A Little Rusty

This is what I brought home from the junk yard the other day; $5 worth of dirty, rusty objects. I’m current on my tetanus vaccine, and spider webs don’t bother me, so I looked past the hazards and saw potential. I decided to start with the wheeled plant stand (or whatever it is).

Of course the first step was to clean it up. I used a wire brush to knock off the crumbling rust and spiderwebs. Then I used course grit sandpaper to take off some more rust, and finally some steel wool to smooth the rough spots.

My intent was not to make this look new again. I really like the patina of rusty metal; it gives the piece cred. The secret is to spray the metal with clear Rust-Oleum. Just a couple coats keep the rust from rubbing off and the metal from rusting further. It also gives the metal a nice luster.

Now, the challenge was to find a pot that fit. My first idea was to use a basket and simply set a plant inside. After an extensive search, I found some cool baskets (which I bought) but nothing that fit. So, I thought I’d be conventional and go to the local gardening store for a planter.

Again, I couldn’t find a planter that fit. But, I found a hose pot (those things you put your garden hose in) which fit just “repurposely.” Well, it didn’t quite touch the bottom of the stand, so I put a wood block under the “planter” to fill the space (it’s not even noticeable, right?).

Final touch: add a tall plant and some ground cover, and voila! Just what my studio needed.

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