Embellish your weather vane with a Patina that will make it look 100 years old. Really...
Copper has a unique way of oxidizing in the weather - it does not rust,
rather, it achieves a bluish-green patina called verdigris (from the Old French
"verte grez", an alteration of "vert-de-Grice" or
"green of Greece".) The chart below will
show how the color naturally advances from raw copper to chocolatey-brown to
dark verdis to the almost white of a truly aged copper decoration. In some
geographic locations, copper will patinate faster, or with a different hue.
Denninger can provide this handsome verdigris patina with their "hot
verdigris patina" that Al learned from an old German coppersmith. Our
patina will not rub off on your hands or "chalk off" on your roof
like the quick spray-on chemicals will. This technique might be a closely-held
secret, but the results are a realistic, weathered antique look.
Another popular finish is the interesting Black Patina which Denningers can
apply, using a special chemical mixture. It results in a streaky variegated
patina which resembles the color of cast iron vanes from the Colonial era. We
have found that this is a striking combination when used with touches of
gilding!
![]() ![]() Radar helps us when he can... Here he is with a Denninger Batchelor Finial - before Verdigris and after. Cool huh? |
![]() This elegant R24 Full-bodied Rooster has been customized with a larger arrow and a large globe beneath the cast bronze feet, and "finished" with our handsome Verdigris Patina. |
![]() A pair of these over 7' tall Denninger cupola vents with Verdigris Patina were delivered to Gainesville, FL, for an architect's incredible residence with a slate roof. |
![]() This photo was taken about 5 years after the Redcoats Weathervane was installed. We went back to see with our own eyes how the patina was progressing. The black patina had gotten darker and richer with the passing of time, in striking contrast to the gold leaf accents. |
![]() One of our very first weather vanes was this Denninger Swallowtailed Banner with the addition of a date in the tail, and Black Patina to give it an Early American look. |
![]() This historically accurate Denninger Wren Pennant with Black Patina was crowned with a full-bodied 23k Gold Leaf E12 Eagle. Notice the realistic vertical streaking of the patina. The 1742 cut-out in the tail honored this Southern Plantation's establishment date. |