A Simple Guide To Rusting Corten Steel Fire Pits Quickly

A Guide To Rusting Corten Steel Fire Pits Quickly

That rusted look that made you choose a corten steel fire pit can take time to form, usually a few months or a little longer depending the amount of rain you get.

Corten steel fire pits are incredibly popular, and understandably so.  They are durable, lightweight, and aesthetically pleasing, especially when you get that nice deep rich copper rusted look.

The good news is, there are ways of speeding up the rusting process on corten steel so you can get not only the look you are wanting faster but also all the protection benefits that the rust layer creates.

There are two ways to speed this process, use a salt water spray or use chemicals.

Let’s have a look at how…

Is Rust Bad For A Fire Pit?

Before we talk about how to speed up the rusting of your corten steel, let’s first dispel your worry about the corten steel rust being bad, at least in this instance.

There are four types of rust, but the rust that forms on corten steel is stable oxidization.  This stability means that the rust layer actually protects the metal, meaning it will last longer, is more durable, and won’t be prone to further corrosion once the rust layer has formed.

The rust that forms on regular steel or cast iron is bad for your fire pit! That's why here at Firepit.co.uk we recommend corten steel fire pits. There are ways to help prevent rust forming on a fire pit. It's already on the fire pit, it can be removed, we show you how to remove rust from a fire pit.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get into the fun stuff.  Rusting up your corten steel fire pit for that perfect look.

How to Speed up Corten Steel Fire Pit Rusting?

Your corten steel will form its protective layer of rust naturally when left to the elements.  In general, you want your steel to get wet and then dry and have the process repeated.  Depending on where you are in the world this may take longer or shorter depending on weather patterns.

There are two methods that we have used to speed this process up.  Both work very well. 

The first is using salt water, which helps speed up the natural rusting process.  The second is using chemicals, which forms rust before your very eyes.

Let’s dive into them both:

How to Use Salt Water to Speed Up Corten Steel Rusting?

This method honestly couldn’t be simpler.

• Get a spray bottle and fill it with salt water (you don’t need to run down to the sea to get it, a simple solution of water and table salt will be fine). A table spoon of salt will be enough

• Spray your corten fire pit with the saltwater and let it dry naturally

• Spray repeatedly each day until you have the rust colour and consistency that you want

It’s as simple as that. 

The rusting time of your corten steel fire pit will be dramatically reduced, to a matter of a couple of weeks. You will see your fire pit turn that gorgeous orange in a few short weeks.

What Household Chemicals Can I Use To to Speed Up Corten Steel Rusting?

This process is a little more complicated but does create faster results.

First a quick disclaimer – please make sure you take all safety precautions when using this method.  Wear gloves and goggles, and do it outside and away from others.  You will be using chemicals and safety should be your first priority always.

What you will need:

• White vinegar

• Hydrogen peroxide (3%)

• Table salt

• Degreaser

Step 1 – you will want to degrease your metal first.  This will allow the chemicals to sink into the steel and do their job quickly.  This is simply done by following the instructions on the back of your degreaser.

Step 2 – this may sound odd, but it’s an important step.  You want to pickle the corten steel.  For this, we will use vinegar (yes the same vinegar you use for food!).  Simply spray the whole fire pit with vinegar.  You don’t need to get carried away, just enough to cover it fully. 

Let it all dry and then do it again a few more times.

Step 3 – Let’s get rusting.  The solution we will use to rust the metal is:

·         2 oz (60ml) vinegar

·         16 oz (480ml) hydrogen peroxide

·         Pinch of salt

Mix these ingredients in a spray bottle (again, please be careful and wear all of your protective gear!).

Now all you need to do is spray your corten steel fire put from top to bottom and watch it rust up in front of your very eyes.  It’s pretty incredible!

Troubleshooting – if it doesn’t rust then you either didn’t degrease it well enough, or didn’t pickle it enough, so go back and do steps 1 and 2 again.

To finish you are best to leave it for a few days without touching or moving.  The rust is fairly delicate in the early stage and powdery, so giving it a chance to settle and for the weather to add to the rusts stability is always a good idea.

And there you have it.  Two methods for speeding up the rusting of your corten steel fire pit.  We hope you love the results.

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