The surface of freshly etched copper and bronze samples was modified by immersion in ethanol solutions of myristic (tetradecanoic) acid. Modification resulted in the formation of hydrophobic layers with contact angles up to 141A degrees. Two kinds of surface structure were observed. The modified surface of copper was covered by a uniform layer containing nano-grains or knitted-like structure, whereas the modified surface of bronze was covered by a layer with lamellate patterns and nano-grains. The corrosion properties of bare and modified copper and bronze surfaces were tested by potentiodynamic polarization experiments in 0.014 M Na2SO4 + 0.024 M NaHCO3 solution. The deduced effectiveness of corrosion inhibition by the modified layers on copper and bronze was up to 97 and 68%, respectively. Modification of the surface by immersion in an ethanol solution of myristic acid appears to be a promising treatment for improving the corrosion resistance of copper. The same treatment was not very effective when used on bronze.