MetalGeek _ Code, Metal and Cleverness_ How to Make Steel Rust Quickly

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June 13, 2006

How to make steel rust quicklyAs usual, a few words of caution. This is merely my attempt to impart some information that may or

may not be useful. The potential dangers of following these instructions are your responsibility. Acid will

blind you and scar your lungs and copper is essentially a poison. So don't get it on you or in you, or on

or in anyone you don't want dead. Do not attempt this if there is any possibility that children will have

access to the chemicals. Children are sneaky little monsters that love to drink poisons just to make you

feel guilty when you're sitting in jail because you were a bad person who didn't think that they could

pick that lock on the shed. And don't come crying to me when the EPA sizes all your assets and you

end up on the front page of your local paper and all your former friends shake their heads in disgust at

how you made all those spotted owls turn sickly green.

Anyway, be careful, and you might just come out of this alive and sane. Or not.

Ads by Google Rust Removal Rust Protection Rust Remover Metal Rust Prevention

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Rust can be a nice finish for garden art, sculpture, and even furniture if you don't mind the stains on

your carpet. For some reason, I've been asked to do it several dozen times over the past 13 years in

my business and I've worked it into a few personal projects as well.

Steel will rust all by itself, given a little moisture and time. CorTen steel will surface rust much faster,

but it still takes at least a couple of months outdoors before it looks right. CorTen is alloyed with a few

other things, but I think the primary element that helps the rusting along (and ironically provides future

corrosion protection) is a small bit of copper.

There are commercial patina solutions for rusty steel, but they are usually pretty expensive for tiny little

bottles. It's probably because of all the lawyers they have to hire to protect them from all the stupid

things that people might do with their products. But by making the patina juice yourself, you might save

enough money to hire your own lawyer. But probably not.

My first forays into making steel rust involved muriatic acid, which is dirt-cheap and available at most

hardware stores. Used full strength, muriatic acid will pickle steel, removing rust and scale. However, if

you treat the steel with a very diluted solution of muriatic acid, it will rust fairly rapidly. This usually

takes a few treatments and a couple of days with the weather cooperating (humid and warm is best).

It's not a perfect method, and it never really works the same way twice. I don't know if it's the

variations in the steel, the weather, or just getting the acidity exactly right, but it always seems to

take a lot of attention and messing about to get the finish right. And I always ended up with dead grass

followed by mossy patches in the yard.

After several years of pursuing this method, I've found that the big trick to getting steel to rust quickly

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and well is to use a mildly acidic solution that has a little copper dissolved in it. I doubt that the small

amount of copper used would provide any future protection against corrosion. It might even be that the

steel will corrode quicker than if it wasn't treated, but I have no idea if it would make for much of a

difference.

Getting some copper into the solution is easier than you might think. Muriatic acid dissolves copper,

although it's pretty slow. What I did was to take about 2 feet of 14 gauge copper ground wire stripped

out of a piece of Romex, wrapped it into a coil, and soaked it in about 2 ounces of Muriatic acid for a

week. This will make a concentrate which should be enough for at least half a gallon of patina solution.

A sturdy, unbreakable plastic bottle would be a good thing to prepare the concentrate in. Don't screw

down the lid tight, or it might explode from the gasses that are created by the acid working on the

copper. The fumes coming from the acid will cause rapid rusting on any bare steel nearby, so be careful

where you put it. And be sure to label it appropriately. If you're as forgetful as I am, you won't even

remember where you put it after a week. And it's not the kind of thing you want to sniff to find out

what it is. You'll be sorry if you do. I promise.

After a few days, the solution should be ready to use. The copper wire will still be there, but you should

see that the acid has chewed into it a bit. Once the acid has got some copper in it, the greenish

acid/copper mixture will deposit a bright layer of copper on a piece of clean steel that you dip into it.

