A while back, I started using Instant Rust to severely weather a few things, most notably my MOW cars. I’ve been really happy with the results, but I did notice that the container of “Instant Iron” was very thick and lumpy, even when it was new. I contacted the manufacturers (Triangle Coatings) and asked if the bottle might have been on the store shelf too long. They confirmed my suspicions, and then offered to send a replacement set free of charge. I got it a couple of days ago, as promised.
Here’s a bit of my Atlas chord bridge, which, incidentally, is entirely made of plastic:
This great stuff is available at Michaels craft shops, and other artsy places like that.
I had to sit and stare at that picture for a minute. Wow! That’s a great product you’ve stumbled upon, MisterBeasley. Thanks for sharing that picture and the information on such a fine company. I know what I’m adding to my shopping list! [:D]
Dude, your bridge is about to fall down due to excessive corrosion. We at the NTSB are shutting down this structure until a replacement or repairs are made.
In other words, good job![^]
Well, thanks to Instant Rust, it’s actually more structurally sound than before! This stuff is a paste, basically a suspension of fine iron filings. In fact, you can use just the “Instant Iron” jar and get that effect. The rust part is a chemical agent which attacks the iron.
However, the Moose Bay Railroad is aware of the image problem with old bridges. If you check the upper left corner, you will see a bit of the new silver paint job the bridge is getting, courtesy of a local painting contractor, Leo DaVinci and Sons. (Leo is a former general contractor, by the way, who always built everything to code.)
Mr. B., have you any idea how you could restore the viscosity of that first bottle? Lumpiness is one thing, denatured material/solvents is another. Maybe adding a drop or two of X, and a vigorous shaking might restore it to the 85% range.
Yes, I thought of that, and swapped e-mails with the manufacturer with the same suggestion. The stuff is water-based, so I’ve found that I can thin it with water if it hasn’t gone too far. Unfortunately, a lot of it has just completely solidified, and they said that once it’s gone that far, nothing is going to bring it back. So, they sent me some more.
Part of the problem is that this is designed for “antiquing” of things like picture frames or coal scuttles. Their target market probably uses several bottles at a time, or at least goes through a bottle in short order. For our MR miniatures, one bottle would be enough for years of weathering work on dozens of small projects. The shelf life after opening isn’t too great, although I’ve had mine open for a couple of months now, and it’s not much worse than when I opened it the first time.