We just covered a small bar in our home in copper(looks great!) BUT I need to know how to clean it. I want it to age meaning turn a brownish color but I need to get the little fingerprints off it from my little ones. Your help is greatly appreciated!!!!! Think home-remedy!!!!!!!
White vinegar and table salt will restore the new copper penny look, but you say you want it to age. To achieve an aged patina on the copper, don't use any abrasive, acidic or alkaline cleaners. I would clean with a mild dish soap. The fingerprints will remain, but they are adding to the ultimate finish of the aged copper.
I would use a good copper cleaner ( like Brasso)and take your time. Don't try to clean too large an area at a time. Beware of scratching or marring the top with your cloth , or leaving swirl circles. Use something like a felt cloth. I wouldn't experiment on your bar top. However for fun you can create a weak acid with vinegar and salt. Try this experiment with a penny. It may clean your fingerprints off the bar, but may leave an unevenly colored surface, too. Salt And Vinegar On Copper --------------------------------------. Needed: A copper penny Vinegar Salt A plate Experiment: Sprinkle a little salt on the coin, pour on some vinegar, and the coin will be cleaned beautifully. Let it stand for a while, and the copper coin begins to corrode and turn green. Explanation: Salt, or sodium chloride, combines with acetic acid from the vinegar to produce sodium acetate and hydrogen chloride. Hydrogen chloride is a strong acid and the combination of it and sodium acetate rapidly cleans the surface of the penny (most pennies are 95% copper, 3% zinc, and 2% tin on their surface). The cleaning process leaves a very pure metal surface which quickly corrodes when exposed to the water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide from the air. Can you now explain why the copper domes often seen on buildings appear greenish?
Ketchup. Apply, let sit a few minutes, and polish off. Or Toothpaste, the gritty kind, not gel. Baking soda works great, too. For the aged patina, just wait a little while. It tarnishes pretty quick.
