Copper Weather Vain

Artisans and craftsmen have always enjoyed working with copper because of its softness and malleability. It is easily worked into the beautiful and sometimes complex designs ordinarily found as the ornament or basic element of the copper weather vain. While the directional, finial and rod of the weathervane may be made of brass, the featured design is nearly always made of copper.

A newly-manufactured copper weather vain, is the bright copper color of a freshly- minted penny with the same shiny finish. As the copper weather vain is exposed to the weather, it will develop a patina. The patina, consisting of a mixture of copper carbonate and sulfate, is called brochanite. In coastal areas, copper chlorides are predominant, but variations in the patina can lead to colors ranging from greenish to blue-gray.

As the weeks pass, the surface of a copper weather vain tarnishes to a uniform brown color. The color grows darker and darker until after five to ten years the patina over the surface of the item is almost universally green. In more rural areas where the air is presumably fresher with less exposure to toxic substances in the air, the patina may take as much as twenty years to appear. Some less-than-scrupulous people attempt to artificially age a copper weather vain in order to make it appear to be antique, but artificial patinas are rarely as successful as the original.

The maker of a hand-crafted copper weather vain in early American history was very much respected. The original American Folk Art creations were in demand for topping houses, churches and public buildings in post-Revolutionary War years. Occasionally one can locate an historic copper weather vain that is still extant. It is valued for its beauty, creativity and workmanship. Modern craftsmen and artisans began the creation and manufacture of these objects because of the scarcity and cost of a copper weather vain created by an earlier generation of coppersmiths . Reproductions are much in demand today, as are the unique and creative products of today’s craftsmen.

A hand-crafted copper weather vain will have slight variations in appearance and detailing from any other weathervane. For those creations made using a mold into which copper is poured or pounded, the variations are less apparent. Weathervanes of Copper are proud of its reputation for craftsmanship and quality.

While one can occasionally still find an antique copper weather vain on such venues as online auctions; most sales of the antiques are handled through special auction sales and can fetch extremely high prices.