well as the title says i need some tips on creating a bronze effect. I want to achieve a very old bronze colour (almost black). Does anyone have any tips or advise ?
What kind of surface will you be trying this on?
If it's something that can be painted, you could use bronze spray paint and mist flat black over it. Or do a black wash, letting the color build up in a few layers. There are several companies that make bronze spray paints. One that I've used before is from a company called Design Master. Their metallics spray on very smoothly. I think Rustoleum also makes an antique bronze, which is darker to begin with.
There are several products used in crafts for faux finishes that might do the trick, but many work best at a distance, and several become ridiculously expensive when covering a large area. What are you going for the antique bronze effect on?
Im not sure if they make a bronze tint but you can look at the craft stores for rub n buff its a metallic tint you put on objects to give them a metal finish.
Try a base coat of dark brown, and then different bronze paints on top. If you can't find different shades of bronze paints, mix one type of bronze with a little gold or copper to get some variation. Then black wash over everything. That's how this 8' bust of Thomas Edison was painted, all with acrylic paints. Good Luck!
Another thing you could try is painting it a bronze color. After it dries spray black all over it, then immediately wipe the black off. This will leave a bit a black residue and will keep black paint in the crevices.