Oxidized Finish

[mtncrawler]

I have a weldment - mild steel square tubing - that I wish to give an oxidized or "premature" rusted finish to, strictly for aesthetic purposes. Its for an outdoor ornamental product.

Can anyone help me with a process - chemical application or like - to achieve this finish?

Thanks!

 

[unclesyd]

How big is the component?

 

[mtncrawler]

Its about the size of a lawn chair, but I could break it down into a couple pieces, about half that.

 

[Goahead]

Maybe you could consider Cor-Ten steel which produces a rustic antique appearance and does not need paint protection.

http://www.welding-advisers.com/

 

[unclesyd]

The use of Cor-Ten by Goahead is an excellent one if you haven't finished your build.
If you have finished it one way to accelerate rusting is to expose the surface to a salt spray. The structure will have to be cleaned by blasting so you will have a more uniform rusting.

 

[EdStainless]

Since these are rather small parts you could also consider building a small enclosure using tarps, blasting your parts to clean them, and them put them inside with the temperature and humidity as high as possible.
You know that these will continue to rust and they will bleed where there is runoff?

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