This is a pretty cool effect, but it won't last. The coating is extremely unstable and will soon be

replaced by rust. You don't really want to use it like that anyway, as it will go a lot farther and be a lot

less dangerous if you dilute it with water. You may have to play with the ratio, but somewhere between

20/1 to 100/1 of water to acid/copper solution should work well. If you apply it with a spray bottle, just

realize that it won't be long for the world. The acid will eat the spring in the bottle, so it will quit

working after a few days. The only thing I've found that really works longer is a little plastic hand-pump

Hudson sprayer that has no metal in it.

The rust will appear more evenly if your steel is very clean and free of the scale that you find on hot-

rolled products (but I don't really care about that - it can look more interesting if it's not all that

consistent). If you can't clean the steel properly, a more concentrated solution may work better, but be

very careful. You definitely want to wear rubber gloves and eye protection, and do it outdoors standing

upwind of your work. You probably want to do this even if you're using the diluted solution, at least if

you care about your life.

Hot rolled tubing and hand forged sheet and round, partially ground, prior to spraying with acid/copper

solution.

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Time elapsed: 20 minutes

Time elapsed: 1 hour (with a second spray)

Posted by Hal Eckhart at June 13, 2006 08:51 AM | TrackBack

Com m ents

holy crap thats fast...

XD

im amazed

(jaw hit floor, goes through, hit basement, goes through, hit secret nuclear bunker, goes through, hit detonation

button, sets off nukes, destroy es werld, happy now?)

Posted by: tyler at July 31, 2006 12:16 AM

very nice idea

Posted by: ts at July 31, 2006 04:29 AM

The copper trick is used in gun blueing. It's copper in selenious acid solution. Produces a dark black/blue finish

on steel, and a diluted solution left a while gives y ou a rusted finish like wrought iron.

Many other acids work as well, not just hy drochloric and selenious. (muratic) Sulfuric acid prepared the same

way will produce much the same result as hy drochloric.

Sulfuric acid also works well to 'age' copper. Spray , sit a minute, rinse. Instant green.

A relitiv ly strong phosphoric acid solution over the course of day s produces a darker finish 'rust'. By relitiv ly

strong I mean "just slightly stronger than y our current hy drochloric solution", not "naval jelly ". It's pretty fragile

though, definitly something y ou want to spray coat with a clear acry lic or similar.

One thing that needs mentioning too is proper cleaning of the piece before 'rusting' it. Oil on the surface, even

sweaty fingerprints, will screw up the result.

Posted by: Jim Tuck at July 31, 2006 09:41 AM

Err. There's a stray (muratic) in there. Added a couple words to that paragraph out of place.

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Meh. No more commenting before coffee.

Posted by: Jim Tuck at July 31, 2006 09:45 AM

Thanks for the comments, Jim. I've never used selenious acid (and I don't know where to find it), but I've used

"Presto-Black" from Birchwood-Casey . It works great, but it costs about $100/gallon. It will also cause rusting if

left on the surface without a top coat. I know it's used for gun bluing too.

Muriatic can also be used for the greening of copper or bronze. Just put a little in a plastic garbage can with y our

piece suspended above the liquid and leave it overnight or longer. Or use ammonia for a v iv id blue. These little

fish are still blue after 15 y ears:

http://casaforge.com/gallery /globes/index/garden_globe

>No more commenting before coffee.

Y eah, right. But if y ou haven't had y our coffee, it's hard to remember the rules...

Posted by: Hal at July 31, 2006 10:20 AM

I'm not sure what additional ingredients Birchwood uses in their Presto-Black gel stuff, but their regular "Super

Blue" is selenious acid and copper.

> Muriatic can also be used for the greening of copper or bronze.

Never done it that way my self, but I can see fuming with acid vapor being a better way . More even patina with a

lower chance of screwing up and totally etching the item.

Posted by: at July 31, 2006 11:49 AM

I recently , quite by accident, spilled a few drops of ferric chloride on my bench while etching some printed

circuits.

The next day , two pairs of pliers which had been on the bench next to (not in ) the drops of etchant had a

uniform, hard lay er of rust on them.

