Wish Box

Last month I invested in a Shop Fox Benchtop Sandblaster and I’m happy I did. In less than half a day, I was able to strip the paint from more than a dozen tins of varying sizes. I love working with tins, but admit that I find sanding them by hand a tedious undertaking, enough so that I’ll procrastinate and put it off for long periods of time. Bead blasting is quick and thorough, though; two characteristics which I wholeheartedly endorse, and now I have several fresh canvases to chose from.

I started two tins earlier last week, and finished this one yesterday:

I’ve learned to be patient with the rusting process, adding it in layers and wiping each one down before the next application. Here, I’ve used a combination of rust and blackened bronze (paint). I didn’t seal it, but I used spray fixative to help the rust endure, as it tends to turn to dust and peel away with time. The leather cord is removable, secured with blackened fishing swivels.

The shiny glass tiles are nice, but I found I like the simplicity on the backside better. The more I work with wire, especially plain old annealed (such as baling wire), the more I enjoy it. I’m reminded of ornate Victorian-era gates and wrought iron railings.

A decorative button fastened to a painted washer finishes off the top of the box nicely. However, I am discovering that some dimensional glues don’t self level, so this may need further work. I might have to replace the Diamond Glaze here with UTEE instead.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. :)