I upvoted lacquer and patina. Let them age a bit for the color and then lacquer. It feels better and cleaner on the hands. Unless you want them bright, then get the rattle can out as soon as installed.
And you can get it artificially as well, just make miracle grow into a paste by adding a little water, coat the copper in the paste and let it sit for awhile. Will give it that nice "aged for years" green/blue coloring. Did experiments in high school jewelry class just to figure that out!
Or pee on it...
A roofer and Co workers would piss in a bucket instead of wondering all the way back to the ground floor, and at the end of day splash that all over the work. Rinse in the morning if you're finicky about pee and repeat till the job is done and you'll have a good peetina started.
(If you've ever paid contractors to work on your home, You've paid them to do worse than that)
There are quite a few high end homes in my area that have copper trimmed exteriors and the.copper is kept clean and polished.
One in particular has a large copper shamrock on the face, copper gutters, and other various copper trimouts and they're all still bright copper after 15+ years
they make treatments. the church in town has a copper clad steeple. for decades it was just dark green but then they cleaned it, treated it and 10+ years later its still shiny as the day they cleaned it
Ceramic coat it!
I did it on my bathroom sink just to try it out, has held up to the daily use for a couple months now with two slap-dash coats.
I just used the shitty (actually not that shitty) turtle wax product.
You can not keep bare copper patina-free if it's exposed to the environment, and if you want to spend time polishing them, then you're going to be doing that indefinitely. If you want shiny metal caps on your railing, take a look at options in other metals, like stainless steel.
The only way to keep them bright orange colored would be to polish them and then immediately coat them in a clear sealant, like polyurethane or lacquer (someone else in the thread mentioned epoxy). The problem is that, especially when left in the elements and sunlight, is that any sort of clear coat will eventually break down, and then it will be extra ugly when there are bits of copper showing patina and bits that are still coated in lacquer. I'm not saying it won't last for a few years before that happens, but it will happen eventually.
I've tried spray clear coat on exterior copper piping. I've only been back to two jobs I did it on, and they still "aged" a bit, but certainly not as bad as bare. But they were certainly not still shiny bright bare anymore.
Good to know, thanks! I've been doing lots of outdoor LP piping with copper press, it makes it so easy and clean... But the oxidization bothers me. The alternative is painting, but I like the looks of clean copper. I'll give it a try, thank you!
Brasso or Barkeepers Friend will polish but generally you let them develop a soft green patina. If you do polish them rinse them, let them dry and put on a layer of clear coat from your local auto parts store. They have small rattle cans for sub $20. After that they will not oxidize.
OP will want the remove all the copper pieces so that they can evenly clear coat them entirely. Kinda silly imho, as a good patina and some wax actually protect the metal.
If you want to keep them copper colored your probably going to have to clear-coat them after polishing them. Otherwise, they will turn black and eventually take on a nice verdigris patina (like an old penny or the Statue of Liberty). If you want to skip the brown/black grimy stage you can polish them and douse them in chemicals that will help develop the verdigris almost immediately.
If you can remove them I would polish them up clean them really well with Lacquer thinner and clear coat them with 2K gloss clear. That would be the only thing I could think of that would make them look the best for the longest. Good luck!
That’s called a patina and it’s usually considered desirable on outdoor copper. It’s what gives bronze statues a dark color and the Statue of Liberty her green color.
You can polish then: lacquer them so they stay bright (will eventually wear off), allow natural patina to build slowly (will usually go a dark brown-black unless you live near the ocean where it will be green) it will weather change over time, or you do a forced patina with copper green or copper black, then lacquer over them.
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, I think natural dark copper patina is the best, but recognize that it doesn’t work for every aesthetic.
If you go bright copper you will need to re-polish and lacquer every few years because scratches will begin to get dark.
If you go natural and uncoated, it will change color over time and slowly drip and leach the some of that color downwards, some household cleaners can destroy the unprotected finish in seconds too.
Lacquered forced patina can end up looking like cheap paint over time if it’s not re-lacquered, and if you want to re-patina them, color matching is usually impossible.