Y our local Radio Shack has Ferric Chloride in stock for less than $5 for 16 OZ.

Posted by: Tom Sisk at July 31, 2006 01:14 PM

Ferric chloride is a very weak oxidizer. The reason they use it to etch PC boards is that it eats through the thin

copper reliably (it is rather reactive with copper) but isn't reactive enough with too many other things.

Y ou'd have to use it at a 50% solution to achieve the results muriatic acid does in 0.4-0.6%.

Y ou could almost (almost, please don't try it. That concentration is considered a mucous irritant) gargle with the

hy drochloric acid used to rust those gates in a couple hours. The equivalent ferric chloride would burn very

badly and probably kill y ou.

Posted by: Jim Tuck at August 3, 2006 06:51 AM

Question: How can I make a SHEET of GALVANIZED metal rust fast? I have tried most of the suggestions above

prev iously & am still not successful. Thanks for any help at all.

Posted by: Lizbeth at October 19, 2006 07:52 PM

Hi Lizbeth,

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The problem is the galvanizing. It's a lay er of zinc over the steel. Muratic acid at full strength will remove it

eventually , but it will also produce a lot of nasty fumes that will burn y our nose and lungs. Y ou'd want to do it

outdoors and upwind. Even then, there may be some residue that makes the rustiness uneven.

Some sort of faux finish might be less toxic.

Posted by: Hal at October 19, 2006 08:57 PM

Thanks, Hal. I understand the lay er of zinc. I've tried the full strength hoping for success, but as y ou say it is

rusting unevenly . I appreciate y our response.

Posted by: Lizbeth at October 20, 2006 11:57 AM

Do any of these fast acting rusting products smell a bit like fly -spray ? (I suspect my plumber of foul-play when

rust suddenly appeared on the heat exchanger of a relatively new boiler).

Posted by: Val at August 11, 2007 08:13 AM

I seriously doubt it. Muriatic acid has a nasty smell, but when y ou use it highly diluted, it doesn't smell that bad.

I don't know any thing about heat exchangers, but unfinished clean steel can rust very rapidly all by itself,

especially if it's very warm and humid. Even sweaty fingerprints can becomes v isible rust overnight.

Chemicals that cause rusting won't generally be a long-term problem, because they work on the surface. If y ou're

worried, y ou could wash it with baking soda and water, but it might make it look a little worse in the short run.

The big thing is to make sure the environment is dry , because moisture will alway s cause deep corrosion

eventually even without any chemicals.

Posted by: Hal at August 11, 2007 11:02 AM

hiy a guy s im looking at rusting the bonnet of my car its a rat look think going on. How do i go about removinf

lacquer and paint then settin it off for rusting evenely , any help is very appreciative thanks

Posted by: ian walters at September 5, 2007 07:11 AM

Dores any body know how to make metal look like patina copper by using muriatic acid?

Posted by: Dottie at September 6, 2007 03:24 PM

Does any one know how to make metal look lie patina copper by using muiatic acid?

Thanks,

Dottie

Posted by: Dottie at September 6, 2007 03:25 PM

this is a stupid site man

Posted by: hi at December 2, 2007 07:56 PM

but which metal will rust faster steel,cooper,orbronze??????

Posted by: reid at December 11, 2007 03:56 PM

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Copper and bronze do not rust; they oxidize. That's not what this article is about. Copper in various forms can

make steel (an iron alloy ) rust faster.

Some acids will make copper alloy s oxidize faster, as mentioned in the comments above.

How long it all takes is hugely variable, and dependent on heat, humidity , and the qualities of the metal that

y ou're working with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust

Posted by: Hal at December 11, 2007 04:14 PM

Great blog, i just love it

Posted by: Paul at January 7, 2008 11:45 AM

How about taking it farther?

I have these small steel cages (6" square) that I need to look like they might be centuries old instead of just

colored.

