Aging the Roof

Now I have started on the aging process for the roof.  For the past two weeks I have been waiting for a jar of vinegar and salt to cure.  It was 1 cup vinegar to 1/4 cup of salt.  I've had my husband shaking this bottle a couple of times each day while work took me on the road.  The instructions in the magazine said that it would get a pretty blue-green color.  This never happened, however it did get cloudy, looking like this after two weeks.

So I decided to test the mixture on a piece of scrap copper to see if it will work.  After one coat it looked like this immediately.  The copper color was immediately removed from the metal as soon as I brushed it on.

After two coats, one day drying between coats, it looked like this.  That's amazing, I can only imagine what the salt in the air does to metal buildings.

So with these results I decided to proceed with the actual roof.  Here are the results in one coat.

After two coats, you can see the bluish colour start to appear.

Two issues I am realizing.  I think for the next coats I will tilt the shed so that the solution sits flat on the roof for a period of time, the aging is more visible on the lower edge, where it's collecting.  I know this is natural, but I am just trying to speed up the results everywhere else, but I will ensure the roof edge appears more intense. 

The other issue has to do with the fact that each side of the roof is made up of two pieces.  The area where the join is had the Liquid Nail glue I used outside on the metal.  This has sealed the copper in this area, making it harder to for the solution to penetrate thru to the copper, hence why it looks shiny still.  Any solutions on how to get the glue off this area?  If I can't, I will cover the area in the moss that I have to add later, so it can be concealed.

I also painted the top ridge of the roof black before I add the final ridge cap.  Again I will have to add a seam here, which I am hoping to hide.  Maybe with a bird and more moss.  Any suggestions on where I can find a very realistic bird for the roof, one in a nest would be great.

Another problem I did run into and had no way to avoid, so I am just living with it, is I couldn't line up the ridges from one side to the other, Each ridge is millimeters different in size, but over the course of the width of the roof, it was impossible to line it up, so I made it as uneven as possible, so it looked more intentional.  This is the worst at the back, sorry the wood I was using for a clamp to keep the join in place to join, is interfering with the picture.

Overall I am pleased with the results, and there's more to come.  The most valuable lesson I think I learned is leave about a week between bending/applying the copper and starting the aging process, the salt and vinegar getting into the cuts on your fingers from the copper is brutally painful!!  Ouch!  (At least a week will give the cuts time to heal!)  Or where gloves when applying the solution!

Again thanks for all the comments and feedback, I appreciate all and am reworking the trellis as per your suggestions.  

For all Canadians out there, have a wonderful Victoria Day holiday.  Having this long weekend is great!

Until the next time....

Wanda