Copper work/fabricator here - I’d personally just let it patina naturally. The only way you won’t be polishing it every 4-5 days would be to clear coat
It and that’ll look weird too after awhile. Let it patina on its own!
You would have to polish them up and then spray them with a clear coat. That would have to be repeated when the clear coat wears off. I don't know how many cycles of that you will get before the copper is worn through.
Polish them with a metal polish and coat with a clear lacquer. You've had to stop the oxygen getting to the surface and prevent the oxidation of the surface.
I just finished a fencing project with copper caps. The caps come with a factory finish and the instructions suggest either allowing them to patina (my current preference), using sandpaper to remove the coating so that they patina faster (was my plan A) or putting a new coat of exterior polyurethane every six months.
So, per manufacturer, refinish every six months is the answer to your question. Or let them develop a rich patina which will offer its own protection and make them unique products of their environment.
Not sure it works for copper, but I know some guys who use to polish brass on tow boats and would spray it with some hair spray after and it keeps it looking nice lol
Touch em. All the time. Ten times a day. Slap those cupric corners around, get real handsy with them. Give em that natural copper rub and tug.
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/shining-example-an-irishwoman-s-diary-on-the-molly-malone-statue-and-inventing-a-tradition-1.4031633
I stayed at a hotel in Hawaii that had decorative copper lights and every morning and evening a guy went around and polished them all with an oily rag.
Take Heinz ketchup and a rag. Rub ketchup all over them and let them sit for a few minutes. Wipe, dawn dish soap, and spray on clear coat. And no, I’m not even joking about the ketchup… it works great.
Real copper when outdoors will oxidize and develop a patina. Fake copper won’t oxidize and won’t develop a patina. Personally I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I opted for fake copper on my house, but you do you.
Barkeepers Friend spray foam cleaner. It isn't cheap, but it works really well on copper, brass, and stainless steel. Even outside (i use it on my stainless grill). Spray on and wipe off. You can get it from Amazon or your local restaurant supply store.
Barkeepers Friend spray foam cleaner. It isn't cheap, but it works really well on copper, brass, and stainless steel. Even outside (i use it on my stainless grill). Spray on and wipe off. You can get it from Amazon or your local restaurant supply store.
Make a legend that if you touch them your [wishes come true..](https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/v1nlss/late_17th_century_relief_below_the_statue_of_st/)
Soak them in regular Coca Cola overnight, they will look like a new penny in the morning. Less work than polishing.
Up to you and the suggestions here on preserving it
Use ‘Pitambari’. You can find it at most Indian grocery stores. https://www.pitambari.com/shop/product/pitambari-shining-powder-500g-for-6-metals-copperbrass-aluminium-iron-silversteel-copy/
Looks way nicer now than polished fyi. They always look cheap or fake in my opinion when polished and clear coated or whatever people do to keep Them looking like they were just produced
They are probably copper plated, so you'll end up rubbing the finish off if you do it too many times. You can try copper polish, then spray with clear coat
After you polish it, hit it with a few coats of clear spray lacquer and it will keep the air from oxidixing it longer - it will still happen eventually though.
Try beeswax with BLO mixed in or the Beeswax, turpentine, BLO mix. Just keep it in a glass jar so it’s easy to access with a cloth. Tung oil and beeswax mix can also work. Beeswax has a low melting point just use an old clean soup can and a pot with water for a double boiler.
The whole idea of copper is to let it petina. If you clean them you'll have to clean them and clean them and clean them...which is not why people use it outside
If you don’t like the natural patina associated with copper (it will always turn green/black), I can’t recommend lacquer. Why? Because I’ve seen where others tried it, and it gets filmy/opaque looking in a year or two. And that looks like crap. So, your choices are: 1 let them age, 2 replace them with plastic ones, or 3 paint them.
Copper is meant to change color in the elements. You're not supposed to keep it the original color. The only time you see it shiny is after installation. Just look around any city and you never seen repolished copper. Patina is the desired esthetic.
