Sanding is an almost immediate way to age most printed papers. In the case of my example, I was working with a paper that looked brand-spanking new, both in terms of the intensity of the colors, and the shiny surface finish. Sanding toned the colors down, and completely removed the shine from the surface.

I prefer sanding blocks to sanding paper because they’re easier to hold. I usually buy mine at the hardware store, in the paint supply section. My favorite is coarse on one side, and medium on the other. I have one that’s fine on one side, and I hardly ever use it.

One thing to note about sanding blocks is that they pick up the ink color of whatever is being sanded, as sort of a fine dust. This is a good thing while you’re sanding that piece, because the dust tones the piece and mellows the colors, but not so great when you move on to the next piece, whose colors may be completely different. Wipe the blocks down with a soft cloth after use to remove any loose dust. I’ve actually exploited this quality by sanding a gessoed board, then sanding a paper I wanted to lighten—the white dust gives a sort of ghostly haze to the paper.

That’s it for today. Now, go sand something…

I really needed all these papers to look like they had been living in the same book for several hundred years. They were just too bright, too white, and too new-looking. A particular problem was a very white paper that I think was photocopied with an old typewritten bibliography, along with some handwritten notes. I thought with ageing, the obviously photocopied handwriting might be a little more convincing.

Ageing with coffee or tea is a pretty simple way to tone papers. I usually choose coffee over tea, because I really drink the tea I have, while I don’t drink coffee. I keep a bottle of instant coffee crystals in my kitchen for art purposes—and one large bottle has lasted me a really long time, since the expiration date on it is in 2005.

I usually start by filling a coffee cup halfway with water, and microwaving it for a minute. That heats the water enough to dissolve the coffee quickly. I use about three tablespoons of instant coffee, which makes a thick, dark brown liquid. I can always thin it later with a little water if I find I need a lighter color.

This is not a particularly speedy process, since I work one sheet at a time. In theory, I think I could toss a stack of papers into a tub of coffee liquid, then remove them individually for stacking, but I’d probably end up with a big pulpy mess in reality. Besides, there’s something really calming about staining sheet after sheet with nicely scented coffee water…

Anyway, I start by placing a sheet onto a waterproof surface. Tim Holtz was nice enough to slip me one of Ranger’s Teflon-coated craft sheets a while back, and it works just fine. A sheet of thick plastic like a heavy trash bag would also be a good work surface.

Use a sponge or a sponge brush to wipe coffee over the paper. Just work wet enough to spread the coffee around without pressure. Don’t get it so wet that the paper gets soggy. Work quickly, and try not to leave any white spots.

Gently lift the wet paper by the corners, pulling it up gently.

Flip the paper over onto the waterproof surface. It’s probably wet on the reverse side already. That’s OK—in fact, it’s good, because those wet parts have already started to stain. This will add to the uneven surface appearance when it dries.

Add more coffee to stain this side of the paper. Don’t work too wet—just enough to drag the stain easily over the surface, without making the paper soggy.

OK, now for the fun part. It’s time to lift the paper and move it to a drying area. I dry in stacks, with a sheet of waxed paper or plastic in between. I add this both to keep the wet papers from sticking together, and to add texture.

Tear off a sheet of waxed paper or plastic larger than your sheet of paper. Lay it over the wet paper. It should suck right down onto it, and create some blotchy texture immediately. Don’t smooth or press. Just let the dampness do the work of creating a good contact between the two.

Now, reach under the top corners of the cover sheet, and lift the wet paper, pressing it back against the wax or plastic. Now, you should be able to lift both easily, with no danger of the paper tearing or turning into a soggy lump.

Stack papers on their cover sheets in another area. I usually do this on a sheet of plastic on the floor, which the dog just loves, because it gives him something new to sniff. Just make a big layered pile of paper, cover sheet, paper, cover sheet. Those sheets of waxed paper or plastic will keep the sheets from sticking together, and will give texture to both sides.

Place a waxed paper or plastic cover sheet over the last piece of paper on the pile, then weight it to dry. This is a really good excuse to own one big, heavy oversized dictionary—it makes a perfect weight for paper drying.

I let my papers dry overnight. A few were damp the next day, so I just fired up the iron, and pressed them each between two layers of light cotton muslin. Flat and crisp!

