Copper Sulfate on steel FREAKED ME OUT!!!!

Purchase copper sulfate from my Amazon affiliate link: amzn.to/3cGDTtW
I often make metal sliding doors and I typically use vinegar to rust the metal. Well I wanted to find something that could be used to give steel the look of copper. During my search I discovered copper sulfate. Found in products that kill roots, copper sulfate can also be used to copper plate steel. I didn't want to copper plate though, I wanted to use it as a kind of patina on the steel. What I discovered totally freaked me out! I loved how quickly it reacted when applied to the steel.

[@cajunstump]

I actually used to use copper sulfate in the welding industry. If you have to grind through paint or galvanizing, you spray the metal with copper sulfate and anything that doesn’t turn copper still needs to be cleaned off.

[@rveurope]

Very cool expermient! Scrubbing the work piece with scotch Brite or kitchen pumice and use a degreaser prior to the copper coloring makes it more receptable for the copper.. Copper onto Iron is a exchange of charge or a socalled immersion deposition, you disolve a little iron or its oxide by the solvent of the copper sufate ( or vinegar or chloride) and you deposite Cu ions slash reduce them into Atoms..the more acidic the Copper suffate is adjusted the faster it goes..but fast deposition is larger copper crystals and less adhesion..so slightly acidic is nice...if you warm up the work piece to 30-40 deg. C it works better...since and Immersion deposit is never sealed you can build up copper over copper for some degree than it slows down and stops..but you can re active the copper color with wiping it with sligthly acidic copper sulfate ( CuS04 + a few drops of dil Sulfuric, careful with acid use goggles and gloves).. Now for the deco worker...take it and dry it..then apply Sodium sulphide ( Na2S) diluted in water.. yes the thing smells like rotten eggs..can be made also with onion juice etc..now you can brownish and blacken the Copper entirely and scratch it back with scoth Brite to brings structures alive in the patina.."antique it" .other tricks are heat it and use ammonia and it turns out patina blue in the warm spots...you can produce very lively colors from copper, black, brown and red or turquise blu..your Indian sculpture behind you would turn into a mindblowing monument with real aging and patina apperance like it was buried for 100 years! Thumbs up for your channel! ->tip a clear coat after all makes it staying forevee

[@taunteratwill1787]

I love to try expermients. They come with menthol right? :-)

[@davetruther31]

Great info! Thanks for sharing your knowledge👍

[@rveurope]

@@davetruther31 any time Sir!

[@davetruther31]

@@rveurope Thank you Sir🙏

[@melgross]

Yup. The oil is preventing the chemical from actually getting to the metal. If you like the random effect, you can add a tiny bit of oil to a rag and wipe it gently to leave streaks and globs. The copper will turn dark brown, and then turquoise if left by itself. Since the layer is so thin, it will eventually “rust” off. So indeed, you have to protect it with a varnish made for brass. You can get it in glossy and matte.

[@BIGWIGGLE223]

Being that this is over 2 years old now, I'd love to see how some of those pieces look now and if there was any unexpected results after a long period of time. Thanks for sharing. I'll definitely be playing with it sometime. Thank you for sharing your find!!!

[@johnmackey2240]

Being that this comment is over 2 years old, I would love to see how these pieces look at this point as well. Copper is my favorite metallic color. I would love to utilize it on my knives and other metal projects, but it sounds like the copper layer is not durable in any way.

[@Drone-Pilot]

it would tarnish, even get that green look on it, you would need to finish it with clear coat or similar, copper is not so good exposed to the elements

[@jbfthree1]

@@Drone-Pilot oxidation

[@Drone-Pilot]

@@jbfthree1 yeah

[@bruinflight1]

This is BADASS. I've been designing a metal wall in my home and this is THE TICKET. Bro thanks for sharing, YOU ROCK.

[@danhadamik7867]

Hi! I started as a mold maker for die cast molds back in the early 80's. We used copper sulfate to discolor the steel and do layout. We did this because other layout types out wash off with the cutting oils used. What a great way to make patina! All these years and never thought of it

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Very cool Dan! thanks for taking the time to watch! Crazy how you can use something for years and still find out different uses for it! I love when that happens!