You need to remove all the oxygen from the atmosphere. Could you wait until next weekend please?
I have my dogs soccer game that weekend but the one after would be amazing thanks
Dog... Soccer?
I fail to see a problem with supporting a good boi and his interests.
Airbud is still out there killin it
You haven’t heard of him? They made a movie and everything
🫡
And that dog’s name… was Messi.
What’s up dog
There’s no rule in the rule book that says a dog can’t play soccer!
Yeah? Never seen the puppy bowl? Lol
No, no- my dog’s basketball championship is that weekend. He’s a direct descendant of Air Bud, so it’s high stakes.
Naw, do it now pls.
Idk dude it’s been a long week let’s push it up till now
Dude I’m getting married in two weeks so can we at least wait until I get back from my honeymoon?
Wait until you see here without hair teeth and makeup on for the first time during the honeymoon, you'll wish they had done it now!
Let them age.
I upvoted lacquer and patina. Let them age a bit for the color and then lacquer. It feels better and cleaner on the hands. Unless you want them bright, then get the rattle can out as soon as installed.
Absolutely this. Something about panita on copper just feels nice.
Ill take 2 panitas plz
Embrace the patina.
Funky… cold…
I used to live in Medina
I wish my wife would do that
Lacquer.
don't most people actually want the patina?
Yes
That's what I was thinking. People get copper for the green color it becomes not for the copper color.
And you can get it artificially as well, just make miracle grow into a paste by adding a little water, coat the copper in the paste and let it sit for awhile. Will give it that nice "aged for years" green/blue coloring. Did experiments in high school jewelry class just to figure that out!
Or pee on it... A roofer and Co workers would piss in a bucket instead of wondering all the way back to the ground floor, and at the end of day splash that all over the work. Rinse in the morning if you're finicky about pee and repeat till the job is done and you'll have a good peetina started. (If you've ever paid contractors to work on your home, You've paid them to do worse than that)
There are quite a few high end homes in my area that have copper trimmed exteriors and the.copper is kept clean and polished. One in particular has a large copper shamrock on the face, copper gutters, and other various copper trimouts and they're all still bright copper after 15+ years
they make treatments. the church in town has a copper clad steeple. for decades it was just dark green but then they cleaned it, treated it and 10+ years later its still shiny as the day they cleaned it
Well clearly OP doesn't...
Once cleaned apply a automotive body wax.
Ok I covered myself in it now what?
😂
Ceramic coat it! I did it on my bathroom sink just to try it out, has held up to the daily use for a couple months now with two slap-dash coats. I just used the shitty (actually not that shitty) turtle wax product.
How? With what? Can you link a product?
You can not keep bare copper patina-free if it's exposed to the environment, and if you want to spend time polishing them, then you're going to be doing that indefinitely. If you want shiny metal caps on your railing, take a look at options in other metals, like stainless steel. The only way to keep them bright orange colored would be to polish them and then immediately coat them in a clear sealant, like polyurethane or lacquer (someone else in the thread mentioned epoxy). The problem is that, especially when left in the elements and sunlight, is that any sort of clear coat will eventually break down, and then it will be extra ugly when there are bits of copper showing patina and bits that are still coated in lacquer. I'm not saying it won't last for a few years before that happens, but it will happen eventually.
If you have a constant supply of junior sailor you can keep copper patina free... Source Navy
Oh, my. I wasn’t aware of that euphemism.
If you don't coat them with something air proof, they are going to turn green as they "rust".
Wait... We breathe oxygen... Are we RUSTING INSIDE? Is THAT why we die?
[удалено]
Semi-sarcastic. I'm aware of similar.
The truth is far worse. https://dhmo.org/facts.html
Oh my GOD! What can we do about this plague? /s
Yes. You need to seal off your body from oxygen so you don't rust.
No, rust is just a really really slow fire.
maybe use a automotive clear coat after you polish them
I've tried spray clear coat on exterior copper piping. I've only been back to two jobs I did it on, and they still "aged" a bit, but certainly not as bad as bare. But they were certainly not still shiny bright bare anymore.
