All That Rusts is Not Iron

I'm an incurable bargain hunter. I love thrift shops, flea markets, and clearance racks-especially when they yield miniature supplies! The last time I was at the craft store, I found a few different Sophisticated Finish  paint kits in the clearance aisle. These are faux metallic finish kits consists of a paint which contains tiny flakes of metal, and a solution which corrodes the metal flakes. I'd tried the "copper" finish from the same brand, and liked it quite a bit. You can see the card stock lantern I used it on here. This time, I bought "iron" paint with a rust solution, and a bottle of "bronze" paint I've yet to try.

This little horse figurine seemed like a good piece to experiment on. I gave it several coats of the iron paint, and then a little of the rusting solution (unlike the copper version, the iron paint needed to dry before the aging solution was applied). I wanted it to look like it had been exposed to the elements for a while, without completely covering it with rust. The rust on the horse is far more subtle in real life, which I like. I let the rusting solution pool in places where water might collect.

I don't think I'd have purchased any of the faux-finish kits for full price, except possibly the copper kit.The normal retail price is a bit expensive for the amount of paint (normal price in my craft store is about $11, mine were marked down to $3). But now that they are in my supplies, I've used both the copper and iron paints on on a few little projects.