[@hughezzell10000]

The process you're illustrating here is also an old-timey way miners used to get copper out of ore. Many copper deposits are acidic in nature. The ore was pulverized and further acidified with sulfuric acid (sometimes the ore itself was acid enough or other acids were used to cause sulfides to break down into sulfuric acid in the ore) and pull out the copper in solution (probably copper sulfate). Then the liqueur was poured into a vat filled with anything steel (steel wool, old bed springs, car parts, steel cans, etc) and the copper plated out onto the steel. When the steel was sufficiently thickly plated, it was shipped for refining and copper had been milled. This process was mainly used at small mom and pop operations in the last century. You can find these mines all over the west by looking for copper areas with little mines and at the mines you find concrete vats filled with all sorts of rusty steel.

[@SnorrioK]

This is my favourite video of all time. Subscribed and wrote this while collecting my jaw off the floor. Now all I need to do is zinc strip some of my steel plates, cut out feathers and then dip them halfway into this solution on monday after I've bought some of that super cool stuff. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this amazing introduction!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Very cool Snorri OK I'm so glad this information is helping other people create cool stuff!

[@Jim-fe2xz]

I discovered this in the 70's when learning to make stained glass projects. It was used to treat the lead solder to give it a slight copper color. Also figured out to make it from root killer too - much cheaper. Store the solution in plastic as it will attack metal including a metal cap on a plastic jar. Didn't know it worked on steel too. Great tip!

[@markkoons7488]

By dissolving a single crystal of copper sulfate root killer in a spoonful of vinegar you can make an "ink" that writes of polished steel. I use steel nibs from an art supply store to sign my personal steel and cast iron woodworking tools. The lettering tends to be kind of ragged but I imagine a process could be developed to regulate the flow-out from the nib. It is clearly a matter of regulating the flow out because wherever the clear ink flows the serous metal turns black. If it is left undisturbed until thoroughly dry the signature will be quite durable. I suppose a brass nib - if there is such a thing - or even a steel nib with the contact point polished smooth would glide more evenly.

[@odairbonfim]

What about a fine point marker?

[@Anon-xd3cf]

That sounds cool... I would find a way to make it more viscose... Maybe by adding some gelatin or dextrin?

[@nobodyyouknow3669]

The copper in solution is cementing out onto the steel. In metal refining, we use steel to cement copper out of solutions. Try washing the steel with soap and water and sanding the surface of the steel before you apply it and you will have a better reaction.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Cool thanks

[@bpdp379]

@@ArtfullyRogueany long term results you can show or describe?

[@saltr2141]

Thank you for making this video. I specially liked the pattern that was created after you sprayed the laquer.

[@ericlarson9386]

Very cool. I'm not colorblind but I see thw blue. I wonder how that would look on those feathers behind you.

[@3DPDK]

Some cool chemistry going on here. Also some "accidental", but natural electroplating. The iron atoms in the steel displace the copper atoms in the copper sulfate solution; the surfer gives up the copper and attaches to the iron atoms forming iron sulfate. The carbon in the steel grab on to an oxygen atom as a result. This oxidation (rust) is redish brown (we all know this) but the iron-sulfate is bluish in color. Where the iron sulfate outnumbers the iron oxide the "stain" is a bluish color. The displaced copper atoms also oxidize very rapidly turning green, but because this combination has the same electrical charge as the iron sulfate it will not adhere to the steel. The green liquid can be wiped off or if dried it will come off as a powder form. Adding vinegar (Acetic Acid) to the mix combines with the copper to form copper acetate which is also bluish in color and this *will* electrically adhere (electroplate) to the iron atoms in the steel. The only color you can not achieve permanently without affixing it with some sort of clear coating resin is green. I really only researched this to make sure the addition of acetic acid wasn't creating some sort of noxious fumes you should be aware of - apparently not.

[@ScottTurnerformeindustrious]

Definite thumbs up! I look forward to trying this out. Thanks again!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Scott Turner thanks Scott, it's always nice to add different methods of adding character to metal

[@niceyraphael2287]

Copper coting

[@robbinghook3571]

Yeah man. It's an exciting finding. Cool project, This is my 1st visit to your channel. I love it. Keep us informing new findings. Tanks!

[@phi9249]

A restoration technique that has been around for a very long time indeed. Glad you found it out. Can be used with varying the pH level of the surface of the metal.

[@CCWP0251]

You can purchase straight copper sulfate at most farm stores like Rural King or possibly Tractor Supply. It's used in ponds and small lakes to keep algae down.