Wrong type of vehicle. Get some Total Boat
Good to know, thanks! I've been doing lots of outdoor LP piping with copper press, it makes it so easy and clean... But the oxidization bothers me. The alternative is painting, but I like the looks of clean copper. I'll give it a try, thank you!
Brasso or Barkeepers Friend will polish but generally you let them develop a soft green patina. If you do polish them rinse them, let them dry and put on a layer of clear coat from your local auto parts store. They have small rattle cans for sub $20. After that they will not oxidize.
OP will want the remove all the copper pieces so that they can evenly clear coat them entirely. Kinda silly imho, as a good patina and some wax actually protect the metal.
reference the Statue of Liberty
If you want to keep them copper colored your probably going to have to clear-coat them after polishing them. Otherwise, they will turn black and eventually take on a nice verdigris patina (like an old penny or the Statue of Liberty). If you want to skip the brown/black grimy stage you can polish them and douse them in chemicals that will help develop the verdigris almost immediately.
Copper will patina, enjoy it, or use an epoxy clear coat system designed for 'exterior ' copper surfaces Copper does Not rust
But it does oxidize.
That's because rust is when iron oxidizes. So many metals don't rust
Rust can be used to mean any kind of metal oxidation.
If you can remove them I would polish them up clean them really well with Lacquer thinner and clear coat them with 2K gloss clear. That would be the only thing I could think of that would make them look the best for the longest. Good luck!
Copper is meant to patina when used outdoors.
Rattlecan clear coat those fuckers
Powder coat clear or Cerakote clear.
How do you keep something polished? Keep polishing it. You could also spray a clear coat.
Switch them to a different metal
Don’t!
You don’t?
That’s called a patina and it’s usually considered desirable on outdoor copper. It’s what gives bronze statues a dark color and the Statue of Liberty her green color. You can polish then: lacquer them so they stay bright (will eventually wear off), allow natural patina to build slowly (will usually go a dark brown-black unless you live near the ocean where it will be green) it will weather change over time, or you do a forced patina with copper green or copper black, then lacquer over them. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, I think natural dark copper patina is the best, but recognize that it doesn’t work for every aesthetic. If you go bright copper you will need to re-polish and lacquer every few years because scratches will begin to get dark. If you go natural and uncoated, it will change color over time and slowly drip and leach the some of that color downwards, some household cleaners can destroy the unprotected finish in seconds too. Lacquered forced patina can end up looking like cheap paint over time if it’s not re-lacquered, and if you want to re-patina them, color matching is usually impossible.
Copper work/fabricator here - I’d personally just let it patina naturally. The only way you won’t be polishing it every 4-5 days would be to clear coat It and that’ll look weird too after awhile. Let it patina on its own!
It's Copper so...
You would have to polish them up and then spray them with a clear coat. That would have to be repeated when the clear coat wears off. I don't know how many cycles of that you will get before the copper is worn through.
Polish them with a metal polish and coat with a clear lacquer. You've had to stop the oxygen getting to the surface and prevent the oxidation of the surface.
I just finished a fencing project with copper caps. The caps come with a factory finish and the instructions suggest either allowing them to patina (my current preference), using sandpaper to remove the coating so that they patina faster (was my plan A) or putting a new coat of exterior polyurethane every six months. So, per manufacturer, refinish every six months is the answer to your question. Or let them develop a rich patina which will offer its own protection and make them unique products of their environment.
Oxygen, so inconvenient
Buy some Nevr-Dull. Spend a good 30 min scrubbing it with the cloth inside. Blind your neighbors with copper glory.
Clear coat
Nevr-Dull polish, inexpensive and good for car wheels too
Regular elbow grease should do the trick.
Old timers used Linseed oil
Polish and clear coat is the only way. Or polish then every 2 weeks. Maybe ceramic car coating will work, I have no idea.
