Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Its base metal—copper—is known for its many useful properties, including corrosion resistance, malleability, and electrical conductivity. But copper has one prominent characteristic that sets it apart from other non-ferrous metals—it forms patina when exposed to oxygen.
Patina is a green or brown film that develops on the surface of copper, its alloys, and similar metals through a long period of oxidation. The patina that develops on copper starts off as pure brown and finally turns into hues of blue and green. One popular example of copper that has successfully formed patina after constant exposure to the elements is the Stature of Liberty.
This special quality of copper does not go away when it is alloyed with other metals. Therefore, bronze, is also capable of producing patina. In fact, its characteristic greenish-brown hue after many years of oxidation is a type of patina. And despite being stain by nature, it is one of the things that people love about this metal. In fact, some choose to speed up patination to achieve the elegant antique color of their bronze pieces. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/simple-tips-on-how-to-expedite-patination-of-bronze-sheet-metal/.
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