It was paraffin waxed?

I don't think the metal itself can turn white, it must be some kind of coating -- I bet the factory-applied wax turned white. I would use a very mild scrubbing powder like Barkeeper's Friend to remove that layer -- but of course that depends on the kind of finish it was supplied with. You might try calling the manufacturer of the sink?

Everything is O.K. the white it was soap or something like this in hammered hole, I scrubble it and waxed it and now it's O.K. I was affraid, it's my new home.

I don't know how I can send picture of my future new kitchen, I'm happy it's really gorgeous.

Just a follow up to this having lived with a copper sink in our kitchen for several years (we love it!) - never use "barkeeper's friend" on a copper sink unless you want it to be shiny. :-) Most copper sinks have a patina and it is simply soap and water cleanup with an occasional "waxing".

Glad to hear you figured it out, lezard.

Flyinghigh - have you ever had water deposit problems with yours? My sink seems to have a small spot to the left of the drain that the water seems to pool up in, and not drain well. I try to keep it dried, but of course that is next to impossible - every time I dry it out, someone comes along and washes their hands!! Anyway, that spot seems to have gotten lighter - my sink is in the dark smoke patina from Copper Sinks Online.

Just wondering if anyone has seen this, and has a solution.

Glad it worked out lezard, I'm sure your kitchen is beautiful. And I love the way your French accent almost seems to come through in writing.

Thanks for the tip flyinghigh, I'll never scrubble my sink with barkeeper's. ;o)

Susan,

Copper has a "living finish" and the bottom of our sinks are "varigated" with different dark and light spots. I think of it as a "personality" and we really like the rustic (as well as ever-changing) look. But if this is really bugging you, here are a couple of suggestions:

When we first bought our sinks, I believe we were "over-waxing" them (once a week) and that was actually lightening the patina. We backed off a bit to where we just wax once a month or so, and the patina darkened up more on the bottom of the sink. It still has light and dark areas, but again, that is the nature of these sinks. In addition, there was a certain area that was lighter - sort of like what you are describing - and we simply avoid waxing that area so that it will naturally patina (darken). ...the wax tends to slow down that process...

Another thing we did way in the beginning with one of our sinks during installation was to hammer a rim and side that had been bent slightly (a contractor dropped it...). At the manufacturer's suggestion, we used a rubber mallet and gently hammered it on one side holding a block of wood on the other for support (and to provide a flat surface). Copper is fairly malleable and within 5 minutes, you couldn't tell it had been damaged. ...heck, that is how these sinks are made - with heat and a hammer.. Ours are from Copper Sinks Online as well and the one of the best things about their sinks is that they are heavier than any others you will see in the market (14 gauge). They are built like a tank and can take a lot of abuse, so a little hammering will not hurt if you don't overdo it.

A friend of mine bought her sink from Copper Sinks Online as well but bought sort of an "upgraded" version that has an "X" pattern in the bottom so that it drains a little better. She loves hers as much as we do ours and we both agree that these are some of the easiest sinks we have ever had to maintain. With stainless steel, we were constantly having to scrub them to keep them looking new - but with copper - it's just soap and water with an occassional 1 minute waxing and your done.

One other thought as well - this company has some of the best customer service we have had with "online" companies. They have been in business for a long time and have their own artisans that make their sinks. Have you tried calling them and asking about your issue?

Thanks Flyinghigh. I think I will call them. It only bothers me because the spot is lighter than the other lighter areas, if you know what I mean. There are many really dark spots, along with the dark copper color, but this spot seems to be lightening to a more polished copper color. I am really more concerned that my hard water is harming the sink. (we are on a well) Anyway, I'll give them a shout - they were great when I ordered my sink.

susan

I'm glad you got the white issue resolved, Lezard. You can post pictures of your beautiful kitchen following these instructions -- I'd love to see your sink!

Apologies re. the Barkeeper's Friend suggestion -- I have copper countertops that are pure raw copper, and when I need to really clean a spot I use the BF, then let it simply re-patinate again naturally, which happens relatively fast. I have no experience with the commercial "pre-patinated" copper sink finishes that might indeed be harmed by using something scrubbly. :)

Susan, there are chemical solutions that you can buy to patinate copper that will replicate that fabricated finish if your spot isn't patinating quickly enough by itself - check these out, perhaps you could experiment a little?

Flyinghigh, when you refer to waxing your copper, what kind/brand of wax do you use? Thanks!

Picture of my sink

[IMG]http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/lezarde/armoiredecuisinepasfini30septembre2.jpg[/IMG]

Here is a link that might be useful: http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/lezarde/armoiredecuisinepasfini30septembre2.jpg http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/lezarde/armoiredecuisinepasfini30septemb-1.jpg [IMG]http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/lezarde/armoiredecuisinepasfini30septembre2.jpg[/IMG]

Almost! (Si au début vous ne réussissez pas, essayez, essayez de nouveau) :)

circuspeanut,

I use the Renaissance Wax sold by Copper Sinks Online.

Flying - I wonder if that's food safe for my counters? I've tried applying beeswax a few times but the application is a little grueling; am hoping to find a better routine. I'll check into the Renaissance Wax, thanks!

When I looked into this several years ago, what I liked about the Renaissance Wax was that it was developed for cutlery - so is most certainly food safe. ...not to mention that it comes in cute little tins (from the UK). :-)

Your sink is lovely. I love the design on the front. :)

Beautiful sink Lizard!

I love the look of copper sinks, but my Mom had one and hated the upkeep. Hers had a polished copper look and she was constantly trying to get rid of water spots on it. I know she used barkeepers friend on it too. She has since moved. I was considering putting one in our bar area and she keeps reminding me of how much work they are to keep looking nice. I wonder if she had waxed it if she could have avoided the water spots or do you think it was due to the shiny finish? I was looking at the rio grande or dark smoke finish on one from coppersinksonline.com.

Have any of you had soap leave a stain on your sink? I just got one and soap dripped on it and it sat and now it is a lot lighter in that spot. I'm afraid the soap might of had that oxy stuff in it. Is there anyway to darken it back??? It's not even a week old. :(