I've worked with several rust and patina solutions, but in this case I really wanted to corrode the metal. Is there

something

they can be soaked in for a few weeks that will corrode and rust?

Posted by: greg at January 22, 2008 10:21 PM

thanx

Posted by: at January 23, 2008 02:28 PM

I have some cheap pump pliers with dropped steel stamped on them and I want to turn them black like some of

the more espenive ones. Any suggestions?

Regards

Jim

Posted by: at January 31, 2008 03:37 PM

Question,

I am making a corten planter which has been, manipulated with alot of heat. My problem is that I need this

planter to have a patina by day after tomorrow. I have tried straight muratic acid (too slow),muratic acid & sea

salt (too slow),tri sodium phosphate (too slow). I am running out of time quickly ! CAN ANY ONE HELP ?

Posted by: Dan at February 14, 2008 11:10 PM

Hi Dan,

Y ou're probably using too strong a solution of muriatic acid. It needs to be very diluted. Try about a tablespoon

of acid in a quart of water. A little more or less might work better, but it's not an exact science.

But here's another problem to worry about. Y ou say y ou've made a planter out of Corten. The manufacturer say s

that y ou should not let Corten be in a permanently damp situation. It can corrode even faster than plain steel

that way .

Posted by: Hal at February 15, 2008 11:12 AM

I have had good luck with amonium nitrate and ferrous sulfate both.These are chemical fertilizer ingredients and

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fairly harmless.The best solution is partialy dissolved granuals,and applied horizontaly ,and then wetting and

dry ing,with a misting of water.I have been able to rust galvanized metal sheet with the ferrous sulfate in 2-3

applications.Wet/Dry in full sun repeated several times,seems to work the best.

Posted by: at March 4, 2008 12:30 PM

I found this information while searching for a safe way to speed up rusting. I used something some y ears ago on

brass and came out with the most amazing and beutiful results. I painted it on in lay ers. If I find the bottle I will

return with the product name if it isn't the one below.

"Sophisticated Finishes makes a product. Y ou brush or spray it on metal and it creates a beautiful rusted patina.

It is sold at Home Depot and Michaels Craft stores." The question still remains how to prevent the rust from

"eating" the metal after a few y ears - also so it won't rub off when touched. I create art using rusted items (usually

found in odd places) and all I've been able to use is a spray coating of flat or satin poly urethane. I'm going to try

Diamond Glaze - found in craft stores. This was a great site with so many great ideas. Thanks to all !! Leetta

Posted by: Leetta at March 10, 2008 04:24 AM

thanks for all the great information, i am going to try the fetilizer grandual idea, if that doesn't work than it will be

the muriatic acid. i do appreciate all the information, thanks jo

Posted by: at March 30, 2008 04:49 PM

Y our suggested rusting method worked great on our metal piece of art (hanging in our liv ing room). Now that we

have achieved the patina we desire on the rusted metal, is there something that y ou could suggest to be used to

seal and keep that color from changing any more??

Posted by: at April 14, 2008 06:33 PM

That's a very good question. I should indeed have addressed it before now.

First off, there's nothing that y ou can do that's imperv ious to time and moisture. But in a relatively dry , air-

conditioned, indoor environment, even bare rusty steel should be fine as long as it's not handled much. And if

y ou coat it with something, it will more imperv ious to time and handling.

The big downside is that any thing y ou do will affect the color.

The two things I've used are:

1 . Penetrol, a commercial paint additive made by Flood - y ou should be able to find it at any good hardware

store.

2. Various forms of boiled linseed oil, either used straight or diluted with a solvent and paste wax.

Penetrol is very effective, but it leaves the surface very glossy , and it darkens the rust so much that it can look

painted. Diluting it with paint thinner and wiping it off quickly will help retain the look as much as possible while

giv ing it some protection.

There is a mixture used by blacksmiths that goes something like this:

1 lb can paste wax

1/4 cup boiled linseed oil

1 cup turpentine

1 Tb Japan Drier

Brush on very warm (it's good if y ou work in the sun - don't heat the mixture indoors if y ou like y our house

and/or y our marriage)

Wipe off excess before it begins to congeal.

