# Rust it up



## Jaybo

I was asked in another thread to show how I created the rusted look above. I just recently learned how to do this myself and thought I would pass it along.

There are a couple of different ways to accomplish this, I'm just showing you how I did it.

This is what you need:

Orange latex paint
Wood glue or Concrete Patch mix
Dark brown latex paint wash created with half paint and half water
Mahogany Wood Stain
Garden spray bottle for brown paint mix
Cheap chip brushes (these are the really cheap paint brushes)
Sea sponge
Oatmeal
Sand
Drop cloths to work on (this gets messy)

This is what you do:

Coat the prop with either lots of wood glue or a layer of Ready Mix Concrete Patch. 
Now throw sand and oatmeal into the glue or the concrete patch. This will create a nice texture on the prop. The oatmeal will create the flaky metal pieces, and the sand makes it look rough and uneven. If you used the concrete patch, you can also dab at the material to make it lift up into little peaks.
 Now you wait and let this dry. It's best to wait a day for it all to cure, but you can dirty it up after about an hour if you're in a hurry. You just run the risk of a longer drying time once we start adding the paint and a chance the finish will run and drip more than you like. Think herding cats. It can be done, but it's not easy or worth the effort.








 All dry? Good! Now take your sea sponge and use it to dab the orange latex paint over the prop. We aren't painting the prop, we are just dabbing it with the orange in strategic places on the prop. You don't have to use a sea sponge, but they sure are handy. You can also just use the tip of your chip brush to stab the paint onto the prop.
While the orange paint is still wet, take the spray bottle of watered down brown latex paint and spray the prop. Let the brown wash mix with the orange paint and run.
Don't rest now. Grab the mahogany wood stain and drip it onto the prop to dirty the piece up and create the dark spots of corrosion. Drip it into the still wet orange and brown paint. It will be very shiny at first and look more like a massive amount of bloody tissue than it does rust. Don't worry, this will tone down as the piece dries.









That's it! Now go make your Momma worry about you getting tetanus and foaming at the mouth.

Here's a boring video of the two pieces shown in the photos. The finial of the pipe on the right was made using wood glue and sand, no oatmeal. The actual pipe the finial is attached to is made using concrete patch and sand, no oatmeal. The sword is made with oatmeal, sand, and concrete patch.


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## halstaff

Looks great and easy to do! Looking forward to trying it out.


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## DarkLore

It does look great! What's the secret to keeping mice out of your oatmeal coated props?


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## Jaybo

DarkLore said:


> It does look great! What's the secret to keeping mice out of your oatmeal coated props?


A Daisy Red Rider BB gun and D-Con? LOL!

Leave the oatmeal out if you are worried about vermin. No matter how much you try sealing these things from pests, they will get to it anyway if they are hungry enough. I've lost paper mache props that had numerous layers of latex paint and spar urethane. When that cute little mouse decides he's hungry, you can't stop him.

Truthfully, you can get close to the same look by playing with the texture of the concrete patch.


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## Bascombe

That is a great rust job! If you're worried about mice, try substituting coarse sawdust for the oatmeal. I have also used tinted shellac in a process similar to this.


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## DarkLore

It looks like a great effect. I wonder how it would work on pink foam to create a big iron door or some of those large plastic chains (w/added padlocks).


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## Spooky1

Wow, that look like real rust, thanks for the how-to Jaybo. To think, I was just leaving things out in the rain to get that rusted look.


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## RoxyBlue

This is a really nice effect and you can't tell it from the real thing. Well done!


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## dave the dead

Nicely done! Your props look like relics now.


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## HalloweenZombie

That's a handy how-to to have. Guarantee I'll be using it some time soon.


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## Jaybo

DarkLore said:


> It looks like a great effect. I wonder how it would work on pink foam to create a big iron door or some of those large plastic chains (w/added padlocks).


It works just fine on the pink foam. The crosspiece of the sword in the picture is just a piece of pink foam hot glued to a wooden blade and a PVC pipe handle.



Bascombe said:


> That is a great rust job! If you're worried about mice, try substituting coarse sawdust for the oatmeal. I have also used tinted shellac in a process similar to this.


Saw dust is a great idea! I bet you could use some of the finely cut wood shavings that you put in hamster cages. I'll have to check into that one.



dave the dead said:


> Nicely done! Your props look like relics now.


Dave The Dead, and Chris Davis from Davis Graveyard, gave me some good pointers over on my blog.

Chris described a technique using Great Stuff that I have not tried. Hope to give it a whirl this weekend.

Thanks guys!


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## fick209

An easy technique that looks great, thanks for posting it!


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## KimilyTheStrange

Awesome How-to Jaybo!! I have an urge to run around and rust everything metal in my house now. ::: looks at dog ::: Hmmm... might have to use sawdust on that one.


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## scream1973

mmm oatmeal. It is high in iron ya know


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## Bone Dancer

Thanks for posting this, nice work.


