First attempt at rust patina
Back in September after a summer of practing both oxyacetylene welding and arc welding on a certain collection of steel I had quite an assemblage. This may or may not be a viable way for me to express my creativity. As you may see, I attempted a rust finish on the steel to give a more "rustic" look. Pun intended.
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It was a simple affair of just using concentrated salt water and the heat and energy from the sun. It just so happened that this September was a partiucular dry and hot one as we broke many weather records involving both drought and excessive heat. The day this photo was shot was actually the 4th day of autumn (Sept. 25) and it was a hot and windy 95! This kind of heat is very helpfull when rusting steel, providing you have moisture and an electrolyte. This was OK as a rust promoter but the rust covering was very uneven. It had to be wire brushed and reapplied several times. After some research online via searches and consulations with metal forums, I concluded there faster and more satisfactory ways to form even rust. Two ideas that seem the most promising, is drugstore peroxide mixed with vinegar and a pinch of salt, and the other is drugstore peroxide mixed with equal portion of Clorox bleach. Both involve very active oxidizers and would rust mild steel very quickly. These will be covered in further writings. Here is a closer shot of the rusted assemblage.
It was a simple affair of just using concentrated salt water and the heat and energy from the sun. It just so happened that this September was a partiucular dry and hot one as we broke many weather records involving both drought and excessive heat. The day this photo was shot was actually the 4th day of autumn (Sept. 25) and it was a hot and windy 95! This kind of heat is very helpfull when rusting steel, providing you have moisture and an electrolyte. This was OK as a rust promoter but the rust covering was very uneven. It had to be wire brushed and reapplied several times. After some research online via searches and consulations with metal forums, I concluded there faster and more satisfactory ways to form even rust. Two ideas that seem the most promising, is drugstore peroxide mixed with vinegar and a pinch of salt, and the other is drugstore peroxide mixed with equal portion of Clorox bleach. Both involve very active oxidizers and would rust mild steel very quickly. These will be covered in further writings. Here is a closer shot of the rusted assemblage.
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