Start with steel wool. This kind will turn to pure dust when rusted. I'm going to try with Grade 3 next time, and see if I can get something interesting out of the heavy curl of the steel wool.
I put the steel wool in a gallon size freezer bag in a single layer.
Add some common household vinegar.
Then I pressed all the air out of the bag and sealed it. Put it in the sun to begin the process of weakening the fibers.
After an hour, it looks like this:
A little while later, this is what the vinegar looks like. I wonder what it would have done to fabric if I'd used this bloody red runoff...
Next, the magic really begins. Add hydrogen peroxide.
The reaction is exothermic, so prepare for it to get hot and to foam up. I had to "burp" the bag several times before I could let it rest.
After another few hours in the sun, I began to pour off the excess fluid. This turned out to be pure gold as well. As a mordant, it will turn yellow to green, green to dark green, and pale blue to intense green-blue.
After a while I pulled the steel wool out of the bag and left it to dry in the sun.
After separating the precipitate the fluid in the jar ends up light and honey-colored. A little goes a long way as an iron mordant. One quarter cup in a gallon of water is sufficient either as a pre- or post-mordant.
And here is the resultant bag of rust powder. I haven't decided how to use it yet, but I promise I'll share when I do.
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