Antiquing or coloring galvanized sheet metal for lanterns and pie safes

A. Hi, Pat. Actually, I don't think you should do that. Galvanized sheet metal is not meant to be used as a food surface and it is not a food-safe material.

Regards,

A. One episode of HGTV featured a home with kitchen cabinets that had large galvanized metal hinges and door pulls with a rustic appearance. I believe they mentioned that apple cider vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , when left on the metal for a while, will "antique" the metal. It looked great, but I have not tried it.

A. I have submerged galvanized tins in a mixture of white and apple cider vinegar and left them overnight. They look fantastic, never know they were new.

A. I do a lot of tin punch , and I use Galvanized metal because it is easy to find and it is cheap. To remove the Galvanized coating I use a solution of water and muriatic acid ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil links] . Mix the solution in a plastic tub . I mix about one gallon of water to one cup of acid. Please wear rubber gloves ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil links] when using this solution. Once it mixed it is not severe if you get it on your skin, but you will want to wash it off ASAP. read the cautions on the bottle . Place your pieces in the solution and make sure all surfaces are covered. Do this outside or in a well ventilated area. The stuff stinks! Check your piece every 10 minutes or so and flip it over about half way thru. You'll get the timing down after a few tries. When you think the piece is done to your satisfaction rinse it off thoroughly with water . When this is done let it dry completely. Use 00 steel wool ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil links] to buff out the finish and then seal with a protective finish as the metal will rust quickly if you don't. I use a clear lacquer spray on my pieces. just be careful with the muriatic acid . It isn't too bad to handle once you've diluted it. Never use it full strength. Hope this helps you out.

If I remember correctly we were told when mixing acid with water that it is safer to add the acid to the water than vice versus.
I would not do work with acid without eye protection, rubber gloves ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , eye wash solution for that purpose and reading all safety precautions that come with the product and then follow them closely.

Hi, folks. While there is probably nothing wrong with the above projects where galvanized sheet metal is being used for "tin inserts", please note that tin is not sheet steel; tin is an element, a non-toxic metal. People often call light gauge sheet steel "tin" but it really isn't. Steel sheet metal rusts, and galvanized (zinc coated) sheet metal is not food safe. Real tin is food safe; I suspect that most "punched tin" today is tin plated steel rather than solid tin, and that should be okay too.

Regards,