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The difference 6 months of backyard weather made on my crushed Coke can fish sculpture was wild
I left a fish I made from flattened Coke cans out on my patio in Phoenix for half a year. The colors totally faded and the edges got this cool rusty orange from the rain we had in March. It looked brand new when I hung it up in December, but now it has this worn vintage look that actually fits my garden theme better. Has anyone else experimented with letting their soda can art weather naturally instead of sealing it?
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rayc386d agoTop Commenter
Man you're overthinking this. The guy clearly likes the way his fish turned out, that's all that matters. I don't care about the chemistry of aluminum cans or what kind of steel you need for rust. He said it looks cool and fits his garden. End of story. Just let people enjoy their weird little art projects without turning it into a lecture about metal coatings.
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Fading from the sun is one thing, but that rust color you're seeing probably isn't just from the rain. The can itself has a plastic coating inside that keeps the metal from rusting, so what you're likely seeing is the colored print getting eaten away by the weather, revealing the bare aluminum underneath. Aluminum doesn't rust either, it just gets dull and pitted over time. If you really want that orange rust look, you'd need to use actual steel cans, like maybe soup or bean cans, and let those sit out. Your fish probably just got a grimy patina from dust and the coating wearing off.
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