Vintaj Patina Inks: An Obsession Begins...

I discovered a new 'toy' this week, which has quite quickly become a bit of an obsession. I have used acrylic paints and alcohol inks in my jewellery making before, but I came across Ranger Vintaj (in my head, this is pronounced 'vin-TAAAAAAAAAJ') Patina ink kits this week, and they are fast becoming a favourite of mine. Whereas regular acrylic paint tends to be matte, the patina inks have a sort of satin finish. The kits come in colour groups which mimic the natural effects found on aged metals, e.g. verdigris. I ordered myself the Weather Copper (turquoise and greens) and Victorian Gable (pinks and purples) sets. And despite us being in the middle of a massive tidy up before moving house in a few short months, I opened the kits up and tried them out.

The inks are nice and opaque but they still let the detail from the metal show through. They work best on detailed surfaces - only totally flat surfaces, it's difficult to get a good finish (you see slight brush strokes, for example). They dry amazingly fast (in about a minute) which is ideal if you are massively impatient like me keen to create. They also don't need to be sealed, which is great for filigree pieces, as sometimes varnish can get stuck in the holes. 

You can see the satin finish clearly here - a nice sheen, but not glossy-bling.

LOVE these so much. A lovely soft green colour, and the detailing in the metal shows through perfectly.

Before I went mad and used the inks on every single bit of metal I could find, I thought I'd try out a few earring designs with the new pieces.

I think these might be my favourites. I do love these tiny aeroplanes, and I'd forgotten I had them until I started rummaging through boxes in search of metal items to use with the inks.

 I think those beads look a bit planet-y, don't you?