Comments for patina on lead came with zinc frame

Jun 08, 2009

Patina on lead came with zinc frame
by: Sharon from East Alton

My piece has been hanging in the window for a month now. The patina on the zinc frame and the lead came has faded to dull gray. The patina on the small soldered joints is still dark. After reading some of the other "patina problems" on this site, I'm thinking maybe I didn't get it clean enought before I patinaed. How do I clean this so I can patina again?

Reply

First of all try wiping the lead and zinc with alcohol. That might take the patina off. If that doesn't work go over the lead and zinc with very fine steel wool or, better yet, fine Bronze Wool (available at Ace Hardware and some stained glass shops). That will take the old patina off. Wipe everything down with alcohol after you've taken the patina off.

Make sure you use a patina specifically for lead and zinc. The one for solder does not work on lead and zinc.

Jun 07, 2009

Patina on lead came with zinc frame
by: Sharon from East Alton

I posted the original question. The glass is held together with lead came. The frame is zinc. All of the corners were soldered. The patina took on everything BUT the solder. The patina I used was brand name: Novacan. The bottle said "Black Patina For Solder or Lead". I had read a "helpful hint" on the website (I think) that said add salt to the patina and that will help "blacken" the lead, zinc and solder. . . NOT. Any ideas on what to do now?? Thanks, Sharon from East Alton

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