displaying objects with rust

[Older The Better]

ive been digging a campsite recently and I want to display everything together, some things I really want to protect like flintlock parts and my fully intact and now functional round ball scissor mold, others like square nails and mystery items still have a little rust and I don't want to waste my time picking rust scabs from square nails, so to the question can the rust spread from the nails to the things Ive fully cleaned?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[mick56]

I would try to keep the items from touching each other in the display.

 

[pa plateau hiker]

Rust is not contagious. It does not spreads from iron to iron. You need moisture for rust to form. Keep your display dry.

 

[Older The Better]

cool just wanted to be careful thanks for the help

 

[villagenut]

I think a little cleaning and preserving of the iron is in order. Rusty pieces in a display won't look as nice as preserved ones nor will they last longer. Rust never sleeps.

 

[Tnmountains]

If you do not want to put a lot of effort in to it soak it in apple cider vinegar over night then wash off and just wax it. Try an item first see how you like it. I did a canister of iron grape shot and was very happy

 

[Older The Better]

I had them in acv for about two weeks most of the rust is gone but I didn't want to spend the time picking scabs of square nails and crevasses of some of the scrap metal, but I do want to keep everything from that site together since it is 70 years older than anything else on I've found on the land and I don't want to mix it in with my boxes and buckets and drawers of other items... the gun parts and such are well cleaned and preserved, I find a good soak in gun oil does a great job and some like the pieces of cast iron cooking items I painted with a black rust inhibiting primer too a before an after with my bullet mold... I was really happy with how it came out