One of the things I wanted to know when we were doing our kitchen last year was how to age bronze quickly.
When I was younger, I learnt how to age brass with salt and vinegar, so I could give a patina to my belt buckles.
I’d seen some gorgeous aged brass hardware on Armac Martin — but the cupboard catches alone were £66.40. Similarly, I’d seen some drawer pulls on the DeVOL site but they were £45!! We needed quite a few handles, catches and knobs, and the cost was adding thousands to my budget.
I decided to buy some really affordable brass hardware from Yesterhome and try to age them myself.
But, at the time of ordering, they didn’t have all the items I needed in polished brass. So I chose unlacquered, polished bronze instead.
As the metal ages, it darkens and develops that distinct patina and beautiful character – exactly the thing we’re after here. But it takes time. A long time. Could be two years if you just let it go its natural course!
How Can I Patina Brass Quickly?
If you use the salt and vinegar method, you can add a natural aged finish to your brass and bronze items in just a few hours. I like to leave mine for a day or so; but you can see the ageing process begin just after a few hours.
What is the Difference Between Brass and Bronze?
So — asides from one being slightly yellow in tone and the other brown — what is the difference between brass and bronze?
Well, bronze and brass are both metal alloys. Which — in simple terms — means they are a combination of two or more different metals.
Brass is made of copper and zinc, whilst bronze is made up of copper and tin (sometimes with aluminium or phosphorus too).
And the quick answer is — yes! You can age bronze quickly, in exactly the same way that you would brass.
From my experience, the colour/finish is pretty much the same.
You can see the side by side comparison in the s below.
The bronze handles after I’d aged them with salt and vinegar
My brass handles after using the same ageing technique
How to Age Brass and Bronze with Just Salt and Vinegar
FAQ
Does brass naturally patina?
How quickly does brass oxidize?
How do you patina brass?
Pour out any leftover solution and deposit the coated brass in the container and cover it. The more time the brass sits, the darker it gets. Turn the container over about once an hour. Once your brass has reached the patina you want, remove it from the container and rinse it with clear water. Pat it dry and it’s ready to go!
What is a patina finish on brass?
Patina is a natural tarnish that forms on the surface of brass and other metals. Adding a patina finish to brass pieces can give those pieces an aged look that many people find appealing. While natural patina usually occurs over an extended period of time, you can speed it up by putting the brass through a few quicker chemical processes.
How do you get a blue-green patina from brass?
Use tongs when handling the brass since the metal will be extremely hot. Submerge the brass again. Remove the brass from the oven using tongs and dunk it into your vinegar solution again, coating all sides well. This final submerging will create a blue-green patina.
How long does unlacquered brass last?
The unlacquered brass (also called an unfinished, living, or raw brass finish) ages and patinas and gets better with time. Have a look… Pssst…check out 3 Years of Age on our Unlacquered Brass Hardwarefor a 3-year update on how our unlacquered brass hardware looks a few years down the road. pulls, latches, rug, stools, + more kitchen sources here