Metriccar wrote:I'm watching these videos and I do not see where you put patina on the 3 heads piece.
You stripped all mill scale and everything else off that piece with the disc, yet it has areas that are darker, giving it an aged appearance. How was that done?
Howdy!
The Busts were done exactly the same way as the main Alamo piece. COPPER F/X, followed by GOLD RUST F/X. Then, just a little BRONZE F/X for further darkening & depth. I burnished most of the BRONZE F/X off, leaving just a hint of deep browns in certain areas.
I had 3 cameras rolling on each segment. Total HD footage was over 80 Gigs & almost 5 hrs. of total footage, from 3 different angles. I had to edit and condense all that footage into reasonable viewing paramaters, i.e. 5-7 mins. for each video in the 3-Video Series. The editing alone took me approx. 14 hrs.
Total Prep, Patina & Clear-coating on this project would typically be under 1 hour. So, don't misunderstand when I say that I had 5 hrs. of film footage. The cameras were rolling, even while nothing much was happening.
What I was trying to show is the complete process of Steel Preparation, Patina Application & Clear-coating, and how
incredibly easy it is.
I could do a 1 hr. video on any of those segments, but no one would watch an hr. long video, so editing is a vital part of what remains for the viewer, hopefully enough to hold their interest til the end.
Bottom Line is This: The process of colorizing steel & applying a gallery-quality finish is very, very easy. The Best Part? It's way more profitable than you might imagine.
This Alamo Project was under 14 square feet. Had I not been filming and dancing around 5 tripods (3 for Cameras & 2 for Lighting), I (or anyone else) could have finished the entire project, from polishing to clear-coating, in a couple of hours, tops. Depends a little on how many breaks you take. I take my share of 'em.
It was a commissioned piece from a gentleman in San Antonio, TX. His Cost: $1,850.00 plus shipping.
Not $1,850.00 because I'm the best at metal-finishing, and not because it was commissioned. He saw photos on my old site of the patina work I've done on many dozens of pieces over the past number of years, and had to have "that" type of patina finish.
When I was doing shows a few years back, my patinated/clear-coated pieces sold for an average of 3 Times More than the same piece in Black. And, they sold out first. Always.
Had I powder-coated the whole thing black, his cost would have been approx. $595.00.
The patinas and clear-coat for this job were under $15.00. My cost to have it powder-coated would have been
$55.00.
Hope that helps.
Bill
