Four Ways to Color Metal

Custom Metal Fabricated Signs

TAZ Fabrication – Southern Oregon

It’s commonplace for people to wonder how metal fabricators color their artwork. Depending on the process, some metal may have the look of the colors of the rainbow burned into the surface and some may have a solid color. Regardless of the methods used, we are going to focus on four different ways to color metal – Spray Painting, Anodizing, Creating Patinas and Coloring Metals with Heat. 

Spray Painting Metals is straightforward. One may choose any color to paint the metal, but it’s always best to sand and clean the metal before painting. This creates a rough surface and clears off all remaining debris for the paint to adhere to.

Anodizing Metal turns your metal into a rainbow color which is its oxide form. This method uses electric current and a strong acid bath to transform the metal. Aluminum is the metal of choice for this method but magnesium and titanium can also be used. 

Creating Patinas “changes the color of the metal by creating a chemical reaction with the metal to create a colored film over the surface. You can use a patina on any copper or bronze metal to give the surface an aged color and appearance similar to the green coloring of the Statue of Liberty.”

Coloring Metals with Heat is another common way to color metal. “Heat adds color to metals in a fairly unpredictable way that varies based on temperature, humidity, time, and the composition of the metal.” Because of this, it’s very difficult to duplicate the exact same result every time which creates a randomized look when done on multiple surfaces.

TAZ Fabrication has the ability to create excellent custom signs. Take a look at their portfolio. If there are any questions regarding how they color and create their signs, feel free to send them an email or give them a phone call. They are available to answer all of your questions.

Contact TAZ Fabrication with any questions you may have to get your job started today!

SOURCE: wikihow.com/Color-Metal

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