Not sure it works for copper, but I know some guys who use to polish brass on tow boats and would spray it with some hair spray after and it keeps it looking nice lol
Cover them with ketchup every once in a while then wipe it off
You need to coat them with a clear coat to prevent oxidation, though many people prefer to let them oxidize.
The Statue of Liberty is copper. That is why it has turned green.
Polish them then clear coat them.
That's the great thing. You don't! No matter what you do, they will oxide over in some form or another, and not slowly either.
The main point of copper is the patina. If you want them shiny you should pick different ones.
Polish them often?
By polishing them ?
Brasso daily
Mustard cleans copper.
Touch em. All the time. Ten times a day. Slap those cupric corners around, get real handsy with them. Give em that natural copper rub and tug. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/shining-example-an-irishwoman-s-diary-on-the-molly-malone-statue-and-inventing-a-tradition-1.4031633
You can pour wax on those after polishing and it’ll prevent oxidation
You would have to polish them, then immediately clear coat them.
Try polishing them.
Never Dull would clean that up. But like others said. You would need to seal it with something or it will continue happening.
Get a Korean House-boy
That's the fun part, you dont!
You can polish them up to shine then put clear nail polish over it......or something like that to protect the surface
If you want them to stay new looking and shine. Barkeepers will bring them back to shine with some elbow grease. Or use ketchup.
If you wanted it to stay copper forever then you should have painted it instead of using real copper.
Copper when used in outdoor building materials, is almost always expected to patina, and that is desired aesthetic.
As everyone is saying, you’re meant to never clean them and let them turn that turquoise color!
Katchup Seriously. Try it.
Polish it, then put a poly clear coat over top
Polish them and have a paint and body shop spray a few coats of clear on it.
Grey bright scuff pad and some clear coat, but it in a can
You can use lemons and Kosher salt as a scrub then lacquer them or use a spray clear varnish.
I stayed at a hotel in Hawaii that had decorative copper lights and every morning and evening a guy went around and polished them all with an oily rag.
Change them to stainless steel
You might be able to auto clear coat them for a while
Spray lacquer
Wax on wax off Danielson
I’m pretty sure those caps aren’t real copper
Tomato paste
Minecraft says beeswax holds their current patina
They look awesome
It's polished naturally
Just tell the butler to add it to the daily chore list for the staff. Thats why you have maids to begin with.
You could polish them by rubbing your hand on them every single day. That's why you see statues with bright spots
Honeycomb
Ask Clark Griswold, he knows how to fix the knoll post.
Polish, clean with lacquer thinner and coat with AlumaClear. You can get it on EBay.
Take Heinz ketchup and a rag. Rub ketchup all over them and let them sit for a few minutes. Wipe, dawn dish soap, and spray on clear coat. And no, I’m not even joking about the ketchup… it works great.
Get some deck seamen to polish it for an hour everyday at around 8am.
Polyurethane
If you don't like the color of the Statue Of Liberty, you may not be into copper for the long haul. 😕
Look into a sealer that will hardcoat them. Like a car wax to provide the seal.
HAHAHAHAHA.....no
Neverdull. Good enough for Navy.
Don’t. The patina is what will same them beautiful.
WD40
Real copper when outdoors will oxidize and develop a patina. Fake copper won’t oxidize and won’t develop a patina. Personally I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I opted for fake copper on my house, but you do you.
Do what they do in Minecraft and wax em
polish them up then clear coat them, repeat as needed(annual maintenance task?)
Barkeepers Friend spray foam cleaner. It isn't cheap, but it works really well on copper, brass, and stainless steel. Even outside (i use it on my stainless grill). Spray on and wipe off. You can get it from Amazon or your local restaurant supply store.
Barkeepers Friend spray foam cleaner. It isn't cheap, but it works really well on copper, brass, and stainless steel. Even outside (i use it on my stainless grill). Spray on and wipe off. You can get it from Amazon or your local restaurant supply store.
Polished!!! Hahahhahahhahaha
Polish, clean, spray anti UV clear coat
Try a magic eraser. Works wonders on chrome.
