How to create corroded look on candlestick?

[Inge]

How do i create this type of effect on my candlestick.  They are both exactly the same but the one has a distressed corroded look.

Could they have painted it then added something that reacted with the paint?

Original candlestick

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @Inge 

The object has fine spray and little blobs of larger white  splater.  So this is leaning towards a  spray can effect. 

I would  use a matt  white spray paint can and spray that a 50cm- 70 cm  distance in short busts so a fine mist lands on the  candle stick  holder

Do  practice this on  scrap objects  to test  your technique at misting use a medium priced spray can as  cheapies tend to splutter some times and  not spray.

Hope you get  disired effects.   

[EricL]

Hello @Inge 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your candle stick.

I propose thinking about using Gyprock CSR 2.25kg Less Mess Multi-Purpose Joint Compound or similar. Using disposable gloves you can coat your candle stick with plaster to create a similar look and feel. I suggest using water to smooth out rough spots. My only recommendation is not to make the coating too thick, or it will take a long time to dry. Once the plaster dries off you can then spray paint it.

Another method you can try is by using paper mache. By increasing the glue content in the mix you'll be able to mould the paper into the shape that you want. Once the paper hardens you can then spray paint it.

Let me call on our experienced members @prettyliving and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Inge]

Thanks for your ideas, sound like they could work.  It looks to me like its been painted with a thickend oil paint which has them been sprayed with some sort of repellant or solution thats made the oil paint crater, pit and seperate.  It almost looks like its been under the sea for 100 years:)

I wonder what would do that to oil paint??  spraying it with water, grease?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Inge,

I'd like to explore a little more into what is exactly going on here. So, you're saying that the first image is what this candlestick should look like, but your one is the second image? What is the candle stick made from? To me, it appears like this is a plastic candle stick that's been through a fire. Your one is entirely devoid of any of the intricate details seen in the first image. The features are there, but there are little recognisable similarities. I can't imagine any type of spray could have caused this type of disfigurement.

Can you let me know what the candlestick is made from? I'm getting plastic-coating vibes from it, as those craters are something you see after a fire. It also appears to have an internal structure of perhaps cement.

Mitchell

[Inge]

The first picture is what it looked like originally, the second picture is it distressed.  

I was wondering how they got the distressed look as I would like to create the same look, a friend bought it at a designer store in Sydney.

Maybe it was put in acid??

A pair of the same original, not distressed,  candlesticks came up for auction recently and they were described as "composite"

Its hard to tell what its made from, looks like it could be concrete base, but sounds like wrought iron when I tap it???

[MitchellMc]

Interesting @Inge. So, when you say you'd like to create the same look, would you like to return its appearance to the original? Or would you like to take another original and distress it to look like yours?

I can't really imagine why someone would knowingly distress the original in order to achieve the current look. Being a composite just means two or more materials being used in construction, and similar candlesticks are made from a combination of wood resin composite and iron: "The construction of this candlestick is an iron architecture supporting a composite material. You can see bubbles in a few spots where the pouring had gaps. It is quite old and not a modern resin.". These holes are likely from the casting process, and I've found similar ones on other vintage candlesticks. However, I now suspect that it could be a partially defective mould that didn't come out of the form correctly, losing all detail.

I wonder if your original image is a cast iron version and if this is a replica composite. In saying that, the resin composite versions I've seen have great detail, so I'm unsure how this one has ended up like this.

Mitchell