Recent content by Gabbon

I wondered, in terms of the surface dynamics, is there any way of rusting the metal in a uniform pattern. I find that the rusting process begins in isolated dots, and any attempt to speed up the oxidization only speeds up the development of the dots. Is there a way to re-initiate the...

Checking it just now, the iron suspended in the HCl accumulates a grey sediment on its surface after about two hours. This sediment (whatever it is), turns orange almost immediately upon contact with a mixture of NaCl & NaOCl. However, this sediment can then be washed away almost completely...

Thanks again! Yes, I gained the results you describe. NaCl with H2O2 (&Fe) seems to work reasonably (only 3% concentration makes this a bit slow though) NaCl with NaOCl (&Fe) works well (faster) This leaves a further question: Why the HCl in other's attempts to rust? In practice, HCl does not...

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the idea is to create a good oxide coating, not to oxidise all of the Iron. I am interested that the HCl will react with the Iron. Could this be desirable to etch the metal & reduce the overall flaky-ness of the rust? One process I saw for rusting involved using...

Upon further research, Could I ask the following questions (please correct me as I go) 1) As far as I can tell, HCl would be a good bet for dissolving the Iron (don't know what percent concentration would be ideal of this though): It would seem that the HCl needs time to etch the metal before...

Rust for art--how to & suggestions? Hi, I noticed the topic on making rust from steel wool with vinegar and bleach. Can anyone suggest how to form iron rust quickly, but without the chlorine production? I am using large steel sheets and trying to produce art-worthy patterns without waiting...