My take on the Copper Tri-EDC

Apparently I get along much better with copper tools when they're pre-tarnished. It bugs me to see bright spots where the metal hasn't been rubbed, but for whatever reason, accumulated tarnish in those same unreachable spots "looks right" in my mind. So this is what I've come up with.







Over time the fresh scuff marks will blend-in and the finish will become more uniform, but the finish looks great as-is too.

EDIT: Just for the heck of it, here's a pic showing the light when it was brand-new.

Looks good! Gives it a lot more character. Too bad there's not an easy way to get that teal copper patina in those areas as well. That will give it some really unique character.

My understanding is that green on copper indicates corrosion, not passivation, and corrosion actually damages the metal instead of sealing it against further oxidation. I got green deposits from soaking other copper objects in saltwater and then exposing to humid air, but it was very loose and crumbled off, as corrosion tends to do.

Anyway, the light is only a week old; there's plenty of time for the copper to continue to age, but this way the initial phase is done as quickly as possible.

I always thought it was a protective layer. I know it's not very resistant to abrasion and would rub off from constant handling, but in all of the nooks and crannies on the light (especially with the clip) there would be some areas that would allow a good patina to build up.

http://www.copper.org/applications/architecture/finishes.html

I know the dark brown layer is protective. Green, I'm not sure about.

copper.org said:

The natural weathering of copper to the characteristic blue-green or gray-green patina is a direct consequence of the mild corrosive attack of airborne sulfur compounds.

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Okay, so the green layer *is* corrosion, which means it *does* indicate damage to the underlying metal. It just doesn't flake off as enthusiastically as iron rust does.

copper.org said:

The progressive oxide, sulfide and sulfate films which develop on copper exposed to the atmosphere are quite thin two to three thousandths of an inch highly adherent, but with relatively low abrasion resistance. Neither the oxide nor sulfide films are particularly corrosion resistant. The sulfate patina, on the other hand, is highly resistant to all forms of atmospheric corrosion, once it has had an opportunity to form completely. It thus significantly increases the durability and, hence, the service life of copper roofing and flashing. The natural weathering cycle of copper is illustrated by the 12 sequential color plates in the Weathering Chart.

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Intriguing. So I guess the bright-green coating *is* actually a passivation layer as well, provided nothing disturbs it. Unfortunately that's not terribly likely to occur on a tool that is handled regularly, except in inaccessible areas as you noted.

I guess there's so many different ways copper will react when exposed to the environment. Some being more detrimental than others even though they might look similar.

What is the process for creating that finish.

greatscoot said:

What is the process for creating that finish.

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You're going to need a goat, some chalk, a package of candles, and the Moon will need to be rising in Sagittarius.

Just kidding. I washed the light, soaked it in brass blackener (selenious acid 0.4%) until it turned almost black, washed it gently, then soaked it again. After the second soaking and washing, I let the light dry off, then I lightly scuffed the finish with a green Scotch-Brite pad in places where I knew the finish would naturally rub off, to produce a "handled" appearance. Then I washed it a third time, and let it dry.

I recommend disassembling the light completely before soaking. The seals on mine were not sufficient to prevent a bit of leakage during soaking; the switch was destroyed and I had to replace it, and I had to clean the inside of the battery tube to remove remaining acid. So, deciding to skip disassembling the light didn't actually save me any work.

Dig the pen. Who's it by?

fyrstormer said:

Apparently I get along much better with copper tools when they're pre-tarnished. It bugs me to see bright spots where the metal hasn't been rubbed, but for whatever reason, accumulated tarnish in those same unreachable spots "looks right" in my mind. So this is what I've come up with.

Over time the fresh scuff marks will blend-in and the finish will become more uniform, but the finish looks great as-is too.

EDIT: Just for the heck of it, here's a pic showing the light when it was brand-new.

Click to expand...

I just received a copper tri and i'm worried about the water resistance since the oring is very thin otherwise it's a gorgeous torch.

Coming from a HVAC guy, get it around some sulfur. That will turn it black. Although prolonged exposure will corrode copper.

KDM said:

Coming from a HVAC guy, get it around some sulfur. That will turn it black. Although prolonged exposure will corrode copper.

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Selenious acid is easier. You can buy it online as "brass blackener".

gonefishing said:

Dig the pen. Who's it by?

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The pen is a Caran d'Ache ballpoint, sold as "The CopperPen" by a guy in Switzerland who markets them for their antiseptic nature.