Recently the lovely people at Fusion offered to send me some of their Copper furniture wax to try.

  And I have a confession to make, I had it all wrong in my head.

I thought this was going to be a product similar to Rub ‘n Buff.  A heavy, thick wax that you could apply just to the edges of something to highlight them in copper.

But no.  This is a light, creamy furniture wax.  Much like the clear version that I used on the cutie patootie chair, but with the added gleam of metallic copper.

I originally pulled it out thinking I could use it just around the edges of this platter that I painted in Fusion’s Little Piggy.

I applied it to just the edges, and … well … nothing.  You could barely see it.

So next I applied it all over the tray, much like one would with any other furniture wax.  It added just a hint of a copper glimmer to the surface and it also darkened up the color overall much like a clear wax would, but I couldn’t capture the effect very well with my camera.

Obviously I was entirely mistaken about how this product should be used.  It really needs to be used on something that has a bit more detail to it so that it can build up in the crevices.  My tray is relatively flat and smooth.  This was definitely not the right piece to use to show off this wax.

But this little experiment made me realize that I’m probably not the only one who doesn’t always know the difference between the various metallic products out there and what applications they are best suited for.  So I thought I’d share some insight into that with all of you using copper as an example.

If you want a solid copper, my product of choice is Fusion’s Copper paint from their Matthew Mead Studio Metallics line.

That’s what I used on these jewelry trays.  I love the shimmer of the metallic paint.

If you want your copper to have an aged, oxidized patina, the patina metal effects kit from Modern Masters works great.

I used it on some dresser knobs and they turned out perfectly.  You start out by painting your item with the copper paint from the kit.

Then you apply the aging solution and let it do it’s magic.

I think this kit gives the most authentic look if you’re going for the verdigris color of oxidized copper (the rust kit is also fantastic, you can read about that here).  The small kit is a little pricey though.  I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon though, so that helped.  The kit doesn’t go very far either.  You will use it up entirely on a project that is 2′ square.  However, it’s definitely worth the splurge if you want an authentic looking patina.

Finally there are the heavier waxes like the Rub ‘n Buff and other similar products.  Although I’ve used the Rub ‘n Buff in gold, I’ve never tried their Copper (although they do make one).

I have tried the Little Billy Goat Goat Sticks, including their Old Penny.  You can read more details on how to use them here.

I like this product, but it can be harder to find than some of the others.  My local shop, Reclaiming Beautiful, used to carry them but I don’t think they do anymore.  It’s also a little bit more expensive, usually also priced around $20.

Here is the Prima Marketing art alchemy metallique wax in Rich Copper.

I ordered it from Amazon for under $10 with two-day shipping (you gotta love that Amazon Prime).  You can read more details on how to use this product here.

You can see that this copper is a bit brighter than the Old Penny.  Here’s a comparison to show how each one looks on some metal drawer pulls.

That’s the Rich Copper on the left and the Old Penny on the right.  The drawer pull in the background is untreated.

Aside from the difference in color, I think both of these products work equally well, as does Rub ‘n Buff, to add a little color or shimmer back to old hardware like these drawer pulls.

These are just a few of your options for adding the gleam of copper to your projects.  Do any of you have a favorite product that I haven’t mentioned?  If so, feel free to share that info in a comment.