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## billman

Time to start Rusting!!


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## IMU

Looks great! Thanks for posting ... something ELSE I'll have to try this year!


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## HauntNH

That looks GREAT! besides saying Brown and Orange... is there any specific color names you used? I guess we dont want it a too orangie orange


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## Aquayne

Thanks for the post. This is one of those things that can be used in so many ways. It looks fantastic and changes the look completely. Fantastic job. 

Wayne


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## Haunted Bayou

I got lock-jaw just looking at it.


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## Jaybo

HauntNH said:


> That looks GREAT! besides saying Brown and Orange... is there any specific color names you used? I guess we dont want it a too orangie orange


Yes, I believe they were BROWN and ORANGE. I know that because that is what I wrote on the outside of the plastic coffee cans I use to store the paint. 

Seriously, we do a lot of mixing of various paints to get the color that we want, so I no longer remember the actual name of the original colors.

As far a "too orange orange", don't worry about it. That's why you wash the orange with the brown paint and allow it to mix. You want a little of the pop from the orange in your finish. Plus, once you drip the mahogany wood stain on the piece it really will get dark on you. This is by no means written in stone. It's all about what you think looks good. I suggest practicing to see what you can come up with.


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## HauntNH

cool thanks for the answer, now I need to find the tops I like for my to be built fence parts


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## Jaybo

HauntNH said:


> cool thanks for the answer, now I need to find the tops I like for my to be built fence parts


Check out www.kingmetals.com. They have plastic fence finials and spears.


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## JiMi Neutron

I'm liken this. cant wait to try it. thanks for sharing. Kingsmetals is pretty cool web site to find any thing for Cemetery leters and cast iron pieces to add that final touch that your looking for.


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## BrytonTaylor

neat! thanks for sharing that, will come in handy


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## halstaff

I tried this technique on my dungeon bars and it came out great!
Thanks for the how to.


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## Jaybo

halstaff said:


> I tried this technique on my dungeon bars and it came out great!
> Thanks for the how to.


How about some updated pictures? I would love to see how it looks now.


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## halstaff

I'll get some new pictures as soon as I get the skeleton prisoner done. I'm working on incorporating several methods I learned here as well as a new idea I have for posing a blucky to try and get all I can from these inexpensive skeletons.


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## halstaff

It will take me a bit to finish the prop but here's a picture of the rusted up manacles that I will be using on my skeleton.


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## Jaybo

Allright! That looks great! 

Ok, who wants to do a Wizard of Oz theme and rust up a Tin Man?

That would be cool.


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## Jaybo

halstaff said:


> It will take me a bit to finish the prop but here's a picture of the rusted up manacles that I will be using on my skeleton.





Jaybo said:


> Allright! That looks great!
> 
> Ok, who wants to do a Wizard of Oz theme and rust up a Tin Man?
> 
> That would be cool.


LOL! I just noticed your avatar is IronMan. You need to make a rusted IronMan prop now.


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## badger

I like it. Simple and looks realistic...


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## halstaff

Jaybo said:


> LOL! I just noticed your avatar is IronMan. You need to make a rusted IronMan prop now.


That's a great idea! Just have to figure out how to work that into my Pirate theme.
My next Ironman is in Arizona 3 weeks after Halloween. I'll need something to occupy my mind and help me through the pain and I think that will be my race project.


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## psyko99

When I first saw the list of materials I thought "whoa, this is going to be complicated." but after I read your instructions, you made the process very easy to follow.

Thanks for sharing.


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## BTH

Jaybo, First off, Thank You for posting this li'l how-to. It couldn't have come at a better time. I needed a gate in front of my peppers ghost prop and this fit the bill. I always used caution tape streatched across the doorway, and now I have a perfect prop for the job. Just set it next to one of my columns for demo. I know whats coming for next year....I have to coat 40' of pvc rot iron fence. That will take some time, but oh so worth it. Here's a link to a few more pics; Gate pictures by indianaholmes - Photobucket Thanks again Jaybo!!!


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## JohnnyAppleseed

BTH, love the rusting job on the fence......I'll be doing something similar as I've been experimenting with Jaybo's tutorial as well....actually was thinking about flying the salty dog out for a visit and get him to do it for me, but I'm not sure that I want to deal with the irrate Dixie that would be left behind!


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## Jaybo

BTH said:


> Jaybo, First off, Thank You for posting this li'l how-to. It couldn't have come at a better time. I needed a gate in front of my peppers ghost prop and this fit the bill. I always used caution tape streatched across the doorway, and now I have a perfect prop for the job. Just set it next to one of my columns for demo. I know whats coming for next year....I have to coat 40' of pvc rot iron fence. That will take some time, but oh so worth it. Here's a link to a few more pics; Gate pictures by indianaholmes - Photobucket Thanks again Jaybo!!!