My finished papers, looking quite old and grungy. They’ve since been cut down and sorted into a new book, and now look like they belong together. Yay!

Bonus: they smell really good.

I’m going to try staining some coffee filters. Makes sense, right? Coffee filters are designed to hold up against hot water and soaking wet coffee grouds, so they should provide a sturdy surface for some paper projects. They’re very absorbant, so they should be receptive to staining. Here, I’ve placed my two types of filters into stainless steel bowls. It’s important to choose containers that will not be stained by a heavy dose of coffee—so, no clear plastic bowls!

I’d like my finished papers to be speckled rather than solid, so maybe a little coffee sprinkling between layers will help this along. I do this randomly, since I have plenty of filters—there’s no buying a small package of them.

I chose a generic instant coffee for my experiment, in part because I’m not a coffee drinker, so there’s no coffee pot available at my house. I heated two cups of water in the microwave for about three minutes, and than mixed in two heaping tablespoons of coffee.

I poured the coffee onto the filters. Since I was hoping for uneven color, I just poured from the top, without worrying whether the coffee was penetrating all the layers. The two cups of coffee adequately covered my stack of filters. I let them sit for a few minutes, and then drained the excess coffee back into my mixing cup.

The excess coffee was poured over the second bowl of filters. These became completely saturated almost instantly. After I was finished, I wished that I had tucked some extra goodies between some of the layers. Tags might have been fun to age with this technique, or maybe a few ATC blanks. I’ll have to remember that for next time.

The coffee I had sprinkled on the filters before pouring was dissolving and making some nice blotches. I sprinkled more here and there to encourage the variety.

All this coffee staining, and I still haven’t even made a dent in my instant coffee! I have plenty left for later. Perhaps I’ll pour some in a bowl and tuck it under my work table where my walnut crystal bowl is. I’ve had this bowl going for about a year now—I start with some walnut crystals and add water, then do whatever work that has to be done. When I’m finished, I simply tuck the bowl back under the work table, and let the water evaporate. When it’s time for more walnut ink work, I just add a tiny bit of water, and scrub up the dark stains with a brush—instant walnut ink, with no waste. Maybe coffee will work the same way—I’ll have to try it.

I squeezed the excess coffee out of the filters, and put them on paper towels on my garage floor to dry. Over the course of the next couple of days, I flipped them back and forth, and when they were dry enough to take some handling, I split them into small stacks to dry.

In a few days, I had this endless stack of stained filters. The round filters will make lovely background papers for collage. They tear nicely. However, they’re still very absorbant, so rubber stamping on them takes a dry ink pad rather than a juicy one. The filters dried relatively flat, with little rippling.

I also had this lovely stack of stained cone filters. Instant pockets! As a bonus, the paper towels I used beneath the filters while they were drying were also stained, so they’re now in my stack of papers rather than in the trash. The cone filters did ripple a bit while they were drying, so next time, I’ll try weighting them down to keep them flat.

I’ve already started a coffee filter book—instructions are on the way!

Now, the ideal is to find things that have rusted naturally, but that’s not always possible. When Mother Nature hasn’t had her way with something yet, there are various ways to help her along.

A word of caution before we go on: the techniques I describe here all use chemical processes. Take the reasonable safety precautions!

• Wear gloves.

• Work in a well ventilated area.
• Do not breathe fumes.
• Do not allow children in the work area.

I decided to try a variety of techiques on some items laying around the house, to see what would happen. On the metal side, I raked together a couple of pieces of tin that I bought at my local craft store, some junk metal minis, and some picture wire.

I also included some non-metal items, including a wood box frame, and one of my favorite cheesy art materials—the corrugated cardboard that comes wrapped around lightbulbs. More and more lightbulbs are coming packed in plain cardboard, so this stuff is now a hot commodity. If you come across it, save it!

Here are the techniques I tried:

Technique #1:
Rust on real tin or iron using peroxide and salt.

This technique works on real tin or iron. Be sure your metal has no sealer or finish on it. For this project, I used some lightweight tin craft sheets from my local craft store.

What you will need:

• Tin or iron pieces

• Hydrogen peroxide – available at any drug store in the first aid section.
• Table salt
• Spray bottle – I used an old plant mister bottle.

