How do I get the dark brown patina back on my copper sink!

4 years ago

I really need some help! My new housekeeper took a scrubby and Barkeepers Friend to my dark brown patina bathroom sink and now it's shiny like a new penny. I've scoured the internet (including the discussions here) and seen a dozen chemicals I can buy and try and several homemade remedies and I have no clue what to trust/try and what not to! And of course there are those who say leave it alone and it will go back to that color, but it came that color when purchased, so I don't know if that's correct either. Is there anyone who has experienced this and what did you do that worked? I'm terribly nervous I'll have to replace it.

And in case you haven't guessed, the original color is seen in the upper edges of the sink, very similar to the color of the faucet in the background.

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Comments (5)

Helen
4 years ago
Unfortunately you didn't get a copper sink with a patina - you got a copper sink with some kind of artificially stained coating that was scrubbed off. I have a copper sink with a natural living patina but it was never the artificial dark brown color of the sinks with the hammered extremely dark brown artificial patina.

My sink gets shiny when something acidic hits it and then fades to the color of a used penny - but it never was the dark brown color of your sink.

I am not sure what can be done to get the artificial factory finish back. You could contact the manufacturer but you might have to completely remove the finish and then just let it patina naturally. I don't know if that's a possibility. When I was researching copper sinks, I deliberately avoided sinks with the factory applied finishes because of maintenance issues.

Here's a picture of my kitchen sink with a natural patina as it was delivered - this is what a "living patina" on a copper sink looks like. As I've used it, it has developed shiny splotches which gradually revert to the color of a used penny.
User
4 years ago
Time and a bit of baking soda every once in a while. Acid removes patina. A base will help to create it faster, if it isn’t too harsh.
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DavidR
4 years ago
I guess that's the risk you take when you install a sink made of a soft, finicky material with a fake finish. Bet it cost a mint, too. :-(

That sink really isn't any more functional than the overpriced "stainless steel" refrigerators that are just plain carbon steel coated with a phony stainless-look finish, and the same cheap disposable imported guts inside.

If you want it to end up with a normal patina, first you're going to have to scrub the rest of the factory finish off, getting up to the edge and right down into that texture.

You'll probably also want to polish it to remove the coarse grit scratches that the BKF left behind. I'd probably try fine buffing compound, the stuff auto detailers use, from a pro auto finish jobber. Stay away from the big name auto cleaners at the chain parts stores, they usually contain silicones or other shine-up residues, and you don't want those.

I might also try progressively finer steel wool. Steel's harder than copper.

Then just let time and hand washing have their way with it. Clean it with a mild non-abrasive cleaner when the soap scum builds up.

That's a bunch of work, though. If it were my house, I'd tear out that bit of conspicuous consumption, and put in a nice normal porcelain-on-steel vanity sink. That would nuke the problem, and make cleaning just about foolproof to boot.

Hey, copper's going for around $2 a pound at the scrap yards these days, so you could even get a little of your investment back. :-)
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Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
Call Dino Rachiele. He'll hook you up, but probably make you swear not to tell. He's got a girl that just does patina.
Jerry Jorgenson
4 years ago
As others have said, the problem is that you purchased a sink with a coating to make it look dark. That coating wears off. The shiny penny look will go away eventually and then it will look like an old penny as shown in Helen's photo.

How do I get the dark brown patina back on my copper sink!

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Helen

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