[@mwilson14]

I copper plated a couple pieces of feeler gauge many months ago by dipping the steel into the copper sulfate bath--waste product from making nitric acid. I recently got into chemistry last September as a hobby. I discovered on accident as well that copper could be plated onto steel (non-stainless) without electricity and I was thrilled. I made a quick video about it.--not sure if I ever made a follow up video. Now that I know more about chemistry, I found out what was happening as far as the reaction. You can neutralize the acid (copper sulfate/blue vitriol) by using a solution of sodium bicarbonate and wash the surface. You can get a perfectly even coat of copper if you want to go for that effect. I found pre-treating the steel surface with dilute hydrochloric acid will help increase the bond strength and durability of the copper. Don't worry about the surface becoming black with copper oxide if you don't have time to apply a protective sealant on your work-piece. It will actually protect the copper underneath the oxide layer from further corrosion. Just scrub it down with steel wool and fine grit sandpaper for that even brushed copper look. If any spots aren't perfectly uniform in copper, you can apply more coats of copper sulfate and finish the surface to your liking. This is obviously easier with small pieces that can be dipped into solution, but I think brushing it on should work just as well after seeing your results. As a bonus, you can use a Sharpie marker and draw designs on the metal. The copper won't adhere to the steel at all wherever the marker is. The marker can be removed later with solvent.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Matthew Wilson that is a wealth of great information! I will definitely try it all out

[@mwilson14]

My original reply was about three times as long. LOL. I'm eventually going to do another video on copper plating. There is a lot more I wanted to include with my post, but I didn't want to write a novel as I typically do. My initial reason for getting into chemistry was due to the work I do with metal. I wanted to get into electroplating...then the chemistry addiction took over. I'm still planning on doing electroplating of copper, silver, chrome, nickel, etc. Maybe someday gold and platinum, but that's a lot of $$$

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

wait a minute....is this how gun blue solution woks?

[@BruceschultzAU]

Do you think that you could paint a bare metal car with it to make it look copper? And would it rust? Or protect the steel? Thanks

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

@@BruceschultzAU you certainly can do this to a steel bodied car. I've seen a couple amazing patina jobs (that were stabilized after) to give the vehicles a very beautiful, unique, aged look. As far as protection... the copper could protect to a point, but you'll still get oxidation and corrosion. The patina would have to be stabilized and coated.

[@blacksmithsligo]

The odd thing is that just yesterday I was thinking of concepts for new doors for my forge and then this popped up on my timeline. Really like this effect.

[@akroadscholar]

It also just showed up in my feed on KZbin also. I’m going to explore this creativity rabbit hole. Thanks

[@douglasbaker5433]

It's my first time being introduced to this art. Very cool stuff!

[@frankhonack77]

You should try it with hot roll steel, as the cold roll has a surface that is designed not to rust quickly. May give you some different effects.

[@loanasantos4202]

Great tips! I loved the metal barn doors you've made Just beautiful 👍

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks Loana😊

[@larrylund2682]

All sorts of artful application with this method. I will be trying some jewelry applications. Thanks for this video.

[@Toklineman]

When I was a kid (in the 40s), the local farmer's co-op had copper sulfate by the barrel, big crystals about an inch long and a half inch thick. Farmers used the stuff to soak seeds in before planting--I think to fend off fungus.

[@kruppert54]

Toklineman you’re right. As a farmer, we use copper sulfate for fungicide (mildew). You can get it at any garden supply store.

[@travisstewart7573]

If you use a little sulfuric acid with the copper sulfate. It will react much quicker and will make a brighter copper color. Use this stuff all the time at work when working with clad materials.

[@boundforwonderland]

Thank you! I work with steel. But wanted to get the copper patina colors. so I think this will help a lot. I will try this right away

[@ArtfullyRogue]

excellent I hope it gives you the look you're looking for

[@joshualong7517]

Looks great! If you want to stop any more rust/corrosion and save the look, Everbrite is a great coating.

[@ColinWatters]

Used a lot on lead/tin solder on stained glass. Clean with ammonia then distilled water before adding the Copper sulphate solution. Wax after.

[@Halloween111]

Iron is more reactive than copper. Therefore, when you add a copper compound to the steel, copper precipitates out into the pores of the steel sheet as the elemental Iron changes places with copper in the solution.

[@DanSlotea]

Was looking for this comment. This is 7th grade chemistry. Somebody skipped gymnasium classes hahahaha

[@migalito1955]

Fabulous! I am a watercolorist and I must say your making some beautiful paintings in steel with the copper sulfate. I may have two switch mediums. :-). The final video shot of the piece of steel had wonderful depth to the image because of the dark, light and medium tonal values. Nice find!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks for watching

[@solexxx8588]

Thanks! That's a great discovery. I'm going to use this on some theater doors.

