Rustall Rusting and Weathering System

 The package header claims that this product will rust anything, including plastic, metal, plaster, styrene, and even paper, so I got out my paint brushes and put it to the test.

Rustall is a four part ageing system. It's packaged in four clearly labelled bottles sold in a set, although the individual bottles are also available separately.


Bottle #1 is a brilliant rust color, which I tested on an assortment of items: a plastic stove, resin wheel, and some corrugated paper, all of which were sprayed with a light coate of primer; a painted table; a coated paper sticker, and a painted metal bit that started out with the same surface texture as a ketchup bottle top. Following the instructions on the back of the package, I let the rust liquid flow from my brush down the surface of the items, using a sort of squeezing stroke. The liquid is the consistancy of water, so I covered my work table with a bit of plastic - as an extra plus, this allowed me to blot up the liquid that ran off my items, and reapply it. Two coats from the magic bottle #1 yielded a brilliantly rusted stove, some good results on the corrugated paper and resin wheel, and adequate results on the sticker. Not so convincing, though still interesting, were the bits that were painted with something other than primer.

Bottle #2 is called Blackwash, and tones the rust to a deeper, older color. Again, nice results on primered items, but still not so good on other painted surfaces. This liquid tended to puddle a bit, so I switched to a small piece of sponge to feather my edges, and got some lovely ageing as a result.

Bottle #3 is called Dead Flat, and gives a seriously flat, matte coating. Nice on those items that still had a bit of unconvincing shine to them.

Bottle #4 is Dust, and yes, it's a bottle of dirt. Really fine dirt that is almost like powder. This was probably my favorite part of the process. Although you can apply the dust by pouring it over items, the Rustall folks suggested pouring the dust into a paper bag and shaking them, which worked very well. The pieces got evenly dusty, allowing me to remove dust in places that might have been touched or less dusty in reality.

The Rustall system isn't cheap: $19.95 for a 4 bottle set, and replacement bottles are $6.95 each. The good news is that it doesn't take much of any of these products to produce a satisfying result, with clear instructions and tips provided by the manufacturer. I found this system to be more effective than any of the rusting processes I've used previously, with more control over the amount and type of rust and ageing.

http://www.rustall.com/