How to: Improve the patina on rusty objects

Rust is part of the patina and is considered an attractive sign of time... but sometimes too much rust just doesn't look good anymore! Do you know that feeling? When "old" objects just look a bit too rusty and dusty and dull to be decorated nicely? That's what happened to me with my antique bells for my Christmas decorations: I bought a bunch of them cheaply, but I didn't like them anymore when I got them home. I didn't just miss the shine of the bells, I also didn't want to touch them because the rust was too extreme and was already threatening to rub off! So I thought "Let's Do This!" and once again grabbed my tried and tested tools and got started. In this blog post I want to show you how I improved the patina of my rusty goat bells:

BEFORE (left) vs. AFTER my treatment (right)

With the help of 3 simple steps I was able to restore a golden shine and metallic shimmer without completely removing the rust:

Step 1: Polish the metal with a sanding block (fine 240) / remove unsightly rust

e.g. fromBOSCH via Amazon

Step 2: Clean and degrease the surface with nitro thinner

e.g. fromADLER via Amazon

Step 3: Spray 1-2 coats of clear varnish from a distance of approx. 20 cm and allow to dry thoroughly.

e.g. from edding via Amazon

Voilá! I love the result!

Thank you for taking a moment to visit my blog. I hope my DIY tips and restoration tricks today were helpful to you. Feel free to tag me on your personal DIY projects on Instagram @felicia.kufferath - I'm really curious to see what you create!