Did You Know? The Statue of Liberty's green hue is the result of the natural patina process - in this case, copper oxidation due to exposure to air and water. Tip of the Month At the Green Show we recently attended, we found out that The Home Depot is now offering CFL light bulb recycling in all of its stores nationwide. CFLs contain mercury and should be recyled or disposed of in approved locations. You can contact your City to find out about its approved disposal locations, or simply take your burned out bulbs to The Home Depot next time you stop by for your weekend project purchases. For more information, click here. Talk to Us Have a question, feedback, or want to see a specific topic covered in our newsletter? Write to us! Tell a friend about CKV Sign up to receive this monthly newsletter

January 2010

Welcome to the January edition of the CK Valenti Designs Newsletter.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Spray Booth Update

Our October newsletter introduced one of our big projects inside our workshop - the construction of a spray booth. We're happy to report that the construction of the booth is complete, and we are working on the final electrical, duct work, and fire protection components for the booth to be fully functional. Additionally, we will be adding a masking coating with a release agent to all of the interior booth walls. This coating can be easily and complete peeled off of the walls after it is saturated with overspray (due to booth use). This will help keep the interior of the booth clean and easy to maintain.

We continue to enhance our workshop with new tools that help us meet the needs of our clients. Watch for a full photo shop tour coming to our newsletter and website soon.

PROJECT PIPELINE

So, what are we working on these days?

We have several exciting projects in progress at this time, including:
- A corporate lobby reception desk
- Copper wall panels with back-lighting
- A southwest-style Murphy Bed (for which drawings were featured in our November 2009 newsletter)
- A contemporary media credenza
- An urban southwest sofa table
- Closet shelving and drawers

Watch for these projects to be highlighted in future newsletters. Two-thousand ten is off to a great start!

EDUCATION CORNER

Metal Patina

On a recent client site visit, we were asked "what is patina, exactly?" This is one of the most common questions we get about our work, and is worth an explanation here. The official definition of "patina" differs depending upon the source, but generically means a material's surface change, usually due to age and/or exposure to some outside element. In the context of metal patina, the term is used to describe the change in metal appearance due to exposure to a natural (air, water) or chemical (acid, oxide) substance. The result can be subtle or drastic, depending upon the substance.


An example of our patina work. This piece is a trio of copper panels that house a flat-screen TV. The patinas used were a darkening patina, a traditional green patina, and a dye oxide.

In the case of our projects, most of the metal patina effects we produce are created by applying chemicals to the metal surface. Different patterns and colors are achieved based on the chemical(s) used, the application method (brushed, sprayed, dripped, immersed), and whether applied to hot or cold metal. We enjoy working with metal patinas because of the beautiful and sometimes unexpected results that unfold as the chemicals react to the metal. Keep an eye out for the new line of metal patina art wall hangings in steel and copper that we will be launching via our website in the next few months.