Welcome To Swellegant

The Swellegant product line was created by mixed media artist; Christi Friesen. Swellegant makes it easy to achieve various metalized looks; Silver, Bronze, Brass, Iron, Copper and have the options to turn them to an aged, or rustic metal appearance creating one-of-a-kind pieces of art with all sorts of coloring options! The Swellegant line is made up of; Metal Coatings, Patinas, Dye Oxides, Primer and Clear Sealants. Sounds cool… How do I use it? Let’s break it down!

Metal Coatings:

work just like paint, use them on their own to create a metal looking finish! These coatings are comprised of actual pulverized metal suspended in a clear base and come in five different colors – bronze, copper, brass, silver, and iron. The neat part about these metal coatings is the fact that they are flexible when dry and are resistant to chipping, cracking, or flaking! They are even durable enough to use on items intended for outdoor use! – SO COOL – Apoxie Sculpt by Aves® does not chip, crack pr flake either and is perfect for outdoor applications – so I guess this is a great match up!) The metal coatings are super easy to use…use a paint brush, sponge, or your finger, (we would recommend wearing gloves to apply with your finger…unless you really like to be messy!) And the coatings quickly dry all by themselves! (No heat needed) clean up easily with soap and water and have no odor.

TIPS:

for painting this onto nonporous surfaces like polymer or glass a primer “Swellegant Prep” is needed before applying the Metal Coating for best results. Just like with paints, a sealer may be desired, Swellegant sealer comes in flat finish and won’t change the look of your work! Yay! Just like paints, not all applications need prep or sealants, follow your paint brand recommendations on using primers and sealants for best results.

Patinas:

Patinas are used on top of Swellegant Metal Coatings and to create an effect that makes your pieces appear to be aged and rustic! You can make the metals look tarnished or aged by applying Swellegant Patinas over the Metal Coating! – once you understand you can use the Metal coating as a paint all on its own….and if you want the aged look, you apply the patina …. now everything else is extra…keep reading! *Patinas work thorough a naturally occurring oxidation process that occurs when a Patina meets metal! Patinas can be used on both real metal and metal coated pieces. Apply by spraying, dabbing or brushing on to the Metal Coatings painted surface – this is what activates the Patina causing it to ‘bloom’ over a process of a few minutes and gradually change in color and expand as more time passes. Because the oxidation process occurs naturally the process will always yield slightly different results, bringing that true uniqueness to your work as it would be in nature! Enjoy the unexpected, and just see what happens!

Dye Oxides:

Dye-Oxides are colorants that allow you to add more colors to your projects! Drip, Dab, Brush to apply! Once dry follow up with a sealant! So why do you need this…. they are fantastic to add extra color and depth to your projects, do you have to have this with Swellegant…well no, not to make the Swellegant system work, but it is a nice addition!

Prep:

Use the Swellegant Prep to prepare ANY surface for the metal coatings so that the coatings will stay strong and scratch resistant. (Think of it as a primer) The prep is White in color, waterbased cleans up with soap & warm water, no VOC, low odor. Brush application, dries quickly. Just like paints, not all applications need a primer, and based on the effect you’re trying to achieve you might not want one! Good news for Aves Clay fans Apoxie Sculpt works with and without the prep just fine. Use your judgment for the look you want to achieve.

Sealant:

Use the Swellegant Clear Sealant to seal all your Swellegant surface applications and preserve the metals, patinas and dyes. This sealant is clear, and dries to a flat finish. Just like paints, not all applications need a sealant. This sealant is also great to use over any painted surfaces like acrylics! Each product can be used alone or together. Mix and match for endless design possibilities. All Swellegant products are easy to apply and used with a variety of surfaces. Swellegant products are made in the USA, they non-hazardous have very low or no odor and wash up with soap and warm water or Aves Finishing Solution (Formerly called Aves Safety Solvent). Shake bottles thoroughly before each use.

Ready to see how this works?!

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