Let dry and buff.

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Repeat as necessary .

One big warning here is that any thing with boiled linseed oil in it (Penetrol is full of it too) is extremely likely to

cause self-combustion fires due to the fact that when is dries, it creates heat. This is no problem for the steel, as it

won't warm up, but if y ou're not careful with y our rags, y ou can very quickly start a fire. So spread them out and

let them completely dry outside, or soak them in water and seal them in an air-tight bag.

Posted by: Hal at April 14, 2008 07:17 PM

hello

i am doing an art piece which involves leav ing tinned cans to rust inside a greenhouse. There will be a watering

sy stem inside the greenhouse and also plants/grass growing inside. is there any thing i could use that would not

damage the plants or corrode any thing inside the greenhouse including a pond pump and hose that would rust

the tins faster?

Any help would be appreciated!

Emma

Posted by: Emma Sheppard at April 22, 2008 11:11 AM

is there any thing that is best to use on new steel coated with its mill dark finish to expedite the rusting process

Posted by: BW at April 22, 2008 11:20 AM

There is a product sold at industrial metal sources called Permaloc. It penetrates the rust and bonds it to the

steel so there is no flaking of staining. It also prov ides a clear finish to the project that is UV resistant.

Posted by: azrandyh at April 24, 2008 06:10 PM

Hi. I've got some galvanized corrugated iron used in a landscape project that I want to make dull. Not necessarily

make it rust as such, but dull down the surface so it isn't so shiny and looks older. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

Posted by: Brendan at May 10, 2008 12:33 AM

this string is fabulous. I am a jewelry fabricator. Creating earrings that are made of rusted steel with either

diamonds or other precious stones or no stone. The ear wire is, of course, hy poallergenic silver or niobium. I

was hard-pressed to know how to rust the steel wire quickly . This string is full of ideas. Thanks so much.

Posted by: jude at May 16, 2008 08:43 PM

Brendan, This post may be to late, but the best way to dull down galvanized steel is to spray regular old table

v inegar on it. It is a nontoxic acid that will corrode the zinc slightly and its darn near free. It is called pickeling

and will leave the galvanized steel with a white residue which can be left or later buffed off. It works best if

spray ed on while lay ing flat. All other sorts of acids will work too (muratic, nitric, bleach- sodium chloride) but it

may kill off y our garden and may be even y ourself. I have also tried lemon juice, which works the same, but is

better saved for lemonade. Remember, if its sold at Home Depot, its already in y our grandma's cupboard, just

under a different name.

Posted by: Martin at June 7, 2008 12:01 AM

thats very interesting but i would like to know how quick it tales seult to rust metal.

Posted by: cherie at June 11, 2008 07:14 AM

Helllo....

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Thank y ou all for the information! I am planning to use the technique this week for an installation made of warm

pressed iron plates. Instead of using a copper wire I want to try to see if I can get pure copper powder at a

specialized farmacy or something.

I bought HCL solution today . My question is:

This solution contains less than 10 percent HCL. Does this influence the mixture ratio? What percent HCL

solution did y ou use ???

Thanks a lot, Gosse

Posted by: Gosse at June 15, 2008 07:50 AM

Regular muriatic acid is somewhat diluted, but I don't remember how much. Finding the right mixture is alway s a

guess. Do a little testing and it will give y ou y our answer.

The easiest way to get copper in solution is to use copper sulfate, but it's a potentially dangerous chemical (as is

acid) and must be used with caution. Y ou don't need much.

Good luck and don't kill any body !

Posted by: Hal at June 15, 2008 05:37 PM

Hi I have this new galvanized corrugated iron roof put on an old barn we want to look old and rusty great

comments so far but how do y ou stop it from rusting even further?

Posted by: Damien at June 19, 2008 06:01 PM

> how do y ou stop it from rusting even further?