[@mikeyrulesyoubecause]

I love how wholesome and genuine this guys love of metal rusting is

[@kmorris180]

copper sulphate is a component or cold bluing like we use on firearms for touchups.

[@Nortbilly]

That was awesome. Thanks for taking the time

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks for watching Jesse

[@sunbritesoftwashpa5321]

totally awesome video!!! Love the art work behind you

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Cool thanks!

[@martinpfefferle2558]

The prop meth from breaking bad was rock candy, Aaron Paul would randomly offer it to people.

[@Anon-xd3cf]

It was bubblegum flavour... Yuck.

[@shanevonharten3100]

You can buy pure copper sulfate/ Bluestone at any gardening supplier in Australia. Bunnings etc

[@ArtfullyRogue]

I'm sure that will do a good job on rusting metal!

[@tgfcujhb7583]

Yea in the gardening section. Check the website. But making it stick without electricity is pretty hard to do. Did you see how easy it was to wipe off? Check out how to electroplate copper before trying!

[@eddue12345]

this technique is awesome! by the way, yeah, that color you saw is definitely bluish! I'm kind of shade perfect (it's like pitch perfect but for color tones instead of musical tones). And yeah, those were shades of blue that you got on there! loved it. can't wait to try it!

[@alanwakefield2453]

Copper sulfate was used in sheet metal shops for marking out. it would be painted on let to dry and then scribed through. Any mistakes could be corrected by spitting on a crystal and using it to replate. It was eventualy phased out due to it's toxcity.

[@carminativo]

What you're seeing is the reduction of Cu+2 ions into Copper metal , it is a redox reaction between copper+2 ions and iron metal, copper is reduced while iron is oxidized, the blue colors can be due to partial oxidation of copper to CuO or the layers of iron oxides as magnetite

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Cool thanks for the information!

[@createdbygod2030]

TMI

[@automan1223]

love the feathers behind you ! Beautiful !!

[@deerhunter7482]

Feed stores carry it to kill algae in a lake or pond !

[@CoxJoxSox]

I'm trying to remember the process - I think if you electrify the metal the coating takes more - like they do when formal plating happens. But it looks cool

[@forcemultiflier1746]

Cool, Try experimenting with Copper Sulfate, Glucose, and Zinc powders , this is how we use to Copper coat the Silver in Mirror manufacturing! keep me posted !!

[@hillarylevenworth8824]

If you wash the preservative off of the steel first, it will work more consistently.

[@simontillson482]

Hillary Levenworth - If he cleaned it well, it would just make a boring copper layer. He leaves the peanut oil on to get a good texture and patina look.

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

Artisans of the gun industry learned a couple hundred years ago that copper sulfate in water with a tiny amount of nitric acid and alcohol would rust a firearm evenly. This was then boiled and polished many times. This produced the beautiful deep blue finish on the metal. After the last polish, simply oil the metal and you have a rust preventive finish...made from rust. The boiling adds another oxygen molecule to the iron oxide. I bet you could get some top Dollar for a set of your doors in Belgium Blue! Good video!

[@Blue_Moon_Forge]

If you heat the steel and use a copper dish scrubber, it will deposit copper onto the steel, this also works with a bras wire wheel

[@Alex-yc4ds]

🦘🦘🦘🦘 ... I found this GREAT IDEA on another site & want to share it if anyone has this same problem & how to fix it. I had a terracotta pot with a wonderful indented fancy pattern etched into it when it was made, around the top & bottom sections of the sides of the pot. It had been well painted with thick black paint then sprayed over with a tough shiny, hard, silver paint over the black, but ONLY on one side of the pot!! I wanted to strip the paint to return it to pure terracotta again & fully preserve the pattern. ................ I read that full strength 🌿🦘EUCALYPTUS OIL🦘🌿 dissolves paint. I found a 50ml bottle in my cupboard & used an old toothbrush to brush in & massage into the paint: small amounts of pure Euc oil. I let it work into the paint, scrubbing it in. Soon the top silver layer dissolved away so I dripped on more oil & used old tooth brush to scrub into the black paint within the intricate etched pattern. Soon the black paint turned to tar like substance as it softened & mixed with Euc oil. I used a small wire brush & a few squirts of WD40 to scrub away the softened tar like thick black paint. WD40 will not work by itself on paint, only use to remove the tar like paint after Euc oil works. It does not take a lot of Euc Oil, use sparingly drop by drop. Clean brushes of build up if needed, with turpentine or WD40 & rub with old rag. Worked well. Used an angle grinder scrub pad on large smooth portion of pot. Wiped it with a good smear of Euc oil & left to soften, then used angle grinder with pad & it came off in one buzz. Cheers.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

thanks for idea Alex!

