant, however i lack the skills.

It looks good though.

[NAZGÛL]

Another option may bye just to dry brush some green/white color over the copper plates. Never tried it before over actual copper plates, but over copper color paint on a plastic ship. It worked very nice, although maybe what I did was a bit overkill. You can do it more subtle. Just stop sooner.

 

Thats a freaking nice paintjob!!! Man, you are a great model painter!

 

 

/Matti

[overdale]

There are commercially made inexpensive patinating solutions for copper available. They are used by people who make stained glass lampshades. (Which is what the copper tape is actually for)

 

I used one on a brass statue of a fish in my garden and it turned it a fabulous green/brown overnight.

 

 

If you look up 'patinating solution' on Amazon you'll find them, but here's a link. 

 

Edited March 4, 2014 by overdale

[Ulises Victoria]

Thats a freaking nice paintjob!!! Man, you are a great model painter!

 

 

/Matti

Thanks so much Matti. As a matter of fact, I am thinking about using some of these techniques on my next build Royal Louis.Weathering the Vasa was a no-no. She had no time to weather or wear out.  But I think a slight weathering effect, not as heavy as in the photos, is going to make the RL look more "real". Time will tell. 

Regards.

[Paraplax]

Just some pics of the progress. Dont mind the canon ports, they aren't finished yet.

[aliluke]

I wanted a brown look for my copper rather than green. This is based on some of the contemporary models in the NNM collection. I used urine - my own - and this was the outcome after about 12 hours. The biggest problem is undetectable bits of glue which prevent aging. I may go back and rework these little flecks.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[Paraplax]

i Used debonder on my hull on the plates, then polished them so they were shiny and then applied the acid. It took only a few hours to get the green effect and those places where the copper is brown will get oxide over time and become natural green.

i most say that I'm very happy with the outcome and the fact that it looks genuine used.

[Landlubber Mike]

Really nice work guys.  For me, it's going to be a close toss-up between the green and brown effects.  Just out of curiosity, once you get the effect you want, do you seal the plates with something to help stop any further oxidation?

 

To avoid getting finger prints/oils on the hull, does anyone wear gloves?  I wonder though if CA would eat through latex or other thin plastic gloves.

[bear]

Hello

 

Why not just paint and dry brush it the colors of green that it would be when it's oxidized? A lot simpler method and safer for you and the model.

 

If you try to use acids to produce the result you want now,' it will continue to corode the copper on the surface and under it without any control on your part. So in the future you might end up with a real mess on your hands-like the copper falling off the model or worse.

 

Leave the chemicals alone and be in control using paint to create the effect that you want. It's not like a bronze or copper casting that an artist uses acids on to give age to. By using heat along with the chemicals. You are talking about a model with wood under the copper and other materials and glues. Do you know how the chemicals that you use will migrait thru the wood and how will the vapors affect the rest of the model?

 

Think lone and hard before you risk what you have spent hundreds of hours working on, on a method that you have no long time record of.

 

Keith

[Landlubber Mike]

Hi Keith, that's what I was wondering as well.  In addition to paints, I wonder if weathering powders would work?  For example, I saw that Humbrol has a "chrome oxide green" that could be mixed with other colors to potentially get the color you need.

 

https://www.humbrol.com/shop/weathering-powders/weathering-powders/av0005-weathering-powder-chrome-oxide-green-28ml/

[justsayrow]

if you're looking for brown, I got good results with baking them at 450 for a few hours.  they turned a nice brown with some rainbowing as well.  you can monitor and pull them out at the appropriate doneness.

 

Just make sure there are no films on the copper before baking!

[hornet]

I have just completed my first hull coppering attempt. Started small by coppering the hull of the Sloop Norfolk by Modellers Shipyard. I wanted to get a green patina effect but did not want it to take forever and I didn't want to use ammonia or acid as part of the process. I did some research and came up with JAX Green Patina - available on Ebay. I found that the most tedious pat of the process was cleaning the plates. I tried debonder but it was not too successful and I was afraid of using too much of it for fear of loosening the plates. I had been very careful not to use too much glue when fitting the plates so there was not much to clean up. I ended up scraping the worst away (very gently) with a hobby knife then going over the entire model lightly with a fine wire wheel on my dremel. I then used some steel wool and finished up with white vinegar to remove greasy fingerprints. I applied two coats of JAX Green Patina and then lightly rubbed back with steel wool. I did not want too bright a green colour, just a fairly even green tinge. I was happy with the results.