Another Rust Dying Experiment

My last experiment with rust dying was disappointing so I did a little research on it and decided to try it again.

In my last experiment I just used rusty objects laid on top of wet fabric. I kept the fabric wet but even after several weeks there was hardly any rust.

 My research told me I needed to wrap the rusty objects in the fabric and soak it in vinegar and salt which speeds up the rusting.
I used two different fabrics, both 100% cotton but one was a finer cotton weave and the other was muslin.

I checked on them after a few hours and I didn't see any rust coming through the fabric so I added some salt right on top of the fabric and left it overnight. In the morning I unwrapped the packages and found that it had worked somewhat better than the last experiment. In the finer weave cotton, I had put small items like nails and washers and small bits of metal. I don't know if it was because of the small items or the fabric that it didn't take a lot of the rust.

In the muslin I placed bigger items like a flattened tin can, a large round washer and larger hunks of metal. This one seemed to work much better and I'm pleased with the results.

I will continue experimenting because I love the red designs and the staining of the fabric that the rust gives.

The two examples above are the finer weave cotton and below is the muslin. I think I will try again with these same fabrics to see if I can fill the other areas with rust as well.