Rusting with Modern Masters Metal Effects

I have a new love!!
Modern Masters Metal Effects! I love the rust!
This product allows you to get an authentic Rust on just about anything! It works on plastic, ceramics, fabric, wood, metals and even WALLS!


I have recently been getting items ready for our customers at University Pickers for Christmas. Since the love of Shabby Chic is still very popular I thought it would be fun to make some items Shabby.





Before: plastic bells from Dollar Tree

I went to the Dollar Tree where I found several items that had great detail at the great price of $1 each and went home and got busy rusting!

This is such an easy process!





Step 1:  PRIME-2 coats works best, I have done 1 thicker coat a few times and had no problems. But directions say 2 coats. Priming protects the base surface. You will be applying paint that has iron in it and the rust is REAL! Rust will eat the base if it is not protected with the primer. If that happens your piece will fall apart eventually and we don't want that!

Step 2:  Paint with Iron Paint. Just apply with a brush of your choice covering the piece entirely. This needs to be at least 2 coats. If you see the primer underneath apply till covered well and let dry between coats (30-60 minutes) I like to use a fan to speed this up and can have items dry in 15-30 minutes.

Step 3: Apply Rust Activator. I suggest getting the spray attachment that is available or put it a spray bottle that will SPRAY and not STREAM! Y Luckily rust is a random event that mostly happens where water would settle and fall. But I love rusting it all! So I just spray it everywhere. Once it's wet with the activator it's good. Wait about 30 minutes and you will see where it may need more. Re-spray as needed. Usually 2-3 times will do just fine, more or less depending on your outcome.

Step 4 (Optional): if you want to seal and protect the finish you will need to apply the Metal Effects topcoat. This will work for interior or exterior applications. 2-3 coats is recommended, but so far I haven't used it because it does give a little sheen to the rust that takes away the "shabby" look. I like the flat natural look you get without it.

DONE!
All products are available at University Pickers.
We ship too! You can contact us on our website or our Facebook Page!
Happy Rusting!!

Lockers..another great find!

LOVE MY LOCKERS!

On the same trip we found our Cotton Mill Cart  we found 2 sets of lockers. They wanted $10 each! I gladly paid that and couldn't wait to get them home and put them to use. When we got them home one of the lockers had a lock on it and we broke the lock...felt like we were treasure hunters..we couldn't wait to see what was inside. We opened it up and found..........RIVETS, a coffee can, a mug and some old packs of crackers..oh well. It was more like Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone's vault than a treasure hunt..:)

Anyway after cleaning one set I painted them Satin Nickle to match the fixtures in the house. It turned out GREAT! It took several months and into the summer to finally tackle the second set, but I finally did! I did the same thing, cleaned and spray painted. 

We then attached them to some extra slats of hardwood (we didn't want to scratch the new floors) and then put some felt on the bottom. We attched them to each other and adjusted the doors. Some are one door tall and others are two doors tall for larger items. 

We use these for so many things!! Our boy's book bags, Scout supplies, Dog/Cat supplies, blankets, pillows, coolers and homework supplies. This weekend I hope to get my cutter out and make some numbers for them so we can make a list of what is in each one...right now we open 3-5 lockers to find what we are looking for and the noise is getting a bit aggravating. ;)

So for a total of less than $50 we have a really neat set of lockers form the historic cotton mill down the street.

BEFORE

After..Blu wanted in the picture too. ;)