Summary for rusted pattern on fabric Discussion
rusted pattern on fabric: Puiyee Cheung asked how to transfer a rusted jellyfish pattern onto white silk, make thin and somewhat irregular lines, choose the cheapest metal, and use the quickest, most natural rusting method. James Watts advised using plain steel, ideally sandblasted or smoothed as needed, then masking the areas that should not rust with cheap paint to create the pattern. He suggested wetting the exposed steel with vinegar and salt solution, keeping it outside in the shade, and rewetting it twice a day; he said rust should appear in a few days and become heavy in about two weeks. For transferring the rust to cloth, he recommended rinsing the metal, laying damp cloth over it, checking periodically, and then ironing the fabric hot enough to set the stain, estimating 12 to 24 hours for transfer. A later question from Mohamed Alastad asked how to keep rust from spreading on fabric or canvas, but no answer is shown in the excerpt.
April 29, 2010
Q. Hi, I’m creating a sculpture of a particular jellyfish, with a beautiful rusted pattern
most of the posts I’ve seen for rusting are for metal only.
Do you have any suggestions for me to create
1) a rusted pattern…to transfer onto fabric [most likely it’ll be on white silk]
2) thin lines, not necessarily clean lines
3) what is the quickest, cheapest metal to use
4) what process would be the quickest, most natural [lemon juice/vinegar as opposed
to chemicals]. how quick can I expect that brown color? Is there a way to control the color of the rust and how it spreads?
thanks!
Sincerely,
Puiyee Cheung
sculpture – Shanghai, China
A. Find a piece of plain steel, the cheaper the better.
If you can, have it sand blasted to white metal and then, with a block, sand it to as smooth a finish as you desire. Medium roughness would probably work best. Mask off the parts that you do not want to rust. Cheap paint will work. This will leave you a pattern of active metal. With a spray bottle, wet it with a vinegar
⇦ in bulk on
or
Amazon [affil link] and one of salt solution.
Wet the part twice a day and keep outside in the shade.
Expect rust in a few days and heavy rust in 2 weeks.
Rinse the part with clean water and put your cloth over it with a damp towel over that to hold it down. Peek at it once in a while to see how much rust transferred to the cloth. I will guess 12 to 24 hours.
Iron the cloth with as hot an iron as the cloth will take to set the iron stain.
Hope this helps.
James Watts
– Navarre, Florida
Q. I am an artist using the iron rust on fabrics and canvas. I need to find a solution to protect the rust from going out of the canvas or the fabrics — something like fixative for pastel, etc.
Mohamed Alastad
artist – UAE
November 12, 2012