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

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June 13, 2006

How to make steel rust quickly
As 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.

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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 hotrolled 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)

Poste d by Hal Eck hart at June 13, 2006 08:51 AM | Track Back

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?)
Poste d by: tyle r at July 31, 2006 12:16 AM

v ery nice idea

Poste d 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 giv es 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 ov er 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 "nav al 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, ev en sweaty fingerprints, will screw up the result.
Poste d 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.

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

Thanks for the comments, Jim. I'v e nev er used selenious acid (and I don't know where to find it), but I'v e used "Presto-Black" from Birchwood-Casey . It works great, but it costs about $1 00/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 abov e the liquid and leav e it ov ernight or longer. Or use ammonia for a v iv id blue. These little fish are still blue after 1 5 y ears: http://casaforge.com/gallery /globes/index /garden_globe >No more commenting before coffee. Y eah, right. But if y ou hav en't had y our coffee, it's hard to remember the rules...
Poste d 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. Nev er done it that way my self, but I can see fuming with acid v apor being a better way . More ev en patina with a lower chance of screwing up and totally etching the item.
Poste d 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 nex t day , two pairs of pliers which had been on the bench nex t 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 1 6 OZ.
Poste d by: Tom Sisk at July 31, 2006 01:14 PM

Ferric chloride is a v ery weak ox idizer. The reason they use it to etch PC boards is that it eats through the thin copper reliably (it is rather reactiv e with copper) but isn't reactiv e enough with too many other things. Y ou'd hav e to use it at a 50% solution to achiev e 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 equiv alent ferric chloride would burn v ery badly and probably kill y ou.
Poste d by: Jim Tuck at August 3, 2006 06:51 AM

Question: How can I make a SHEET of GALV ANIZED metal rust fast? I hav e tried most of the suggestions abov e prev iously & am still not successful. Thanks for any help at all.
Poste d by: Lizbe th at O ctobe r 19, 2006 07:52 PM

Hi Lizbeth,
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The problem is the galv anizing. It's a lay er of zinc ov er the steel. Muratic acid at full strength will remov e it ev entually , 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. Ev en then, there may be some residue that makes the rustiness unev en. Some sort of faux finish might be less tox ic.
Poste d by: Hal at O ctobe r 19, 2006 08:57 PM

Thanks, Hal. I understand the lay er of zinc. I'v e tried the full strength hoping for success, but as y ou say it is rusting unev enly . I appreciate y our response.
Poste d by: Lizbe th at O ctobe r 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 ex changer of a relativ ely new boiler).
Poste d 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 ex changers, but unfinished clean steel can rust v ery rapidly all by itself, especially if it's v ery warm and humid. Ev en sweaty fingerprints can becomes v isible rust ov ernight. 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 env ironment is dry , because moisture will alway s cause deep corrosion ev entually ev en without any chemicals.
Poste d 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 remov inf lacquer and paint then settin it off for rusting ev enely , any help is v ery appreciativ e thanks
Poste d by: ian walte rs at Se pte m be r 5, 2007 07:11 AM

Dores any body know how to make metal look like patina copper by using muriatic acid?
Poste d by: Dottie at Se pte m be r 6, 2007 03:24 PM

Does any one know how to make metal look lie patina copper by using muiatic acid? Thanks, Dottie
Poste d by: Dottie at Se pte m be r 6, 2007 03:25 PM

this is a stupid site man

Poste d by: hi at De ce m be r 2, 2007 07:56 PM

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

Poste d by: re id at De ce m be r 11, 2007 03:56 PM

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Copper and bronze do not rust; they ox idize. That's not what this article is about. Copper in v arious forms can make steel (an iron alloy ) rust faster. Some acids will make copper alloy s ox idize faster, as mentioned in the comments abov e. How long it all takes is hugely v ariable, and dependent on heat, humidity , and the qualities of the metal that y ou're working with. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust
Poste d by: Hal at De ce m be r 11, 2007 04:14 PM

Great blog, i just lov e it

Poste d by: Paul at January 7, 2008 11:45 AM

How about taking it farther? I hav e these small steel cages (6" square) that I need to look like they might be centuries old instead of just colored. I'v e worked with sev eral 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?
Poste d by: gre g at January 22, 2008 10:21 PM

thanx
Poste d by: at January 23, 2008 02:28 PM

I hav e some cheap pump pliers with dropped steel stamped on them and I want to turn them black like some of the more espeniv e ones. Any suggestions? Regards Jim
Poste d 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 hav e a patina by day after tomorrow. I hav e 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 ?
Poste d by: Dan at Fe bruary 14, 2008 11:10 PM

