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weathering track

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  • Member since
    October 2009
  • From: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • 23 posts
weathering track
Posted by bopdoc on Monday, October 26, 2009 10:13 PM
Anyone have a good recipe for achieving a rusty look to the sides of aluminum and/or stainless steel rail?(for permanent outdoor use).
  • Member since
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  • From: silver spring, md
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Posted by altterrain on Monday, October 26, 2009 11:33 PM

Lots of spray paint. I used a combination of Rustoleum red (oxide) primer and flat brown on my Aristo stainless track. I wiped some used motor oil on the rail head before spraying and then wiped it off with a old tee shirt immediately after spraying. It worked well -

 

pic of unpainted track -

 

-Brian

 

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  • From: North, San Diego Co., CA
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Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 12:50 AM

I have nothing but “self aging brass” rails. The Wife has a few pieces of stainless “yard art” that she wanted to change colors. The first two didn’t take too well to paint; it had a “stippled” look. A neighbor (a welder by trade, retired) suggested wiping down the others with red vinegar (same stuff used in salad dressing). I do not understand the why or wherefore, but the others look just fine. In fact they looked so much better that I was given the detail of removing the offending “stippled” paint job and wash/repaint. The paint brand was Rustoleum. On other items in the GRR (plastic, wood, and metal) where I wanted a rusty metal look, I did a 100% coverage with red oxide primer, followed by a 10% coverage with flat charcoal grey, then a 10% coverage of flat black, then a 2% coverage each of “baby powder blue”, “canary yellow”, and finally a 1% coverage of “fire engine red”. The hint of the blue, yellow, and red are so slight that they are not really noticeable but give things a more dirty look.

Tom Trigg

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  • From: Notheast Oho
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Posted by grandpopswalt on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 1:08 AM

 Tom,

The vinegar is a mild acid and probably etched the surface of the rail enough for the paint to get a bite.

Walt

"You get too soon old and too late smart" - Amish origin
  • Member since
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  • From: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Posted by bopdoc on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 6:41 PM
Thanks Guys.....Brian, did you spray the rail while it was attached to the tie strips?
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: North, San Diego Co., CA
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Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 7:06 PM

grandpopswalt
  Tom,

The vinegar is a mild acid and probably etched the surface of the rail enough for the paint to get a bite.

Walt

Probably true, Like I said "don't know why," but it absoultly works. 

Tom Trigg

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