Y ou could galvanize it. :)

Once it's rusted as far as y ou want, wash it thoroughly . Y ou can also use baking soda and water to neutralize the

acid. But this won't slow down the normal rusting process.

There are various way s to protect the surface (like Penetrol) but all of them will fail over time. Water, oxy gen,

and iron will produce iron oxide, and there's not much y ou can do except slow it down.

Posted by: Hal at June 19, 2008 06:36 PM

Thanks Hal the builder just told me the roof is atually Zincalume does this make it harder to rust

Cheers

Posted by: Damien at June 19, 2008 09:07 PM

Sorry , but I have no idea. It sounds like it's supposed to be 4x more corrosion resistant, but it's not clear why

that is.

Might be easier to do some sort of faux finish or patina, but that's really not my forte.

Posted by: Hal at June 19, 2008 11:02 PM

Hello...

I'm creating a design portfolio and want to use sheets of rusted metal for the front and back covers. Any

suggestions for me since I will probably be handling it quite frequently ?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!

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Posted by: angelina.ballerina at July 17, 2008 08:06 PM

The formula above with paste wax and linseed oil should work as well as any thing. It won't make the rust

imperv ious to getting on y our hands, but it won't be dusty .

Posted by: Hal at July 18, 2008 07:29 AM

thanks for all the great tip's on how to rust metal. one question, can i spray on a clear coat to seal it?

Eddie

Posted by: Eddie at July 22, 2008 10:37 PM

I love y our informational web-site! It is so nice to get different comments and v iews on the subject of "rusting"

and "sealing". It's amazing there isn't more information out there. I found out about y ou a little too late. I had

rusted a piece I adored and thought I would have it powder coated....BIG MISTAKE! It peeled every where.... I

just thought I announce this so no one else makes this mistake. Y ou mensioned something about a sealer called

"Permaloc". It is listed on several industrial metal sites as y ou had said, but there are so many kinds... I guess it is

a Brand name. Can y ou tell me more...Is there a specific number or name for it? Thanks again!

Happy Rusting!-Nic

Posted by: Nic at September 4, 2008 02:06 PM

I want to use muriatic acid to rust a piece of wire , but there is some glass connected to the wire . Will muriatic

acid damage the glass . Thanks , Bob Christ

Posted by: Bob Christ at September 4, 2008 09:20 PM

Just dropping a piece of copper pipe into muriatic acid is a simple way to get the copper in there. It starts

showing after a couple of day s and will be a dark green after a couple of weeks.

Posted by: Angelo at September 8, 2008 09:01 PM

I want to rust the frame of a car pretty quickly . Is there a way to rust it bad enough to cause holes. After 10 y ears

the frame is pretty bad but what will cause it to fall apart quick.

Posted by: Ricky at September 25, 2008 07:28 AM

Terriffic thread!

I'm aging an Italian replica of a cap & ball Colt 1839 Texas Patterson No. 5 revolver to look more authentic for re-

enactments and as a wall hanger. I've had it for over ten y ears and it's already doubled in value because no more

replicas of this particular historic gun are being made and likely never will be because of its complexity .

Several y ears ago I removed the factory blue with bleach and let it rust a bit but the rust was blotchy and too

evenly spaced between unrusted areas. I welcome a few places where the rust is more prominent because this is

common with old guns. Before treatment I disassembled the gun, removed the insides, sealed the bore with

cosmoline (vasoline), and plugged each end of the barrel to protect the new, crisp rifling. Also, the inside

surfaces of the frame were coated for protection, as well as the cy linder holes and nipples. Now I'm ready to give

it another "treatment' to get a more authentic surface rust brown, with black rust where the deeper rust spots are.

The final treatment will be to chemically neutralize the rust chemicals, clean every thing, and lightly buff the rust

off the high spots so it will look like an old holster-worn saddle gun. It will then be oiled and protected against

further corrosion. Incidentally , it's also a good shooter. I see it as a work of western art in progress.