[@slthbob]

ROFLMAO..... "Use of this product in any manner other than intended is in violation of law." Gotta love it!

[@Mikishots]

This is the method we use at my workplace to see if the passivation process for stainless steel worked. If copper forms, it's a fail - there's still iron present.

[@TheAxecutioner]

THAT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE !!

[@rogerfroud300]

Degreasing has already been mentioned for getting a more even coverage... however, there is degreasing and degreasing. To get the most even finish I'd use something like Steel wool first and then a quick clean with a solvent of your choice. This is still likely to be surprisingly greasy, and definitely so if you've touched it with your fingers! Next, use some lab grade 99.9% pure Acetone on a cloth and give it three or four more really good rounds of wiping and don't touch it! If you look at it at an angle to catch the light and you can see any streaking, it's not clean and oyu need to wipe it some more. Finally, it's now free from grease and there's a fighting chance that the Copper Sulphate will reach the surface of the bare metal everywhere. If it's really humid, the Steel will rust in minutes so you need to crack on with the process without a break.

[@edeaglehouse2221]

But it you want an artistic finish, you may not want even coverage. The streaking and mottling are what gives visual interest. If you have a completely clean piece of steel, you can dab it using a cloth moistened with a little oil to create the uneven finish. Just another technique to adapt to different tastes.

[@mamalion3]

Do you have to neutralize the chemical somehow? I'm trying to get my head around patinas and rusting before finishing a large sculpture I made, and I just wonder if you seal without neutralizing, will the chemicals continue to change the metal beneath the lacquer.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

The correct method is to neutralize before sealing, however I rarely do that. Most of the time once I've reached the look I want I spray an automotive clear coat and seal it and I've not had any issues with the rust or patina changing much after that

[@peterbeertema6494]

That's awesome. I'm going to see if it has any effect on iron pipe fittings.

[@koii55]

It’s a redox reaction where the copper metal oxidizes the iron, developing into pure copper metal. You can then patina the copper layer just as you would the metal

[@tahsyr]

This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for! I am building a steel countertop but want a more bronzed/rusted look. I suspect this won't hold up to much abuse so I'll have to experiment with a sealant. Any suggestions appreciated! Thank you for doing this!!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

I've found that the longer its left on the steel the better it is. Then I use an automotive clear coat to seal it

[@robinpohl2702]

Well the reaction forms elemental copper on the surface of the iron based steel. This probably wouldn't hold up to much since I suspect the coat to be thin but you can always repeat it several time to get e thicker layer, although it might start to look like plain copper on the surface which isn't very exciting. But since it's been two years already this is probably too late anyways, so how did that countertop turn out? :)

[@hootinouts]

Man, this is awesome!!!!!!!!!!! I will be doing this on one of my art projects. NOTE: Copper Sulfate is extremely toxic to marine and aquatic life so anyone viewing this video, please dispose of it properly.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Yeah its a extremely toxic, I actually don't use it that often for my project but I did think it was a cool reaction

[@ktcgarage8572]

New subscriber. Cool stuff man! I have been doing some fabrication on my channel but I want to get into metal art. Thank you for sharing your secrets with the public. I am fascinated. Now I have to spend all day watching all your old vids. Haha. Good channel. I’m inspired!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks for watching Kevin!

[@danielalamo2075]

We put copper sulfate in the water troughs for cattle that are low on copper. But does rot through the metal troughs.

[@MacheteBushcraftAustralia]

Two big thumbs up and a sub from me mate! When we share information like this it helps inspire the nextgen of crafters. You could have kept that to yourself but chose to share it. I'm so going to have a play around with this awesome finish. All the best from OZ, Ben

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Cool thanks for the sub Ben! greatly appreciated! I've never seen the point in hoarding information. I share it and help people along their journey

[@RagingHunter7]

That would be damn cool to do on an old all steel car!!!