Working in a well ventilated area, pour the peroxide into the spray bottle. Spray the tin or iron with peroxide, misting generously. While still wet, sprinkle with salt. Rusting should begin almost immediately, and is sort of fun to watch. Allow items to dry completely, and then rub to remove salt. Different effects can be achieved using more or less salt. I also achieved some nice rusting by letting the items dry, and then remisting them with peroxide to start the process all over again. Rinsing the rusted item in cold water removes some of the rust, and gives a smoother surface. This is definitely a technique to experiment with fully before you plunge in with a big piece.

This technique worked great on the tin from the craft store. Nothing happened to the junk metal minis. It took the shine off the picture wire, but didn’t rust it.

Technique #2:
Rust on real tin or iron using vinegar and bleach.

This technique also works on real tin or iron. Be sure your metal has no sealer or finish on it. For this project, I used some tin sheets from my local craft store.

What you will need:

• Tin or iron pieces

• Household bleach
• Vinegar
• Plastic mixing container – I used the bottom half of a gallon water jug, so I could throw it away when I finished.

Mix 2 parts bleach to 1 part vinegar in the plastic mixing container. Mix enough to cover whatever you are working on. Drop tin or iron pieces into solution. Wait at least 30 minustes, then carefully remove the items from the solution and let dry. Discard used solution. When items are dry, brush off as much or as little rust as you like to achieve the desired effect. Seal with spray finish—I used a matte spray sealer.

This technique gave a nice crunchy rust finish to my tin pieces. It took the shine off the picture wire, but didn’t rust it. It did nothing to the junk metal minis. I dried my rusted pieces on paper towels, and it gave a great rust finish to the paper—it made me wish I had put some mini newspapers underneath, to age them as well.

On that note, here’s some paper that has been created by pressing it between sheets of metal rusted using this technique. Spray the rusty metal sheets with water, lay the paper between them, and walk away. Come back in a few hours and peek. If you like what you see, remove the paper. If it’s not rusty enough, give it another spray. Your mileage may vary, depending on how humid it is where you live.

Technique #3:
Rust on any item using commercial faux finishing products.

There are several good commercial rusting products on the market. The best known is the one put out by Modern Options called Sophisticated Finishes. Used alone, their Rust will react with iron. They also sell Iron Metal Surfacer, which will coat almost any item with a paint infused with iron flecks, making the surface reactive. With these two products, you can rust virtually anything. Modern Options also makes a variety of other finishes, including my all-time favorite, Patina Green, which creates a wonderful verdigris effect. The one big drawback to these products is the price—the little tiny kit of two bottles I purchased cost $9.99.

What you will need:

• Sophisticated Finishes Iron Metal Surfacer

• Sophisticated Finishes Rust (I bought a kit that contained both products)
• Paint brushes or sponges
• Paper towels
• A blow dryer, if you are impatient

This is pretty simple. Paint your piece with the Iron Surfacer, then wait for it to dry. Don’t worry about getting it on completely even, or about using too little paint—I dry brushed my frame, and got great results. Paint again with the Rust, then wait again. Be aware that the Rust is a reactive agent—it’s actually a liquid chemical compound that is going to react with the flecks of metal in the surfacer. Although this process is significantly faster than Mother Nature, it does take a little time. Don’t worry if you don’t see rust the moment you put Rust on your piece. Walk away. Make a cup of tea.

If the piece is sufficiently rusty after one coat, you’re done. If not, apply more Instant Rust. When the piece is rusty enough, seal with a matte sealer. Be aware that some sealers change the appearance of the rust—this is something you want to test on a spare board before you commit on a piece.

I am not the Princess of Patience, so I use a blow dryer with this stuff. It’s hard to tell how rusty the piece will be until it is completely dry. On the plus side, this will make ANYTHING rusty, as long as it is paintable. It looked great on all the pieces I did, making them very rusty.

Technique #4:
Rust on any item using commercial faux finishing products, peroxide and salt.

On a whim, I decided to try using the Iron Surfacer as a base coat, and then applied Technique #1 to it—I sprayed it with peroxide, and then sprinkled with salt. The result was a lightly rusted piece, with a great deal of texture from the salt. Rather than remove the salt completely, I left some of it, which made great dirt in my grooves. This might be a good way to cut the cost of using the more expensive prepackaged products, and still get a good result.

