How to Rust Safety Pins

You can make your own rusted safety pins by buying safety pins and mixing your own rusting concoction. Rusty safety pins are a wonderful way to attach price tags to your primitive crafts, or to your primitive projects in place of buttons on clothes or clever folk art eyes. This project requires the cheapest safety pins you can find. Most fabric and craft stores sell safety pins that have a protective coating that prevents against rusting. For best results, shop at your local dollar store for generic pins, and experiment.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Quart jar
• Bleach
• Apple cider vinegar
• Salt
• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoon
• Cheap safety pins
• Plastic sandwich bag
• Old slotted spoon
• Newspaper
• Old cookie sheet

1. Mix a 1/2 cup bleach, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons salt in a quart jar. Add the safety pins to the mixture. Make sure the pins are completely covered. Place a plastic sandwich bag loosely over the jar opening. This will prevent the mixture from evaporating but still allow it to breathe.

2. Set the jar out of the way for a few days to a week to allow the safety pins to react to the mixture. Stir the safety pins in the liquid once a day. Finally, remove the plastic sandwich bag and drain the liquid from the jar. Do not remove the safety pins from the jar. Set the open jar in a sunny window for a day.

3. Spread several layers of newspaper on an old cookie sheet. Remove the safety pins from the jar using an old slotted spoon and spread them out on the newspaper. Separate the safety pins, making sure they do not overlap. This will prevent them from sticking together as they dry and rust. Place the cookie sheet in a sunny window and allow the pins to dry. They will continue to rust as they dry in the sun.

Tips & Warnings

• If your pins do not rust, they have a protective coating to prevent rust. You can sand the surface of the pins to remove the protective coating, but this is tedious, so it would be better to try different safety pins. Brass safety pins will not rust. Rust is an ongoing process and will continue to react and rust over time.
• Use care when disposing of the rusting liquid. Do not pour down your drain.

References

• Cyndee Kromminga, Craft and Interior Designer; Kro Crafts; Winfield, Kansas

[primpunkin]

on 7/25/2009 I have always wanted to know how to do this!Thank you!