Month: January 2023

Always Test New Materials

Or something unexpected could happening.

I have been rusting paper, mostly newsprint packing paper with nice results.

This is a detail of a piece of rusted paper with embroidered code.

Indelible Mark Detail

The result of a piece of newsprint laid on top of wet rusty nails and weighted with a brick.

Rust

A wallpiece in progress that is in the process of rusting.

Wallpiece in Progress

Brown packing paper, safety pins, embroidery cotton, and a strip of drop cloth.
Solution of peroxide and sodium was used to rust the safety pins.

Newsprint with a solution of peroxide and sodium.

Newsprint Rust

The unexpected result–I was planning to make a couple of pieces similar to the Indelible Mark detail.

I cut and folded paper from a drawing pad that I picked up at Five Below.

Drawing Pad

I was expecting lovely rust and this is what happened–

Purple

White paper wrapped around newsprint–

White Paper Around Newsprint

Immediately thought the sizing in the paper was the reason for the peculiar rust color.

When I applied peroxide and sodium to a scrap of the white paper, this is what happened–

White Paper Test

Lesson Learned–Always, always test new materials.