Sunday, August 22, 2010

Amaco Rub 'n Buff - The Other Metallics



Of the 17 different colors of Rub 'n Buff currently available
, there are 3 metallic shades that are not gold variations. If you want a nice, shiny finish but don't want to go gold, try out one of these. They range from brilliant to basic, shiny to subtle. Unfortunately, the selection here is not quite as wide as it could be - there are only three shades to talk about. The good news is that they all fill a niche perfectly.

Pewter is a metal alloy composed almost entirely of tin - up to 99% in some cases. the remainder is a mix of copper, antimony, bismuth, and lead. which act as hardeners of the more malleable tin. Pewter looks a bit like like tarnished silver, Rub 'n Buff Pewter is a perfect match with a subtle shine and dark-silver color. Little known fact: many athletic competitions, including the U.S. Figure Skating Championships award a pewter metal to the 4th place finisher.

Rub 'n Buff Silver Leaf had the highest luster of all of the colors in my testing. It is a brilliant silver color with a mirror-like finish. I want to try the silver leaf on a smooth plastic or metal surface, because I am pretty sure it can create a regular reflective surface capable of producing a clear reflection. The only thing preventing it at the moment is the irregular surface of the wood. Little known fact: silver leaf (and gold leaf) decoration is created by melting a thin sheet of silver (or gold) onto a surface. Both metals have the unique property of not becoming fragile or breakable even when they are pounded out very thin.

Spanish Copper is the darkest and dullest of all of the metallic Rub 'n Buff shades. It resembles a penny that has been in circulation for a few decades - dark and tarnished, but with a shine underneath that can't be overlooked. This is probably my favorite of the metallics. It has a very rustic look, and it instantly makes any surface look like antique bronze. I considered putting this on in the 'antique' category, but I wanted to have at least 3 different products for this category. Little known face: American nickels are only 25% nickel, the rest is copper.

Hope one of these colors inspired you to create a new work art. Check back to the blog often - we are regularly adding to our article database. Next week, we take a look at the three Rub 'n Buff colors that can add an antique finish to any surface!

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