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The info in this thread is unique on the web and very much appreciated. ... thanks, all.

Posted by: Al Thompson at January 16, 2009 09:16 PM

Not sure if any one knows the answer, but I'm a potter and have some powdered copper carbonate and copper

oxide hanging around. Could either of those be a substitute for the copper wire?

What about copper ions used to clear swimming pools?

I have about 550 sq ft of cold roll to rust.

Thanks for all the great info!

Posted by: C Newlin at January 31, 2009 02:07 PM

My son has a science project that must be completed in less than two weeks. He wants to put 4 pieces of

galvanized metal in 4 different liquids to see what happens to each one. He chose water, salt water v inegar and

muriatic acid. Any thoughts on how strong to make the muriatic acid solution? Should he merely dip the metal

into the solutions once a day and let it dry or simply let the metal soak all day each solution?

Thanks for the great input...

Posted by: Sammeee at February 17, 2009 11:03 PM

Sammeee,

First off, y ou really don't want an unsuperv ised child doing any thing with muriatic (hy drochloric) acid. It's

dangerous enough by itself, but the fumes from dissolv ing the zinc on galvanized steel is very noxious. The fumes

will also rust bare steel in the v icinity and may well destroy electronic equipment.

That being said, I'd try a very diluted mixture; may be 5%, and do it outside. If y ou leave it sitting there, make

sure it's somewhere that people and pets can't get to it.

This will take a while, may be a day or two to burn off the zinc. When it's mostly gone, rinse off the sample and by

the time it air dries, y ou should see some rust.

I have no idea about the v inegar, but the others probably won't do any thing at all in two weeks except may be

rust the exposed edges.

Posted by: Hal at February 18, 2009 07:23 AM

Hi all. I did a muratic solution to get the rusted effect, about 2:1 h2o to acid. im getting a powdery white

substance on parts after 2 day s...did i use too strong an acid solution? I also clear coted with rust oleum

clear...done it mant times, first time ive had problems. any help is appreciated. thanks

Posted by: Scott at April 21, 2009 09:36 PM

Hello, I'm looking to use a rusted steel (A366) to create a metal window sy stem. Is there any way to seal the

rusted look, turning it into a non rusting barrier lay er? I'm looking for the finish to have the rusted corten look,

but not continue to rust, where the runoff would leave a rust residue on the glazing.

Thanks for y our time

Posted by: John at May 13, 2009 11:06 AM

Y ou can seal it, but it's only going to slow down the process. Even clean steel will eventually rust, and once the

process has begun, it will continue. Wear and tear, heating and cooling, and time will eventually allow moisture

10/22/12MetalGeek : Code, Metal and Cleverness: How to make steel rust quickly

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and oxy gen to get to the metal. Rusting can even occur indoors if the humidity is high (like in Minnesota in the

summer if y ou don't have AC).

Posted by: Hal at May 13, 2009 11:18 AM

Thanks. Is there a sealant product that y ou can recommend?

Posted by: John at May 13, 2009 11:25 AM

The only things I've used are linseed oil and products made with it. There's a recipe (see above), if y ou want to try

it. There must be better things out there, but I don't know what they are.

Posted by: Hal at May 13, 2009 12:39 PM

I have been searching high and low for old rusty corrigated tin siding. I found some, but they want $17 8 just to

ship it to me!

At home depot they have new galvenized corrigated steel for a good price, but from reading this it seems as if I

will not be able to "rust" it my self. Do y ou have any suggestions?

Thanks.

Posted by: Angela at November 10, 2009 11:05 PM

Hi i need sheets of rusty tin or metal for my craft projects does any one know were to get these or even

suggestions on how to rust some sheets of metal my self. all imput would be appreciated

thanky ou

Posted by: larry at December 3, 2009 08:33 AM

just like larry i need sheets of rusty tin somewhere in the uk, does any body know of a supplier. please help i know

i would be no good at rusting it my self

thanky ou

Posted by: beth at December 3, 2009 08:40 AM

I have a glavanized steel pipe that I need to rust fast. I sanded it to remove the coating and am soaking it in salt

water. Is there a process that may work faster? or how long will it take for the pipe to rust in the salt water?