Hi Dan, Y ou're probably using too strong a solution of muriatic acid. It needs to be v ery 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 ex act science. But here's another problem to worry about. Y ou say y ou'v e 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 ev en faster than plain steel that way .
Poste d by: Hal at Fe bruary 15, 2008 11:12 AM

I hav e 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 dissolv ed granuals,and applied horizontaly ,and then wetting and dry ing,with a misting of water.I hav e been able to rust galv anized metal sheet with the ferrous sulfate in 2-3 applications.Wet/Dry in full sun repeated sev eral times,seems to work the best.
Poste d 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 prev ent 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'v e 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
Poste d by: Le e tta 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
Poste d 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 hav e achiev ed 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??
Poste d by: at April 14, 2008 06:33 PM

That's a v ery good question. I should indeed hav e 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 relativ ely dry , airconditioned, indoor env ironment, ev en 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'v e used are: 1 . Penetrol, a commercial paint additiv e made by Flood - y ou should be able to find it at any good hardware store. 2. V arious forms of boiled linseed oil, either used straight or diluted with a solv ent and paste wax . Penetrol is v ery effectiv e, but it leav es the surface v ery 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 mix ture 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 v ery warm (it's good if y ou work in the sun - don't heat the mix ture indoors if y ou like y our house and/or y our marriage) Wipe off ex cess 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 ex tremely 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 v ery 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.
Poste d by: Hal at April 14, 2008 07:17 PM

hello i am doing an art piece which inv olv es 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
Poste d by: Em m a She ppard 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 ex pedite the rusting process
Poste d 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.
Poste d by: azrandyh at April 24, 2008 06:10 PM

Hi. I'v e got some galv anized 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!
Poste d by: Bre ndan 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 silv er or niobium. I was hard-pressed to know how to rust the steel wire quickly . This string is full of ideas. Thanks so much.
Poste d by: jude at May 16, 2008 08:43 PM

Brendan, This post may be to late, but the best way to dull down galv anized steel is to spray regular old table v inegar on it. It is a nontox ic acid that will corrode the zinc slightly and its darn near free. It is called pickeling and will leav e the galv anized 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 ev en y ourself. I hav e also tried lemon juice, which works the same, but is better sav ed for lemonade. Remember, if its sold at Home Depot, its already in y our grandma's cupboard, just under a different name.
Poste d by: Martin at June 7, 2008 12:01 AM

thats v ery interesting but i would like to know how quick it tales seult to rust metal.
Poste d by: che rie 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 1 0 percent HCL. Does this influence the mix ture ratio? What percent HCL solution did y ou use ??? Thanks a lot, Gosse
Poste d 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 mix ture is alway s a guess. Do a little testing and it will giv e 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 !
Poste d by: Hal at June 15, 2008 05:37 PM

Hi I hav e this new galv anized 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 ev en further?
Poste d by: Dam ie n at June 19, 2008 06:01 PM

> how do y ou stop it from rusting ev en further? Y ou could galv anize 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 v arious way s to protect the surface (like Penetrol) but all of them will fail ov er time. Water, ox y gen, and iron will produce iron ox ide, and there's not much y ou can do ex cept slow it down.
Poste d 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
Poste d by: Dam ie n at June 19, 2008 09:07 PM

Sorry , but I hav e 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.
Poste d 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 cov ers. Any suggestions for me since I will probably be handling it quite frequently ? Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
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MetalGeek : Code, Metal and Cleverness: How to make steel rust quickly 10/22/12 Poste d by: ange lina.balle rina at July 17, 2008 08:06 PM

The formula abov e 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 .
Poste d 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
Poste d by: Eddie at July 22, 2008 10:37 PM

I lov e 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 hav e it powder coated....BIG MISTAKE! It peeled ev ery 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 sev eral 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
Poste d by: Nic at Se pte m be r 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
Poste d by: Bob C hrist at Se pte m be r 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.
Poste d by: Ange lo at Se pte m be r 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 1 0 y ears the frame is pretty bad but what will cause it to fall apart quick.
Poste d by: R ick y at Se pte m be r 25, 2008 07:28 AM

Terriffic thread! I'm aging an Italian replica of a cap & ball Colt 1 839 Tex as Patterson No. 5 rev olv er to look more authentic for reenactments and as a wall hanger. I'v e had it for ov er ten y ears and it's already doubled in v alue because no more replicas of this particular historic gun are being made and likely nev er will be because of its complex ity . Sev eral y ears ago I remov ed the factory blue with bleach and let it rust a bit but the rust was blotchy and too ev enly 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, remov ed the insides, sealed the bore with cosmoline (v asoline), 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 giv e 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 ev ery 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 v ery much appreciated. ... thanks, all.
Poste d by: Al Thom pson at January 16, 2009 09:16 PM