[@jebsails2837]

As I recall, copper sulfate is what I used for gun "blueing" To return old or damaged rifles pistols to their factory type blue finish. The area damaged was cleaned / de-greased then the copper sulfate (Outers and or Hoppes etc,) was applied Once the desired color match was achieved the process was stopped with an application of light machine oil. Thanks for sharing.

[@sunsetpatiorestoration]

LOVE! I am going to be working on exterior stair railings that are already rusted naturally and wondering if I can apply this for extra dimension before I seal them. Oh, the possibilities.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

yeah it has been a very cool addition to my normal methods

[@papas_lapas]

Try mixing the crystals into vinegar.

[@mpetersen6]

Long known in the netel working trades as layout fluid. Far superior to Dykem or similar products.

[@slappy8941]

How do you work netel?

[@mpetersen6]

@@slappy8941 Damn. The spelling police got me again. 👍👍 That's what happens when I using a tablet, a stylus and I leave the auto correct on

[@larrymetzler4425]

Indeed. Learned that in the sixties when taking machine shop courses in high school. We would mix the sulphate with sulfuric acid.

[@berniecook188]

Have used copper sulphate solution on metal prior to marking out with a scriber since metalwork lessons in 1970. If the metal is grease free then putting a layer of copper on it allows you to scribe on it really easily. These days tend to use Methyl Blue or similar.

[@Bettinasisrg]

OoOOOoooo! Love it! Metal working woman here, just found your channel, new sub!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Bettina thank you so much for the sub! It's greatly appreciated😀

[@labrat7357]

I would like to see the process on plate cleaned with acetone and with a battery charger hooked up to the plate so that an electrolytic process is making the surface more permanent.

[@stevenmarcinkowski8577]

labrat7357 I remember that method when I was a kid. One of my experiments with copper sulfate was plating a stainless steel teaspoon with a lantern battery as the power source

[@ArtfullyRogue]

That sounds like a very cool process to try

[@falsedragon33]

That's how it's suppose to be done. So you can bond the electron. He should be mixing in acid, and electroplating. Just like a circuit board. Otherwise use it to kill plants, or turn blond hair green in a pool.

[@GWAYGWAY1]

Degrese it first and you will get a much better coverage with the copper colour.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks Graham

[@lukewarmwater6412]

wonder what would happen if you sandblasted a stencil pattern in and filled it with that mix....

[@franktorres8473]

After degreasing try applying by using a damp cloth dipped in the dry crystal compound. Use a circular motion with light pressure. You can also create patterns using masking tape with this method.

[@lukewarmwater6412]

@@franktorres8473 so you could make patterns with oil or tape?.... oh man! heat and this for discoloration, combined woth rust could make for some realy wild artwork!

[@jeffwolf8018]

Chemical reactions are very fascinating things. It's incredible what happens especially if you look at it underneath a zoom lens or microscope.

[@brofessormex]

I used your ratio. Turned out amazing. Got a beautiful petina. I covered it in clear. Its stunning.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Glad to hear

[@FranconiaFriend]

Just in time - I was finishing a small sculpture and needed a treatment for the steel base. This fit the bill and worked really well. Thanks! Will be part of my toolbox now. P.S. I just wetted the steel with water and sprinkled the grains on, and that gave me the granular look I wanted. Also sprinkled on some fine grain salt and laid on a cloth wetted with vinegar - that gave a nice rust combining the the copper.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Wow sounds like a very cool sculpture. I'm so glad this helped out Michael

[@WallHaxxx]

Someone please edit breaking bad to look like a 90's sitcom

[@tinkmarshino]

Dang son... I just sort of stumbled onto your video.. I was instantly intrigued.. your excitement over what you had found and your joy in being able to share it peaked my interest right away and I found myself watching your whole video and (even though I am not an artist of any kind) wanted to go out and get some rolled steel and try this myself.... So now here I am subscribing to an art channel and wondering that maybe at 67 years of age i might just be a latnet artist after all.. or at least a wanna be.. this was done so long ago that you will probably never see this comment But I just had to say thanks.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thats great! Creating art can happen at any age. Thank you very much for the sub!

[@tinkmarshino]

@@ArtfullyRogue so true even when you didn't think you had an artie bone on your body.. this is fun!

