Working the ground of a tsuba - August 2019

Описание: This video illustrates my process for creating an organic stone-like texture on iron.

Learn directly from Ford Hallam, a qualified master goldsmith and the world leading expert in Japanese metalworking techniques.

You can follow my projects, more of these sorts of educational films and 'how to' tutorials on my Patreon channel at   / fordhallam  

Full access subscription is as little as $5 a month which makes it possible for me to keep making these for you...and continually improve the quality of our films.

Don't forget to like the film, subscribe to get notices when new content is available and share with your friends.

https://paypal.me/fordhallam

Florentine Brown.
To 500ml of water add one teaspoon of Ferric Chloride and a half teaspoon of Ferric Nitrate.


Prepare the steel or iron object to be coloured by thoroughly degreasing by scrubbing with sodium bicarbonate and liquid soap. Rinse well in clean water and dry with paper towels. Try not to touch the cleaned metal with your bare hands. It’s probably advisable to wear rubber gloves when applying the browning solution anyway.


Using a brush, cottonwood ball or scrunched up paper towel lightly dipped in the solution dampen the metal all over until it is completely wetted. You don’t want any pooling of the solution, merely dampen the surface. Allow it air dry for a few hours or over night.


Once dry the surface should be covered with a light orange brown dusting. Rinse the work piece in clean water and scrub dry with newspaper. The dry surface can now be lightly scrubbed with fine steel wool, degreased once more and the process repeated, leaving to dry over night again.


Two or three cycles of wiping and dying should be enough to deliver a solid, deep brown, patina.


After the first couple of repeats of the process you may consider not using the steel wool anymore and rather something a little less harsh to scrub off loose rust. A nylon pot scourer might be a suitable alternative. Also, once the initial rust coverage is achieved and scrubbed back you might proceed using an even more diluted mixture of the Ferric Chloride and Ferric Nitrate.


Traditionally the finished patina was boiled in a lye solution for an hour or two to neutralise it (see Caustic Soda process ). This converts the rust patina to a more grey black colour. It is then rinsed in clean water and warmed to thoroughly dry it out. The work can be waxed while still hot.