The Beauty of Aged Sheet Metal

Aged sheet metal will usuall portray a patina as evidence that the newness of the metal has been lost. It may be discoloured, corroded, rusted, the sheet could be dinted or scratched. Ostensibly it is sheet metal with a patina which has an aged antique look and has aesthetic appeal like our aged brass sheet and aged copper sheet.

In nature patina develops on metal through cycles of temperature, rain and sun within a local atmosphere. Typically this could happen when the metal temperature must drops below dew point to create a damp film, or rain to wet the surface. Subsequent warming dries the metal and patina is produced. Outdoors though pollution and salt air by the coast accelerate the process.

Patina Laboratory

Waiting for a distressed and aged or antique finish to happen naturally would take a long time, too long. We have a patina development laboratory where we work to achieve aged patina finishes using chemicals and physical effort

Special patinas are developed for clients who have an idea in mind, we interpret and transfer it to metal. We designed a distressed rusted galvanised steel sheet for Newlook fashion shops, these were used in their denims displays.

After development, patina ageing methods are passed to the patina studio in readiness for production.

We age and antique tabletops, bar tops, splashbacks and many other of our products. Also the metal sheets that we sell, we create aged copper sheets, aged brass sheets and aged zinc sheets. Corten steel and galvanised steel are rust patinated. Pewter sheets and bronze sheets are aged similar to how they would naturally. A recent development by our studio is a rustic blackened steel patina that we apply to Corten steel.

Patina Aged Copper Sheet Metal

Aged copper sheet has gained popularity with interior designers, we have many variations, these can be seen on the metal finishes page.

Copper sheet metal is a base for many patina varyations. We have browns representing naturally aged copper. Blue copper, Green copper and Verdigris options showing copper as it could appear after 10 years in the elements. The natural progression of colours for copper ageing outdoors starts with light browns then passes through to darker and darker browns then to black and finally to green after maybe 10 years.

Patina Aged Brass Sheet Metal

Aged brass sheet has also gained poularity with designers and architects who have used in on impressive projects like Kew Pavillion. Our brass patina has four options that show brass progressing in stages from light aged to an antique finish. Brass allowed to age naturally outdoors progresses through shades of brown to black its final colour. We designed a bespoke distressed aged brass patina for a chiney breast canopy feature

Patina Aged Zinc Sheet Metal

Naturally aged zinc sheet ends up as a mid-grey colour in the long term. At Metal Sheets Ltd we have four options, starting with a light patina which is similar to a naturally aged zinc colour. Darker zinc patinas have been developed for the interior design market.

Patina Ageing Pewter and Bronze Sheet Metal

Other metals we patina and distress in our studio are pewter and bronze, for these we only have one patina option which is similar to the naturally aged metal.

Rust Patina Ageing of Corten and Galvanised Steel Sheet Metal

With Corten steel and galvanised steel we apply a rust patina finish. We can vary shade of rust to a degree. Corten steel ages in nature passing through many colour changes starting with orange, then progressively through shades of brown ending up with a deep chestnut brown after several years. This was replicated for a rusty metal panels lighting display for pendant lighting.

We have recently developed a rustic blackened steel patina for use on Corten steel, this has been recieved well by designers as can be seen in this feature fire place surround.

Patina Process Notes

The patina process is artisan in nature, part science part art, each piece we make is unique. There are many variables including the person tasked with job. The application technique, the chemicals used, even the season of the year can cause variation. As such it is practically impossible to get two pieces of aged sheet metal the same. This all adds to uniqueness which is a USP. The patina images we display we say are typical. Differences in the patina between the work supplied and any sample should not be considered as manufacturing defects. This is as a feature of the hand processing which is susceptible to variances in colour and uniformity.

We do many statement pieces and wall hangings. For one client we created a triptych of blue aged copper, each piece framed and hung side by side to create a great looking piece of wall art. Each frame showing copper and blue tones in random patterns, the whole display accented with up lighting.

Post Patina Wax or Lacquer

Patina-aged metals can be treated with Renaissance wax, Bee’s wax, or clear lacquer, depending on the end use and customer specifications.

Wax gives a more natural appearance, it can be maintained by periodically reapplying and polishing off. (With a soft edged microfiber cloth). For a wall hanging or décor item not frequently handled the appearance should remain constant. Alternatively the patina we have applied can be used as a starting point in the aging process. Frequent handling creates more patina and items becomes more rustic. This is often the case with our tabletop and bar top installs. Maintenance in such cases involves washing with soapy water, drying it, and maybe reapplying wax.

Many copper, brass and zinc bar tops and tabletops are just washed and dried. More patina develops, variations develop between areas of high and low use but the whole thing just blends to become lived in and rustic. See this picture of a natural copper bar top in Wetherspoons, it looks the part.

Lacquering

An alternative to waxing is clear lacquering. We have two lacquers, one we use for items with high traffic like tabletops, the other lacquer for decorative items.

Lacquer affects the visual appearance to a degree because it is clear paint on top of the patina. It can slightly brighten the substrate patina colour, which would be a good thing. It is all part of the customer’s choice. Again, being a paint, traffic across the lacquer can cause scuffs.

Aged copper with Verdigris, green copper or blue copper patinas are only supplied with a lacquer finish. The patina has a surface texture and needs to be sealed with several coats of lacquer.

Aged Corten steel sheet rust patina has a light texture. If used indoors for decorative effect and if people could brush against it, sealing is recommended to avoid patina transfer to clothes. We usually use lacquer, but beeswax could be used, though this does darken the tone. Outdoors Corten patina continues to develop through shades of brown into a chestnut brown. This takes many years of exposure to the elements. Blackened steel must be lacquered to preserve its appearance.

The colour tones of the patina images on our web pages can vary between different display monitors and screens.

Maintenance

For aged sheet metal, aged brass sheet, aged copper sheet or aged zinc sheet. For cleaning and maintenance, only use a soft cotton or soft-edged microfiber cloth, check out our article Preserve Patina on Metal. Dampen with warm water or neutral products that you would typically use to clean varnished surfaces. Do not use abrasive cloths, kitchen cleaning products, solvents, or strong detergents. Dry the surface thoroughly if there is standing water. Renaissance Wax or Beeswax polish can be used to reseal unlacquered patina finishes. We can supply these waxes if required.

Images of 2 of our Antique Metal Sheets finishes are shown below many more images can be found in our Flickr Gallery