If there is one thing we can guarantee, it’s that each piece will be unique! Patinas and steel make that happen.
The steel we use is comprised of many different things. As explained to us by the company we buy steel from, each steel manufacturer has their own (closely guarded) secret recipe of how they make steel. Not to mention all of the different things that go “into the pot”. Your steel could be made from a Buick, a washing machine, nails, old locomotive parts… You get the picture.
Once the steel is cut using the plasma CNC table, Mike uses a variety of grinders to achieve different effects. The amount of steel ground off and pattern of the grind marks changes the way the patinas are accepted by the steel. In fact, sometimes the patina will not even stain the steel. You can see by the example below where spots within the steel are void of any patina color. Rather than detracting from the overall look, we believe it gives another dimension to the uniqueness of each piece.
It’s hard to define each patina color that might be available. The example above has copper, then black patina overspray. The variation alone created by these two patinas is amazing. Colors range from pink to burgundy to blue to black to purple and beyond. Also, you affect the colors by the length of time the steel is exposed to the stain before it is neutralized.
Some color combinations are much easier to predict. For example, copper with bronze patinas will give you a definite dark brown finish. However, bronze by itself is more affected by temperature and the makeup of the steel. Also, using bronze on the trees creates some interesting effects.
Send us a photo of a color you are trying to replicate. If requested by the customer, we try to match custom motorcycle colors to the original bike. Also, our paint company can mix standard paint colors for matching. This Christmas we purchased a paint to match a new Indian Motorcycle paint color. Perfect for our customer looking to create a piece of wall art to match her husband’s new motorcycle.
We added a page to our website with a gallery of patinas colors – just click on the link to check them out! Sunriver Metal Works Patinas and Finishes.