The Patinator: age new hardware to match an old house
New brass and bronze comes out of the box bright and shiny, and on an old house it looks wrong. The Patinator fixes that. Drop your hardware in for a soak and it starts to develop a warm, natural patina instead of staying mirror-bright.
Soak time sets the color. A short soak gives you a reddish brown. Leave it longer for dark brown, and longer still for a black graphite color. It’s not paint. It’s a living finish that keeps aging and looking good with no care.
What it works on
Developed for brass and bronze. It also works on steel and other metals with slightly different coloring results. It will not work on lacquered metals unless the coating is stripped off first. You can dilute it with water for a slower working time.
Good to know
- One 16 fl. oz. bottle per order
- Reusable over and over before it loses effectiveness
- Caustic. Contains phosphoric acid, a skin and eye irritant. Wear safety glasses or goggles and nitrile or latex gloves. Avoid prolonged skin contact. Do not ingest.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Patinator?
The Patinator is a reusable solution that gives new brass or bronze hardware an aged, natural patina with a quick soak. Drop your shiny hardware in and it grows a warm patina instead of staying mirror-bright. It is not paint, it is a living finish that keeps aging on its own with no upkeep.
How do you control the patina color?
Soak time sets the color. A short soak gives you a reddish brown, leaving it longer gives dark brown, and longer still gives a black graphite color. You can dilute it with water for a slower working time.
What metals does The Patinator work on?
It was developed for brass and bronze, and it also works on steel and other metals with slightly different coloring results. It will not work on lacquered metals unless the coating is stripped off first.
How much hardware can one bottle do?
It is reusable over and over before it loses effectiveness. One 16 fl. oz. bottle can do almost a full house of hardware. It contains phosphoric acid and is a skin and eye irritant, so wear safety glasses or goggles and nitrile or latex gloves.
Bringing old hardware back to life? These guides from The Craftsman Blog show you how to clean, age, and match it.
Related tutorials
From The Craftsman Blog
How To: Age Hardware
New hardware sticks out like a sore thumb next to a century of patina — unless you age it to match. Scott shares the aging solution and method he landed on after years of trial. Exactly what The Patinator is made for.