Locating Copper Patina Finishing
Products In Australia

by Kathleen
(New South Wales Australia)

Good morning,

Firstly, I love your website. I have found it to be a very helpful site. More like having a teacher in the room with you, easy to follow instructions.

My question refers to your method for preventing problems with copper patina. I have experienced all the problems you have outlined and am very anxious to use your method.

I live in NSW Australia and have been trying to locate the products you listed, to no avail (obviously the products are American brands) Would you know what the Aussie equivalents are ?
Hoping you can help me.

Kind regards,
Kathleen

Answer

Hi Kathleen,

Thank you for the nice comments about my web site. I'm sorry you're having difficulties finding the products for cleaning your work prior to using patina. Here is some information that should help.

Sudsy ammonia is also called Cloudy Ammonia. If you still can't find it, here's what I found on a "From HELOISE" web site:
"I contacted a leading manufacturer of ammonia, and here is what the company had to say: Sudsy ammonia is plain ammonia that has a small amount of detergent added to it." Just a squirt of dishwashing detergent will be sufficient for a small bottle of ammonia.

Make sure the dishwashing detergent does not contain bleach. You must never mix ammonia and bleach. And...here is more important information to follow:
*Use rubber gloves and goggles - ammonia can burn skin and eyes.
*Be sure to use ammonia products in a well-ventilated area.
*Do not lean over the bottle while you are pouring it. Wear a mask if you find the fumes too strong.
*Lastly, be sure to read all of the precaution information on the ammonia bottle.

For the wax, look for any car care wax that contains Carbnauba Wax. I know that it's available in Australia, as I have asked my son (in Wagga Wagga, NSW) about it.

For the white scrub pad...use a green scrub pad that is meant to be used on teflon coated pots and pans. The kind that doesn't scratch. It won't be quite the same as the white scrub pads, but it should do the job. You might need to scrub a little longer and a little harder. Try to find the scrub pads that are not attached to a sponge. Here, in the USA, both types are available in most grocery stores. One other thing to try...contact a place that sells industrial cleaning supplies. They just might have the white scrub pads.

I hope this helps your search for the products.
Sue