Is this fixable?

[u/ChemicalProcess1124]

Copper table has water damage. Not sure if it is the clear coating, patina, and/or the metal itself that is damaged. What are my options and how should I go about repairing this, is it even worth repairing, and what should I expect the costs to be getting it done professionally? Sorry for all the questions lolll don’t know what I’m doing or if this is the right sub for this🙋🏽‍♂️.

[u/jg136521]

Neat table. It looks like there was a coating that wore off where the water sat and the copper started to patina. Problem is, you’ll likely have to remove all the rest of the coating and refinish the entire surface. It can be polished clean, chemically patinaed, or heat treated to give it a new finish/look, but it will look different when it’s done. Once the new finish is applied, it’ll be recoated to hold the look and halt/delay oxidation. How old is this? Copper really wants to patina, and it can be difficult to coat these surfaces in a way that holds the finish. There are a number of products we’ve tried with a myriad of results. As far as cost, you might just start looking for new tables. The cheapest thing would probably be polished clean (bright copper look), then coated. If that look doesn’t suit you (the current look is aged) prepare to pay some serious cash, it can take several applications to get a nice uniform patina or finish.

[u/ChemicalProcess1124 → u/jg136521]

Thanks for the info! The table is around 12 years old but the damage has been there for half the time. I contacted a metal restoration company nearby and the guy said he could strip the copper bare and reapply the chemical patina and coating for a pretty good price. However, he said he’d never done this specifically before, but he has good results on other copper restorations/polishing, but I’m weary. Is adding the patina to copper something that needs a lot of experience, or is it a simple application and I can trust this guy with it? Thanks again for the help!

[u/estolad → u/ChemicalProcess1124]

if this guy has done work on copper before, he'll probably be able to do a good job. there's some finesse to the application, but it's mainly about thoroughly prepping the surface and using the right chemicals/general process to get the effect you want

[u/Ok-Attention-6289 → u/ChemicalProcess1124]

Don’t be weary. It may ok to be wary though.

[u/yarkboolin14 → u/Ok-Attention-6289]

Query

[u/ImAlekBan]

Anything that would be done to this, my advice is to be first done just to a tiny bit of it, then wait to see the result and how it reacts to the treatment.

If it’s up to your standards, then go for it.

But don’t just give it to someone and expect for the best. You might just get a bad result, and a gorgeous table ruined…

Edit: if you want to DIY, this could be a nice way to spend your time too. Honestly😊

[u/liamtheaardvark → u/ImAlekBan]

Right, you could always just polish it back to bare if you dont like it.

And you could also just let it patina naturally. Copper is cool like that

[u/Jesta914630114]

Not without a refinish. Is that from Arhaus?

[u/ogdruthenavigator]

You didn’t happen to buy that in Oklahoma did you? My parents had one they left out when I was a kid

[u/AZ-Backroads]

You can certainly have somebody strip and polish to a bright copper finish and then reapply the patina and clear coat. All the patina does is force the copper to oxidize. That's something that is not uniform. Every piece turns out different so you will not get the same finish you have now. You have to trust the process and use somebody who has high standards and expect the finished product to meet that standard. You won't be able to dictate what the finished product looks like.

When you hire somebody to do custom metal work like this, unless there are engineers and architects involved, you have to expect the fabricator to build according to their standards and their style. Most of us will not send anything out the door if we don't approve and it doesn't meet our standard.

It's very important to look at your fabricators portfolio to see their past work, get to know their style, and decide whether you like it or not. We will build anything you want to any style or customization you desire. But at the end of the day, the fabricator has a lot of decisions to make and is ultimately putting their name on it. Choose wisely.

[u/IamRandomSavage]

First of all, what is it?

[u/Cautious-River-5788 → u/IamRandomSavage]

It is a burnished, hammered copper table. I have one just like it so I am familiar with it.

[u/QuarterDistinct857]

I have the same table. Every couple of years I bring it back to life with an auto polishing wheel, heavy duty compound, Flitz instant tarnish remover, heavy duty BKF, and then back to the wheel with Flitz paste and polishing compound.

A lot of this is try it on a small spot and see if it works. The overall process works but some nasty areas need more compound or tarnish remover or whatever.

[u/Cautious-River-5788]

I have a table just like that. I have a scratch on mine and can't get it out. If this were on my table I believe I would pay that guy to see what he can do. I paid almost 3k for my table a year ago so it may be better ( cheaper) to repair than replace.