Not sure if any one knows the answer, but I'm a potter and hav e some powdered copper carbonate and copper ox ide hanging around. Could either of those be a substitute for the copper wire? What about copper ions used to clear swimming pools? I hav e about 550 sq ft of cold roll to rust. Thanks for all the great info!
Poste d by: C Ne wlin 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 galv anized 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...
Poste d by: Sam m e e e at Fe bruary 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 galv anized steel is v ery nox ious. The fumes will also rust bare steel in the v icinity and may well destroy electronic equipment. That being said, I'd try a v ery diluted mix ture; may be 5%, and do it outside. If y ou leav e 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 hav e no idea about the v inegar, but the others probably won't do any thing at all in two weeks ex cept may be rust the ex posed edges.
Poste d by: Hal at Fe bruary 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 iv e had problems. any help is appreciated. thanks
Poste d 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 hav e the rusted corten look, but not continue to rust, where the runoff would leav e a rust residue on the glazing. Thanks for y our time
Poste d by: John at May 13, 2009 11:06 AM

Y ou can seal it, but it's only going to slow down the process. Ev en clean steel will ev entually rust, and once the process has begun, it will continue. Wear and tear, heating and cooling, and time will ev entually allow moisture
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MetalGeek : Code, Metal and Cleverness: How to make steel rust quickly 10/22/12

and ox y gen to get to the metal. Rusting can ev en occur indoors if the humidity is high (like in Minnesota in the summer if y ou don't hav e AC).
Poste d by: Hal at May 13, 2009 11:18 AM

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

Poste d by: John at May 13, 2009 11:25 AM

The only things I'v e used are linseed oil and products made with it. There's a recipe (see abov e), if y ou want to try it. There must be better things out there, but I don't know what they are.
Poste d by: Hal at May 13, 2009 12:39 PM

I hav e been searching high and low for old rusty corrigated tin siding. I found some, but they want $1 7 8 just to ship it to me! At home depot they hav e new galv enized 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 hav e any suggestions? Thanks.
Poste d by: Ange la at Nove m be r 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 ev en suggestions on how to rust some sheets of metal my self. all imput would be appreciated thanky ou
Poste d by: larry at De ce m be r 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
Poste d by: be th at De ce m be r 3, 2009 08:40 AM

I hav e a glav anized steel pipe that I need to rust fast. I sanded it to remov e 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?
Poste d by: Ke nson at De ce m be r 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 ov er 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 hav e any other suggestions? We don't want to make the sink shiny and new. :) Thanks!
Poste d by: Tam ara 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?
Poste d by: Sandra at January 12, 2010 04:51 PM

I hav e a galv anized can my wife wants rusted, what can I use?
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MetalGeek : Code, Metal and Cleverness: How to make steel rust quickly 10/22/12 Poste d by: scott at January 27, 2010 11:23 AM

Read the comments abov e. Do a search for "galv ".

Poste d 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 ex ample? iv e tried patina to get a nice colour, and dipped in acid with a sponged pattern to get a more tex tured surface, but it's just not the same! Any ideas would be fantastic, thanks! :)
Poste d by: ste ffi at Fe bruary 15, 2010 04:46 PM

I rust steel all the time, entire roofs, art projects, etc. I hav e dev eloped 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 ox idation or minimize it to the point where the rust dust is not v ery noticeable. The roofs need recoating ev ery few y ears to prev ent 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 prev ents heav y stain contamination on other surfaces. By the way , it is not ex pensiv e and it is water based. Different products for interior and ex terior uses. Food safe, child safe, etc are all different conditions are require different products. I also hav e a more industrialized emulsified coating, matt, that last longer but has a few V OC's associated with it.
Poste d 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 v arious colors, i hav e 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 ex perts. thanks
Poste d by: dk z at April 2, 2010 11:32 PM

Hi, I just want to show what I was able to do with the directions that were giv en 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 v ery bright, copper looking piece. Now for me this is where it changed for me. Once y ou leav e 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 ev en 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://img21 5.imageshack.us/i/img0089fp.jpg/
Poste d by: Gre g at April 29, 2010 06:13 PM

Thanks mate, I am going to try this out. I hav e to rust laser grade mild steel, so I hope it works well, and if it does I will be v ery grateful to y ou for sharing this information. Hav e a good day !
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MetalGeek : Code, Metal and Cleverness: How to make steel rust quickly 10/22/12 Poste d by: R hodian at June 1, 2010 05:46 AM

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