Hi. We have used Mohawk bronzing powders, but they had a high minimum order and slow service, so we have recently switched to U. S. Bronze powders, which we ordered from Bob Corey [P. O. Box 73, Merrick, NY 11566; (516) 485-5544]. They will send you a sample folder with twenty-five color swatches in it. There seem to be three basic colors: rich gold (greenish), pale gold (pinkish) and copper (orange). The permutations are simply different mixes and different particle sizes. We use the lining grade (fine) and mix our own. It's amazing how they change depending upon the light, and the flatness of the surface. It's very hard to tell from a small sample what the effect of a whole plate will be, and whenever I make a new mix, I have to spray two gold coats and a clear coat on a piece of sheet metal of goodly size, and make sure the light is either strong daylight or the mix of daylight and incandescent most likely to be in the plate's final home. Our booth has fluorescents, which really bring out the greens. Pure incandescent is misleading, too, on the red side. We base most of our mixes on rich pale, which is premixed. It can be leaned greenward or pinkward with rich or pale. To three or four parts of it, we might add one part of orange. Boesendorfer plates are obvoiusly quite coppery. A few caveats: 1. Clear coating will not only improve the gloss, but will slow down the tarnishing, and I consider it vital whether doing a whole plate or touching up. (You can see factory plates where the touchups turn brown after a few years). 2. Because of all the different directions you have to spray, and because it's not rubbed out, it's better to use a little retarder in the lacquer to avoid orange peeling. 3. Too much orange and green makes brown or tan. 4. If you goof and get dust in the clear coat or something, you can sand it if you need to, but because most plates are lumpy, it's very easy to sand through to the gold, and if you do, you'll have to gold coat again. 5. Too much powder and the gold coat is brittle and easy to ding while you string. Some plates seem to have a brittle japanning coat no matter what I do. 6. It seems to make a small but noticeable difference whether you use water clear or amber lacquer, the amber being a little warmer. I have heard that Steinway is using Roman gold now. I wish I knew what they were using in the 'twenties. If one sands off the (amberish) varnish, the plate looks yellowish or ochrish, rather than brassy or bronzy. I think it's cool, and I can't duplicate it. Good Luck, Bob Davis
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