Intentional rusty finnish

[Greolt]

I hope this is in the correct forum.

At a gift store recently I saw some steel decorative stuff similar to the tealights we often see examples of posted.

Except that the upright and the base were welded together.

The whole item including the weld was intentionally rusty. No protective coating.

Looking for ideas how best to achieve a similar look.

Thanks

[muzza]

Search "Corten" or "Weathering Steel", I use literally tons of it. It is a material designed to rust and the rust forms a protective layer to stop the rust. Be careful, this is some Chinese and Indian shit they are passing off as Corten but like I said it is shit, no better word for it. A quick way to check is to bend it, Corten is high tensile the imported stuff bends like cold rolled.
There is also a paint on iron oxide coating made by Porters and Sculpt Nouveau that then uses an acid ash to make it rust which is used on non metal surfaces to look rusty like the earthenware pot in this picture (the base is Corten), can be used on steel too but adhesion isn't great, works better on porous surfaces.
You could also use mild steel and let it rust but it will eventually rust away.
There is also a powder coat color called Corten but in reality looks nothing like rust, just a textured brown.
Murray

[littlefatbuddy]

You can also look into the Steel F/X products and see if they will achieve the results you want.

[Shane Warnick]

You could also spray or dip it in vinegar. Cheap and fast. Alternating vinegar with salt water will rust the hell out of stuff even quicker.

You can patina copper with sulfur, small stuff I use hard boiled egg yolks made into a paste. Put it on, let it set, wipe or rinse it off.

Shane

[chasxjs]

You can soak it with muriatic acid and then rinse with water. It will start to rust quickly.
Muriatic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide will produce a rust colored finish.

[tnbndr]

Here us a mixture that I use:

I gallon of water
2 tablespoons of Ammonium Chloride (ebay)
2 tablespoons of Salt
2 ounces of Ammonia (liquid)

I put this in a spray bottle, spray item as needed till you get the effect you are looking for. Warmer temperatures speed the process.
You can google search and find lots of recipes.

[Greolt]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes I know about Corten. Expensive here.

Recipies I will look into.

[steelfx]

Or, you could try one of my 3 'Rusting Patinas'

Thanks!

Bill

rusting patinas by steel-fx.jpg