No passwords, no registration, no paywalls, no popups, no AI

As an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner we earn from affil links

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

Search our quarter-million Q&As

Home of the finishing HOTLINE since 1989

-----

Rusting Stainless Steel

Hello everyone,

I am a faux finisher and I need to duplicate someone else's finish. I cannot figure out how they did it. I need to create a rust like finish, VERY quickly, on a stainless steel countertop. The s/steel has been sanded with 150 grit to prep. Most importantly this process has to be achieved within a few hours. I have spent the past week trying every recipe I could find on the web; vinegar ⇦ in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil link] , salt, peroxide, muriatic acid ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] and combinations thereof. No success.

While engrossed in experimenting, I failed to do my dishes and left a tin bread pan in my sink overnight. When I got up the next morning.... lo and behold... there was the effect I was trying to create! The bread pan had left rust marks in the sink. No stinky, dangerous chemicals.. just water and the bread pan. So, my questions are... how did it happen? how to I duplicate the process? can I speed the process up?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Michelle Jones

Hello Michelle!

I'd suggest you continue your experimentation, only instead of your bread pan use 00 steel wool ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] : you can cut and shape the wool to the pattern you want. It shouldn't need to be thick; just enough to touch the stainless steel, and possibly thick enough to hold some water. Overnight should be enough time. Good luck!

Lee Gearhart
metallurgist - E. Aurora, New York

I'd hazard a guess that ferrous sulfate ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] would generate the stain you are looking for. It sounds like you're looking for iron staining, and that should do it quickly. At least when I've used ferrous sulfate ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] for wastewater treatment it seemed to stain everything it touched :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.

Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: