Copper Patina

by diane
(Cranford, NJ USA)

Hi Sue,
I did a window with foil and followed your directions on how to clean and apply the copper patina.
My mistake was that after I applied the copper patina and polished it, I went for the windex and cleaned the window.
The copper reacted to the windex and put all black spots on the copper patina.
I wanted to know if you had any tips on what I can do now to get the copper to shine again without all the black spots. OR is this an acceptable way for the copper to look, it has that worn in look?
Thank you for your help
diane metz

Hi Diane,

Woops...you used Windex after you polished the copper. That chemical reaction will happen every time. If you polish with a soft cloth, after you apply the wax, nothing more has to be done. The wax will clean and polish the glass as well as the copper.

You will have to be the judge as to whether you like the look or not. If you don't like it, you can take off the patina using fine steel wool or bronze wool. Once the patina is off, repeat the cleaning and patina routine.