An Experiment in Rust

It's no secret I love old, imperfect rusty treasures.
Of course, most people would refer to my treasures as junk!

There are many tutorials on how to speed up the rusting process on metals containing iron and they definitely work great.

But what about plastic, wood, paper and,
well, basically any surface? Can they be rusted?

Believe it or not, they can!
Not faux rust. Actual rust!

These pieces are made of plastic.

 

Modern Masters Iron Paint actually contains iron and once you paint it on your piece it can rust naturally over time or you can instantly create rust with the Modern Masters Rust Activator.

I decided to experiment with several

different types of materials and objects.

canvas and paper

(I embellished the canvas with fiber ribbon and the paper with lace.)

fabrics and lace

plastics

metals

and a few other assorted materials

(cork, wood, shell & a blob of cured resin)

I painted each object with the iron paint and let them dry completely.

(I covered some pieces completely and spot painted a few.)

Then I brushed the activator over each piece. After five minutes I applied another coat of the activator. Within a few minutes the rust began appearing and after awhile this is what I had.

The aqua fabric that I spot painted turned out kinda cool.

I loved the effect on the canvas and paper.

And the resin blob is pretty interesting. A larger blob might look cool with a vintage photo showing through the back...hmmm....must remember that idea!

Since I will most likely be incorporating these objects into jewelry I thought it would be best to seal the finish with Renaissance wax.

And since I was just experimenting anyway, I decided to

rub a few of the rusty objects with some Gilders Paste

to add even more interest to the patina.

I definitely had fun with this experiment and will be doing more.

I also purchased the Modern Masters Bronze Paint Effect but didn't realize that it takes a different activator so I will need to get some of the correct activator before I can experiment with it.

I'll be sure to share my results...good, bad or ugly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharing with: Funky Junk Interiors: SNS, Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty tuesday

Add Life to a Garland or Tree with Fresh Flowers

I like to add a little life to my artificial stairway garland with fresh flowers.

In the past, I've done this by putting individual stems into water tubes and tucking them among the branches. This year I found some clear plastic balls at the craft store

and decided to use them to hold the flowers.

The balls hold much more water than a water tube (less maintenance)

and I love the way they glow when the garland is lit.

I was worried that the water would make the ornaments too heavy to just wire them as is to the branches (the metal caps tend to pull off very easily).

So I adapted them to be more secure.

I cut off the metal prongs.

I removed the cap, flattened some of the tongs so that I could slide it

into a hole punch and then punched a hole in the center.

 

I used E6000 to glue the cap back onto the ball and let it dry overnight.

I wrapped a wire around the neck of the ball.

I wired the ball to the stairway garland.

I used a turkey injector (without the needle) to fill the ball with water.

I inserted a couple of flower stems and then

surrounded it with some red glass balls for more color.

You could also use these fresh floral ball ornaments to liven up a Christmas tree!

Sharing with:
Craft-O-Maniac Monday, Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Nite Special, Marvelously Messy: A Marvelous Mess, Fireflies and Jellybeans: Christmas Challenge