[@mbisson5816]

I'm a chemist but I don't do metallurgy, I work testing pesticides. I found that dramatic reaction on the surface of the steel very interesting. I suspect, but I'm not sure, that there's a reduction of the copper and corresponding oxidation of the iron going on. So you're seeing the copper color and rust color being mixed on the surface. Also, if you did actually clean off the oil with some kind of soap and water solution first, rinsed and dried it well, you'd have a more consistent reaction across the surface. But perhaps the beauty of the end result is its variations. Copper Sulfate can be purchased in bulk as an algae treatment for large ponds. It's usually found in the pentahydrate form, which just means the each copper sulfate molecule is loosely bound to five water molecules in that crystalline form. Given enough time to react to oxygen in the air, elemental copper forms two oxidation products that would enhance your artistic doors. Very nice doors by the way! Copper(I) oxide is reddish colored, similar to rust or iron(III) oxide. The other copper oxide is copper(II) oxide which gives that blue color you see in the copper sulfate as the copper in copper sulfate is also in the copper(II) oxidation state. Keep experimenting and creating like this, it's the love of discovering these things that is the foundation of science.

[@ColinWatters]

Check out Seizure by Robert Hiorns. He filled an apartment with copper sulphate and grew big crystals on all the walls, ceilings etc

[@ArtfullyRogue]

That sounds really cool! I'll check it out

[@FranconiaFriend]

Wow! vimeo.com/7184407 And as maybe even crazier, they moved it! www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk/sculpture-longside/seizure-roger-hiorns

[@Baroque_Back_Mountain]

Try a copper ACETATE instead of copper sulfate. Mix equal parts of muratic acid and hydrogen peroxide, as an oxidizer. In an uncovered glass container, add several copper pieces.....I use scraps of sheet copper that I have left from copper projects...or just toss in a couple copper pipe fittings. Leave for several hours or overnight until your solution turns quite green. Your end product will work very much like your copper sulfate, but is, in fact, copper acetate, and in my opinion works a little better because it leaves a much thicker layer of copper, perhaps reducing extra steps, coats and processes. If you think it leaves too much copper, you can similarly remove some with a little #000 steel wool. Where you are actually working on production pieces...time literally IS money. I was actually watching your video because we're repairing a 200 year old very pitted cast Iron fence....We've water-jet cut the new panels out of 1/2" steel plate and they came out fantastic. Now i need to find a method to actually PIT, not just surface rust the new pieces to make them match the original 200 year old pieces. Any ideas on how to actually rapidly PIT new steel to look ancient???

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks for the info on making copper acetate. Sadly I haven;t ever tried to pit metal but now you got my wheels turning! There must be an accelerated method we can discover

[@Baroque_Back_Mountain]

@@ArtfullyRogue I actually thought I might try some muratic acid and hydrogen peroxide and use that as a bath and then hook it up to a power supply in a reverse electrolysis config.( + on a scrap piece of steel to receive bits from the fence part which would be hooked to - ) I'll let you know if it works.

[@ColinWatters]

I've managed to buy some copper acetate crystals. If I wanted to use these to copper plate metal would I use water or something else to produce a solution?

[@Baroque_Back_Mountain]

If you have crystals...just add them to water. dissolve as much as you can into a quart of water. I will say that creating a copper plating, by any method, that is scratch and abrasion resistant is REALLY difficult. Whatever you plate, you're probably going to want to clear coat with something.

[@ColinWatters]

@@Baroque_Back_Mountain Think something is wrong. I tried dissolving some in distilled water today and it didn't work at all, wouldn't plate the solder not even a hint of copper visible. Switched to some copper sulphate and that worked on the same item. Wonder if something wrong with the copper acetate I got. It looks similar to copper sulphate but is a slightly different shade of blue.

[@plindquist84]

Thanks for showing me something REALLY COOL!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Any time! Thanks for watching Phil

[@terrymcnickle332]

Wowzers, thanks for the enthusiastic video and your curiosity to improve your craft. My mind is in overdrive right now. Liked (loved) and subbed. Will now delve into your vid library.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thank you so much for the sub Terry!

[@anvilfireguru8690]

Us geeks who had chemistry sets in the 1950's learned this at elementary school age. Then again in an 8th grade science class. . .(dip a bright nail in copper sulfate). Remember when science was FUN? Industrially this is the "copper flash" plating used as the first coating prior to nickle plating and in rust proof chrome plating which has nickle under it. In my metal shop I have newbies learn the periodic table and basic chemical reactions like this. . . that they SHOULD have learned in public school. You can't read an alloying chart without knowing at least half the periodic table.

[@automan1223]

they dont sell chemistry sets anymore WITH the chemicals in them.