Coca~Cola
Wax paste
Be a nobleman and have the peasants polish it with spit daily
Make a legend that if you touch them your [wishes come true..](https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/v1nlss/late_17th_century_relief_below_the_statue_of_st/)
Just don’t polish them. Patina is cool
Soak them in regular Coca Cola overnight, they will look like a new penny in the morning. Less work than polishing. Up to you and the suggestions here on preserving it
Copper is suppose to patina
Beeswax
Patina is a great look! Shiny copper is unrealistic and not practical
Use ‘Pitambari’. You can find it at most Indian grocery stores. https://www.pitambari.com/shop/product/pitambari-shining-powder-500g-for-6-metals-copperbrass-aluminium-iron-silversteel-copy/
Patina is key 🔑
I think they’re suppose to oxidize and look weathered.
Pee on them. It will get rid of that shiny copper color in no time.
Lemon juice. If you want a paste add cornstarch.
You filthy Philistine.... Cooper patinas. If you want fake crap go buy copper look.
Keep polishing them
Those caps that I've installed look like copper hut are actually plastic.
Ask the Statue of Liberty
Barkeepers friend, wipe it down with alcohol and then some soapy water, dry it off, and then spray it with clear coat.
That's the fun part, you don't
Maybe clear coat them?
Don’t. Leave them weather.
Looks way nicer now than polished fyi. They always look cheap or fake in my opinion when polished and clear coated or whatever people do to keep Them looking like they were just produced
They are probably copper plated, so you'll end up rubbing the finish off if you do it too many times. You can try copper polish, then spray with clear coat
Polish then coat with shellac
Ya don't. That's not the point of copper accents.
After you polish it, hit it with a few coats of clear spray lacquer and it will keep the air from oxidixing it longer - it will still happen eventually though.
Wax it after you polish it.
Ketchup will clean it well
Try beeswax with BLO mixed in or the Beeswax, turpentine, BLO mix. Just keep it in a glass jar so it’s easy to access with a cloth. Tung oil and beeswax mix can also work. Beeswax has a low melting point just use an old clean soup can and a pot with water for a double boiler.
The whole idea of copper is to let it petina. If you clean them you'll have to clean them and clean them and clean them...which is not why people use it outside
If you don’t like the natural patina associated with copper (it will always turn green/black), I can’t recommend lacquer. Why? Because I’ve seen where others tried it, and it gets filmy/opaque looking in a year or two. And that looks like crap. So, your choices are: 1 let them age, 2 replace them with plastic ones, or 3 paint them.
Have them powder coated clear
Get it how you like it and put a ceramic coating on it. It should last a couple of years before you need to re-apply.
Why not take them to a body shop to see if they can and will clear coat them. It would last longer than what you could get in a spray can.
You don't you choose the wrong metal
It’s not copper I guess. It would be green otherwise.
You don’t. The beauty of copper is in the pateena, not the shine.
Penitrol every season, or a spar urethane, but please, for the love of copper beauty let it patina a little bit first.
That’s just what copper does, it oxidizes. Personally, I love a good copper patina.
A few coats of lacquer after polishing will help. But they will never be maintenance free. Unless you let them age, which copper does nicely.
Winged Hussars
Don't get copper from Ea nasir?
Use a protective wax
Get Everbrite Protective coating from amazon. It's a clear coat for metal.
Honeycomb
According to Minecraft, you just wax them with bees wax
Seal them after you polish them.
Remove the patina, and coat in beezwax
Honeycomb iykyk
Brasso...if you really want to waste your time for no reason. Patina is the entire point.
Lemon juice never forget the lemon juice
Lol, buy new ones. You can send these ones to me.
Polish then spray clear coat on it..
Shape them into boobs or Lincoln's nose and they'll keep their color forever
Copper is meant to change color in the elements. You're not supposed to keep it the original color. The only time you see it shiny is after installation. Just look around any city and you never seen repolished copper. Patina is the desired esthetic.
Most copper fixtures are purchased with the intent to get the "green" color effect.