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Metal Reactive Paint

Dave Fritz

Dave Fritz

Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
729
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203
Location
Montfort, Wisconsin
Recently I purchased some metal reactive paint from http://tensecondsstudio.com/Products/verdaypaint.html after watching a you tube video by Sam Angelo (Wyoming woodturner). I see Craft Supply USA also sells a metal reactive paint https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/51/6416/Modern-Masters-Metal-Effects-Reactive-Metallic-Paint

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with either of these products and specifically what you use as a sealer when completed? I have tried Minwax Helmsman urethane spray and Rust-oleum's triple thick glaze. Both caused the contrast of the metal reactive paint to be reduced, almost making it turn black.

A fellow AAW member said he's tried spray lacquer but it also reacted as I described. A tech. from Craft Supply said he uses a spray lacquer because if you don't seal it the corrosive action of the metal in the paint will continue.

hollowing 2.jpg

Before any seal applied.

Appreciate your thoughts on this product.
 
I have not used it, but have a piece that is completely covered with a verdigris ( copper based ) metal paint that has been patinated .
It has a matte finish similar to Krylon . It has darkened a bit over the last year, but does not react to fingerprints.
I would think that solvent based, rather than water based finish would work better.
 
If you can find information on David Marks, he is well known for the patination that he does. He applied various chemicals to metal leaf to obtain a wide range of colors. It is then protected with spray lacquer by building very light coats.

The Patination materials that Craft Supplies sells is completely different. There three different base coats ... copper, bronze, and iron. These paints have a large amount of powdered metal. It is then sprayed with a chemical that starts a corrosion process that resembles long term weathering such as you would see on an old bronze statue.

I bought the copper and bronze paints last year. So far I haven't done much with them, but here is one that I did that simulates a weathered bronze bowl nested in a wooden bowl. I didn't apply anything over the top and it doesn't really need anything. Any kind of finish would tend to make the effect seem artificial.

image.jpeg
 
Haven't tried the paints yet but any time I want to get the least possible change in color of anything I use Krylon Fixatif as my finish. Several years ago I used that Chrome spray to paint a piece so it looked like Chrome steel. I could not find a single finish that didn't make it look satin instead of chrome.
 
john lucas said:
Haven't tried the paints yet but any time I want to get the least possible change in color of anything I use Krylon Fixatif as my finish. Several years ago I used that Chrome spray to paint a piece so it looked like Chrome steel. I could not find a single finish that didn't make it look satin instead of chrome.
Click to expand...
Since the chrome is lacquer, anything you spray is going to interact with it. I keep hoping for a chrome polyurethane. 😀
 
After doing some more searching I found this: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Maste...5&sr=8-12&keywords=metal+modern+masters+paint

Note that it's water based and a fair number of people were unhappy because it changed the appearance of the finish by knocking down the contrast of the finish. So it's kind of a dilemma. Perhaps there is no way to seal it to stop the chemical reaction without loosing the contrast and thus the desired outcome.
 
An email from Modern Masters:

Our Permacoat Xtreme is built specifically for our Rust finish. We normally do not seal the patina finishes. The important thing to remember is that your finish will darken anywhere from 30 to 40%. This is due to water being applied back over live rust. There is not an alternative for the sealer. Even our other clears are not used in place of it.

When applying it, your rust finish must be allowed to dry for at least 24 hours prior to applying our Xtreme. Also, your first coat of Xtreme must be diluted 50/50 with water. Unfortunately, this is missed by many who do not read the instructions. Applying the first coat at full strength will definitely change the color of the finish and not allow it to come back.

Think I'll try it.
 
Kirk DeHeer said in his demo at SWAT last year that three is no need to apply a sealer on top of the bronze or copper. I don't recall about the iron since I wasn't interested in it. One very important thing that he stressed is to seal the wood before using any of these patination paints. Modern Masters has a water based sealer, but Kirk said that as long as the wood was sealed it didn't really matter what you apply ... shellac, lacquer, varnish, garage floor paint ... 😀
 
Bill, thanks for the information. Craft supply also said they don't seal bronze, copper, or brass, only iron.

I'm confused because you said Kirk DeHeer agreed with that and added he seals the wood before applying the first coat of patination paint. But then he said you can finish with anything you want. Does he mean copper, bronze and brass as well as iron?
 
Kirk DeHeer works for Crafts Supplies. He performed their evaluation of the Modern Masters products before they decided to add them to their product line. It is necessary to seal the bare wood before applying the metallalized paint because you don't want extractives in the wood reacting with If over the long term. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in differentiating this from applying a sealer over the finish after the patina has formed. You do not need to use thr Modern Masters sealer on the bare wood ... you can use any sealer or finish and the results will be just as good.
 
Dave, like you, I purchased the metal reactive paints from Ten Seconds Studio. I've had them for a few days now and am quite satisfied with their ease of use and end result. I tried spraying a clear sealer on a test piece, and as others have experienced, was not happy with the result. The colors were muted and the edges were less crisp. Thus, I don't plan on sealing my finished pieces. Will see how they hold up. Lots of possibilities with this stuff.

This is my first piece....


IMG_1365.jpg IMG_1370.JPG
 
Thanks for your comments, Dave. Although I like the final result, I prefer to have some areas remain natural wood, and the pieces I am working on now will have that feature. I know I'll get some inquiries regarding the medium used. I prefer it to be apparent that it's wood.

I'm anxious to hear of your findings regarding Craft Supply's sealer. If you don't mind, please post your opinions here as I will be following this thread.

Thanks.
 
Dave - I was watching some You Tube videos this morning and came across this. The materials this guy uses are different from what you and I are playing around with but I am wondering if his method for sealing his finished pieces might carry over to our work. He applies a wax with a brush. Take a look at the video. He begins using the wax at about the 4:30 mark.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVWjeQfg3s0&index=43&list=WL
 
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