rusting iron powder

[chris 71]

i am working with some iron powder and resin.
im looking for a way to get a good rust patina going with out having to buy anything to do it.
anyone have any ideas ? i thought about just using water or salt water or what about burying it for a while also want it too be a quick as possible.
thanks chris..

[evaldart]

Muriatic acid from the hardware store or plain ol' piss. Sometimes a light sanding or scrubbing with steel wool beforehand will help reveal the iron particles. Or if your in no hurry, just leave it outside.

[chris 71]

thanks matt. man alot of things we can use our piss for lol darkening oak and rusting iron. good if you stuck in a mine shaft collapse. or adrift on a raft in the ocean i wonder what else lol

[craigktx]

i used Windex and salt to green up some copper paint once.
it work with in a few hours.
it took over night for salt and water to work.

not sure how it works on iron.

[chris 71]

thanks for the tip about the copper craig i have some copper powder too i will have to give it a try.
if i was to use my own uric acid on the iron powder would i be able to wash it off or would that ruin or alter the patina further?

[underfoot]

if you mix a little iron powder with vinegar and give it a day or two to react (produces iron acetate + hydrogen) works really well on iron/resin mix.and also as an ebonizing solution for wood
also try and have the metal/resin mix as metal rich as possible.

[chris 71]

thanks underfoot. i guess i let the iron powder and vinegar mix dry before mixing with the resin?

[Andrew Werby]

To get a patina on something like this, I wouldn't bother pre-rusting the filler material, with all the consequent bother of drying it out afterwards. Once you've cast this mixture and it's set, remove some of the surface mechanically, for instance by abrasive blasting. Then use chemicals to create a rust effect on the outside of your piece. It may be that you still don't have enough iron exposed for a convincing effect, but there are iron-rich coatings you can apply that will remedy this. Here's a source for the coating and patination chemicals: http://www.modernoptions.com/ - click on "How do I use them?" for more details.

Andrew Werby
www.unitedartworks.com

[underfoot]

thanks underfoot. i guess i let the iron powder and vinegar mix dry before mixing with the resin?
sorry mate, forgot to say that you paint the vinegar mix on the finished item to make it rust :o

[racine]

thanks matt. man alot of things we can use our piss for lol darkening oak and rusting iron. good if you stuck in a mine shaft collapse. or adrift on a raft in the ocean i wonder what else lol

good patination for bronze.... we callum chinese vinagar

[rusted_art]

i use copper sulphate and cooking salt in equal quantities dissolved in warm water. i got it from a non acid etching formula. it works as well as acid for etching but for just painting on a metal sculpture it fairly chomps it in minutes and if it is rained on for a few days[or the watering can] it looks like it has been out in the weather for years.

[chris 71]

thanks for the further info it will come in handy. i wonder if the thing about peeing on jelly fish stings is true.:D

[rderr.com]

yes, and bull needles too.

ps. Historical note. Gericault's Wreck of the Meduse was an enormous success because of the courts' marshalls that resulted from it. In the recorded proceedings which became public there were tales of cannibalism and the fact that one of the bosons was kept alive because his urine was sweet--diabetic probably.

rd