[TheForge] Rust Finish

[Clyde Wynia]

I sell between 800 and 900 rusted metal sculptures a year, tiny spiders to
21 foot high dragons. I need to rust them fast. 

All mill scale must be removed. Muriatic acid works great. I use plastic
tanks with 10% acid and 90% water. Sand blasting or tumbling also works
well. Then I use the following mixture to give a fast, fast rust.

1 pint 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/3 cup salt
1/2 cup vinegar.

I spray this on and let it set 1 hour to over night and then rinse it off.
This will always leave an orange mottled rust. Heating the metal to just
below where the mixture boils off accelerates the process.

To get the deeper rust color I leave it under any place where rain or sun
doesn't get to it. For some reason this turns it the darker color faster
than anything else. Anyway, the orange color will always turn darker in any
environment, some just take longer. Wetting it from time to time helps.

So, works well for me. 


> I have a job where he wants a rust finish.  I tried muriatic acid,  
> and some stuff I bought called Easy Rust Finish.  Not so easy  
> really, you have to remove every bit of the mill scale.  both did a  
> rust finish but it is an orange color.  He wants it to be more  
> reddish than I am getting.  I heard ferric nitrate might do the  
> trick.  Opinions?  Also where would I get that?  Besides ordering  
> it online, i mean.  thanks for any suggestions