SoA Forums

History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Swampster on January 14, 2018, 09:13:38 AM

Title: What colour is bronze?
Post by: Swampster on January 14, 2018, 09:13:38 AM
I should imagine most of us who have painted classical armies have tried various paints before settling on a favourite for bronze. This review of copper-tin-arsenic alloys as they would be before patination shows just how varied they can be, so whatever colour you have chosen it is likely to have been used by someone somewhere somewhen!

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2017/12/prehistoric-bling-aesthetics-crucial-factor-development-earliest-copper-alloys/117909
Title: Re: What colour is bronze?
Post by: Imperial Dave on January 14, 2018, 09:23:09 AM
phew.....so my multi-hued bronze armour is fine. All those hours of angst trying to get the perfect bronze and then match it from batch to batch.....!  :-X
Title: Re: What colour is bronze?
Post by: Patrick Waterson on January 14, 2018, 11:04:13 AM
Interesting, given that in the King James Bible the Hebrew 'necosheth', which covers copper and its derivatives, was translated as 'brass'.  Strictly speaking, bronze is copper+tin whereas brass is copper+zinc, but it looks as if colour-wise the KJ Bible may have been right.
Title: Re: What colour is bronze?
Post by: Tim on January 14, 2018, 11:43:56 AM
Peter

Thank you.  That may well be the most useful link posted in this forum.  Book-marked and I forecast it will get a lot of views.

Regards
Tim
Title: Re: What colour is bronze?
Post by: Anton on January 16, 2018, 01:05:18 PM
That's a very cheering link for me.  All my bronze falls within the 13,14 and 51, 52 spectrum.  I've a very nice pot of Artiste Antique Gold that's great for the base coat, a wash of nut brown ink and highlight.