[@christianguerra3843]

That Breaking Bad reference 😂

[@christinepellicane6689]

They used crystallized colored sugar for the record. Possibly more addictive than meth!

[@kmac4124]

wow man , i didn't know ...dude you just changed my life ,thanx !

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Hopefully you'll be able to avoid the same mistake I made.

[@robertlawson8572]

Copper sulphate crystals dissolved in dilute sulphuric acid was a common, traditional marking fluid still in use back in the sixties and a little later, for marking out on iron and steel components, before the safer, more modern stuff came out. It helps get a nice overall finish if the steel's clean.

[@MediaSubliminal]

REAL men make their own CuSO4 with battery acid and electricity! Haha, just kidding. This is actually copper sulfate pentahydrate, but that's besides the point. I have a neat experiment that you could try. Maybe the results could be useful, or maybe it wont do anything at all. Try mixing 5 parts acetone with 1 part water, then add the CuSO4-5H2O. Mix it up and then paint it on the steel. My hypothesis is that it will give a very uneven and natural look. The CuSO4 isn't soluble in acetone (barely) and with the ratio of 5:1 acetone water, the acetone will evaporate more quickly, leaving behind water and the soluble CuSO4. Don't worry, it isn't dangerous.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

I'll totally try that out!

[@stu7604]

At 4:00 minutes in he finally gets busy.

[@janner2121]

Great vid. I restore old vintage farm engines and take the paint off and have been ageing the engines using all kinds , but was wondering how this would look on cast iron, can you advise if it would take even better as the cast is semi porous ? Thanks

[@RMNDRMND-vp5gp]

Cool video! I'm a welding inspector and have used copper sulfate to determine if certain grades of stainless steel are contaminated with carbon steel. Oh yeah, and I used root kill.

[@ArtfullyRogue]

very cool

[@reardonsfabshop9670]

That's really cool! I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@ArtfullyRogue]

Thanks for watching and good luck! It's been a cool way to treat metal

[@PENFOLD1962]

Woooooooooah that's amazing, my brain is working overtime for the possibilities. Thank you for sharing, even the rust effect on your paintbrush looks so realistic 👍😷👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Take care my friend

[@jewdd1989]

This is so helpful! I had no idea I could use root kill as copper sulphate. So now how do you finish the product and keep it on?

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

There's a lot of ways to treat steel in ways that create different colors and patterns. Look into cold bluing chemicals used in gun repair, those can add some very nice effects depending on steel alloys.

[@davidrouse5767]

I've never done anything like that before but it's awesome.. Could it be applied to aluminum or just steel? And could you put a clear coat over it?

[@lukea2903]

We use Copper Sulfate at my job to check metal fuel and brake lines. If the Galfan or Nyclad or primer protection coatings on the lines are compromised by scratches or gouges or anything else, a dab of copper sulfate will reveal it.

[@bulldog231980]

This is a common experiment in inorganic chemistry classes. Fe + CuSO4 -> Cu + FeSO4. It’s a replacement reaction. That’s why it’s got a copper color and not more of a rusty brown color. Copper (II) Sulfate can be irritating to the skin but, it’s worse to get it in the eyes, respirator track or ingesting it.

[@argonaut3001]

Wow excellent stuff. I can't wait to try that! Thanks for the inspiration :)

[@ArtfullyRogue]

So glad it inspired, I love that! Thanks for taking the time to watch.

[@sweetmatthew662]

That is super exciting! I've got an old 50 Ford pickup that I've had to do some sheet metal work to cut out all the body rust. There wasn't a ton of rust so it's not any large areas of new shiny steel, just some edges around the bottom of the fenders. I want to keep the OG patina look and something like THIS experiment you did will work great for blending the new sheet metal with the old faded paint and rust look I'm going for. Can't wait to try it out!

[@KJaxPack]

I like what you do I’m using a lot of your techniques on my MIM finishes

[@weldmama]

fabulous! this would be great after etching so the copper can sink down into the cracks making for a nice highlight that hopefully wouldnt be rubbed off too soon

[@Vothtrucks]

A capful of muriatic acid to the water will cause the copper to reach it,s zenith earlier on. When you spray vinegar over the patina it looks fantastic ! I was experimenting along that line and discovered Hydrogen peroxide as a spray on..... fantastic results. Really enjoy your videos... you do beautiful work.

[@rebeccahobbs1643]

Really appreciate this!! You are doing exactly what I want to do!!!❤️

[@ArtfullyRogue]

You got this! Take the leap, you'll enjoy it