How I Remove Rust From Vintage Rustic Metal

by Lori O'Farrill

3 Materials

12 Hours

Easy

I was walking through an antique store in Syracuse, NY called Totally Treasures and this vintage piece caught my eye.

how i remove rust from vintage rustic metal

It had some rust on it, but I was drawn in, ever been there?

I liked it with rust on it, but wouldn't it look better if it was cleaned up?

Salt and Vinegar

I looked up how to clean rust off of metal pieces and they said to dip the piece in vinegar and salt. Off to Big Lots I go. If you ever wonder why I go to Big Lots so much... it's very near to my house and they have a little bit of everything.

I filled a glass container with vinegar and placed the piece in, then added salted

Let it sit for 12 hours.

Scrub a dub dub

I scrubbed the piece lightly with a small scrub brush, then wiped it down with a paper towel.

Time To Neutralize the situation

Next, time to soak with water and baking soda for about 10 minutes to neutralize the acidity.

Wipe it down again with a paper towel.

Finished Look

Although it didn't get everything for the first soak as you can see, it took most of the rust off.

I was looking up this and found one similar on Etsy, Blackbuck Antelope Rustic Black Metal Art Design Rocking Display here. This is not my piece as you can see, but I always like to do a little research to see what I found while out looking for pieces.

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