Posted by: Kenson at December 19, 2009 03:27 PM

We are attempting to use an antique iron sink in a clients powder room; problem is when she blots up left over

water the cool rust finish comes off. We are considering using Rust-Oleum Painter's touch in a cry stal clear matte

finish. Do y ou have any other suggestions? We don't want to make the sink shiny and new. :) Thanks!

Posted by: Tamara at January 7, 2010 05:03 PM

This site is great. Still not satisfied with ideas for sealing a rusted steel sculpture I created for an interior public

space, but will try the linseed recipe y ou suggested. Can y ou tell me what Japan Drier is though?

Would I be better off using a clear spray poly urathane or lacquer?

Posted by: Sandra at January 12, 2010 04:51 PM

I have a galvanized can my wife wants rusted, what can I use?

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Posted by: scott at January 27, 2010 11:23 AM

Read the comments above. Do a search for "galv".

Posted by: Hal at January 27, 2010 12:39 PM

hi, as someone metioned earlier, any one got any ideas of how to actually corrode copper for example? ive tried

patina to get a nice colour, and dipped in acid with a sponged pattern to get a more textured surface, but it's just

not the same! Any ideas would be fantastic, thanks! :)

Posted by: steffi at February 15, 2010 04:46 PM

I rust steel all the time, entire roofs, art projects, etc. I have developed many patinas. I sell sealers that maintain

the rusted roof without changing the appearance (not shinny ,they are matt) but they are not a permanent

solution. The sealers basically slow down the oxidation or minimize it to the point where the rust dust is not very

noticeable. The roofs need recoating every few y ears to prevent rust stains from getting on wood, stucco,

concrete, etc. It is not a perfect solution but it is in nearly all cases accepatable because it prevents heavy stain

contamination on other surfaces. By the way , it is not expensive and it is water based. Different products for

interior and exterior uses. Food safe, child safe, etc are all different conditions are require different products. I

also have a more industrialized emulsified coating, matt, that last longer but has a few VOC's associated with it.

Posted by: Mark at March 1, 2010 04:17 PM

hi,

i am wondering if there is a way to rust artmetal. that is a metal, thicker than foil, that is used for tooling. it comes

in various colors, i have the copper color. it comes in a roll and can be cut with scissors, it is pliable and heav ier

than aluminum foil. i bought it at the art supply store. i want to use it in some artwork but the copper color is so

shiny and new looking and i am hoping that i can get it to rust. please let me know , y ou all seem like rust experts.

thanks

Posted by: dkz at April 2, 2010 11:32 PM

Hi,

I just want to show what I was able to do with the directions that were given in this article.

I put both the acid and copper pipes in a milk container and left them there for about a week and got a black,

greenish solution. I then placed a diluted solution of this in a plastic tub and within minutes y ou see the metal

reacting. After about an hour y ou get a very bright, copper looking piece.

Now for me this is where it changed for me. Once y ou leave it to dry it gets a little darker so I had to put it back in

the solution a few more times. Afterward the "rust" actually began scrapping off so I just spray ed some clear gloss

enamel on it.

I really like how it came out since the enamel makes it even darker. Like it said before in the article it all depends

on the quality and ty pe of steel y ou use. For me this was a piece of weldable 22 ga. steel from home depot.

http://img37 .imageshack.us/i/img0090gt.jpg/

http://img215.imageshack.us/i/img0089fp.jpg/

Posted by: Greg at April 29, 2010 06:13 PM

Thanks mate, I am going to try this out. I have to rust laser grade mild steel, so I hope it works well, and if it does

I will be very grateful to y ou for sharing this information.

Have a good day !

10/22/12MetalGeek : Code, Metal and Cleverness: How to make steel rust quickly

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