This altered book layout uses a variety of rust techniques. Some of the items, such as the license plate and the some of the metal pieces in the niche, have been rusted by nature. The background papers were created using the rusty metal sheet method described above. Some of the items in the niche have been rusted using commercial products.

The same is true of the art doll at the top of the page. It’s a metal tea tin that’s been burned to remove the finish, and treated with rust solution. The plastic baby doll body has been painted with surfacer and then treated with rust solution. The iron stakes surrounding the doll were pulled from a muddy vacant lot around the corner—they were rusted by nature, as were the keys hanging in the front of the piece. The metal cord holding the keys was soaked in a vinegar, salt and water solution for a few months—I keep a glass container of rusty things going out in the garage, and just toss stuff into it each time I refill the water.

Now, go rust something!

]]> http://gomakesomething.com/ht/age/rust-guide/feed/ 0 http://gomakesomething.com/ht/age/aging-paper/ http://gomakesomething.com/ht/age/aging-paper/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2004 02:27:49 +0000 Lisa Vollrath http://gomakesomething.com/?p=11 Paper often needs a little work before it’s the perfect addition to a project. One of the things I am most often asked is how to effectively age paper. There are quite a few techniques for this, so I’m just going to give a quick description of those I’ve tried—when you have some spare time, grab some scrap paper and test them yourself to find your favorite:

• Walnut ink crystals and water make a great aging combination. Mix up some crystals with water to the desired level of darkness, and apply to the paper: paint it on, dab it on with a sponge, dip the paper in it, or use any creative application method you come up with. They’re all good! Dropping a few crystals directly onto the dampened paper creates an interesting effect, too.

• Similarly, tea and coffee can both be used as aging mediums. As with walnut ink, simply brew tea or coffee to the desired strength, then apply with the method of your choice. Wet tea bags can be used as applicators for an extra bit of blotchiness.

• Grab your dye ink pads and apply them to paper directly. Pat or drag the pads across the paper to apply color. To get a little texture going, lay the paper onto a surface with sand or gravel on it (my garage floor gives a great texture if it hasn’t been swept recently).

• Roll a brayer over an earth-toned dye ink pad, then spritz the roller here and there with a little water. Roll over paper or tags. This can be done in layers using different colors if desired.

• I love glazes! I do have some Golden acrylic glazes, but I also like glaze medium and plain old cheap acrylic paint. Mix using more glaze than paint, and apply with the tool of your choice: brush, sponge, wadded up paper towels or fingers. When you’re going for age, make sure to choose matte glaze rather than glossy.

• For paper that looks burned, my favorite technique uses lemon or lime juice and a heat gun. Dab the juice onto the edges of the paper, then heat. The more you heat, the darker the burn marks become. This technique takes a little practice, but the effect is well worth the time.

• Chalking is a very simple way of aging paper. Tear the edges of the paper, then drag chalks or pastels along the torn edge. Blend with your finger or a cotton swab.

• Wrinkles are good! Spritz your paper with water, and crumple it into a ball, then flatten it out again. If you want it really flat, try ironing it lightly. Use as is, or apply any aging technique. To simply define the wrinkles a bit, try dragging a VersaMark pad over the surface.

• To age patterned papers, try a bit of fine sandpaper or some steel wool. Rub over the edges of the paper to dull or remove the pattern.

]]> http://gomakesomething.com/ht/age/aging-paper/feed/ 0 http://gomakesomething.com/ht/age/lemon-juice-burning/ http://gomakesomething.com/ht/age/lemon-juice-burning/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2004 02:26:02 +0000 Lisa Vollrath http://gomakesomething.com/?p=10

Materials:
Paper
Lemon or lime juice
Plastic container
Paintbrush
Sponge
Heat gun
Tile

How to do it:
(Click on the images for an enlarged picture of each step)

Tear the edges of your paper for a ragged effect. Pour a little lemon juice into a plastic container, and brush or sponge around outer edge of paper. Juice might also be splattered or sponged across the full sheet—try a couple of practice sheets to see what happens.

Place juicy paper on a piece of tile. Begin heating with heat gun. Keep gun moving slowly. Paper will begin to brown in places that have been painted with juice.

Continue heating juice until paper has browned to your satisfaction.

An example of a finished book layout using juice burned papers.