BTH, those look sweet! Great job! We will be rusting our fence and putting our new columns/count down sign out this weekend. Starting to get excited!



JohnnyAppleseed said:


> BTH, love the rusting job on the fence......I'll be doing something similar as I've been experimenting with Jaybo's tutorial as well....actually was thinking about flying the salty dog out ofr a visit and get him to do it for me, but I'm not sure that I want to deal with the irrate Dixie that would be left behind!


Careful there Senior, I might just hold you to that. I like Bass Ale and Guinness by the way.


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## bourno

wow, that is some heavy rusting look you have there


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## Glyphen2010

have I mentioned lately that Ya'll suck Jaybo?!?!


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## Dixie

Glyphen2010 said:


> have I mentioned lately that Ya'll suck Jaybo?!?!


Well lookie there, JA.... G got to make me MORE irate than you did! 

Hahaha, (miss you guys!)


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## JohnnyAppleseed

Jaybo and Dixie, y'all need to sit a spell and chew the fat. Been ages since I chatted with you!


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## nurseratchet

This is incredible. I have an old iron fence that is 100 years old and looks just like this! I will definitely be trying this one! Also, have you had any problems with the oatmeal not weathering well when left exposed to the elements? or would you seal it with dry lock or something similar for this application?


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## Jaybo

nurseratchet said:


> This is incredible. I have an old iron fence that is 100 years old and looks just like this! I will definitely be trying this one! Also, have you had any problems with the oatmeal not weathering well when left exposed to the elements? or would you seal it with dry lock or something similar for this application?


As long as you are using exterior grade latex paint, you should be fine. None of the pieces we painted have worn at all. Since this is a paint job, you need to worry more about scratches and things hitting the finish more than the normal wear of the elements. A sharp rap of the concrete patch can cause it to crack and flake.

If you do get a knick, it's very easy to touch up.


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## Bodybagging

Great Job, Looks great!


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## sherwood asylum

Thats wild. ill have to try it


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## Rahnefan

I look forward to trying this. Thanks for sharing!


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## Chrysaor

This is amazing, bookmarking this!!!


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## marsh28

Started using this tutorial on my PVC cemetery fences and so far its looks REALLY good. A couple of suggestions.
1st: Put down a TON of drop cloths before doing anything and especially before doing the wood stain. The stuff is REALLY messy

2nd: I just used the concrete patch and got a very good result. 

3rd: On my first try, I painted the orange spots of rust, and misted in the brown paint and let this dry. After that, I then added the wood stain. This looked okay...HOWEVER, I think the effect looks best if you apply the woodstain RIGHT AFTER you apply the orange and brown. By doing everything at the same time, the stain and paints really mix up well together and make the rusting look "random"


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## Jaybo

marsh28 said:


> Started using this tutorial on my PVC cemetery fences and so far its looks REALLY good. A couple of suggestions.
> 1st: Put down a TON of drop cloths before doing anything and especially before doing the wood stain. The stuff is REALLY messy
> 
> 2nd: I just used the concrete patch and got a very good result.
> 
> 3rd: On my first try, I painted the orange spots of rust, and misted in the brown paint and let this dry. After that, I then added the wood stain. This looked okay...HOWEVER, I think the effect looks best if you apply the woodstain RIGHT AFTER you apply the orange and brown. By doing everything at the same time, the stain and paints really mix up well together and make the rusting look "random"


 The intent was to add the wood stain while the paint was wet. I edited the last step to make it a little more clear. Thanks for the feedback!

Oh, and the wood glue step is mainly for the people who have lots of time, but short on cash. Lots of us haunters seem to have the wood glue sitting around in our garages, but not much concrete patch. I wanted to show you can get the same effect with other materials.

The concrete patch is definitely the quickest and easiest method.


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## marsh28

It really is an awesome looking effect when completely dry. My parents were over this weekend and wondered why I had bought rusty fence sections for the backyard. Little did they know...


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## beadyeyedbrat

I actually have all of this on hand! Thanks for sharing.


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## [email protected]

Love the look of this and am tempted to jazz up a cheapo plastic cauldron with this technique. I wonder about the adhesion and durability issues I'll be faced with. Anyone have a thought on what the best approach would be? Maybe I should slather the flimsy plastic with something before moving on to the rusting process? Hmmmm.


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## Lord Homicide

Jaybo said:


> A Daisy Red Rider BB gun and D-Con? LOL!


LOL, d-con is awesome!

The rust looks amazing dude... I'll definitely try it out! Thank you, thank you for sharing


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## dudeamis

used to use great stuff for this effect, I like this because its cheaper.


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## VillaHaunter

Good looking rust, gonna have the Rust Police working over time getting you to clean it up.

I use premixed exterior wood filler instead of oatmeal.

Stari, start with Fusion Spray paint for plastic then go for it.


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## [email protected]

I'll check out the Fusion paint Villa. Thanks.


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