Rusted Steel Signs

Oxidized Art! Leftover sheet steel from a custom gate project got me thinking about rust.

For the gate project i used Muriatic Acid (Pool Acid) and a spray bottle. Sprayed the gate allover with a good coating. Overnight the gate rusted to a soft orange/brown color and texture. It has such a beautiful look to it…

Wonder if i could spot rust a sheet of leftover steel?

I quickly found out the answer is YES.

Raw Steel gate after installation (next to custom reclaimed Haver Block wall)

 

Started with some Computer design work.

 

Next Came Vinyl. Die-cutting the artwork and weeding away all the excess. Vinyl is applied to the steel sheet and the acid is sprayed and blotted off the surface.

Soft hazy white film appears about a half hour later

I was anxious for it to develop, but i waited patiently overnight and in the morning i was rewarded.

Approx. 12 hours of oxidation

Peeling off the mask revealed we did it correctly this time. Got the solid adhesion for fine detail and the image came out clean.

I applied a spray sealant to stop the rusting process and give it a nice finish.

Highly reflective clean steel against the soft rust.

Signs will be cut up and finished soon. Plan is to offer them on the store before years end. Wish me luck!