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Rusting a steel artwork with muriatic acid

A few friends and I made wreaths out of old horseshoes in ag metals, welded together with MIG. Our instructor thought it might be interesting to use muriatic acid to give them a rusted look- where does one find this kind of acid, and what strength should it be used at? Does it need to be rinsed off afterward?

Thanks for the help,

Karen Spence
student - San Jose, California, USA
2003

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2003

Karen,

You can get muriatic acid in any swiming pool supply store. It can be used full strength or diluted 50%. Remember safety and ALWAYS pour acid into water! !Do not breathe vapors - do this outside.And let it air dry - no rinsing but wear rubber gloves ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] .

Danny Tatransky
- Hayward, California, USA