Fuax Patina ideas

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I'm build my last welding bed for my Ram 5500 (that's what I told the wife).  I've had a few and some had sweet paint jobs and some I did with some industrial Sherwin Williams.   My deal is as I evolve I change thing to my bed as needed.  Cruising the internet I've run acorss some Pipe Liner rigs,  I love the style and am incorporating some ideas into my rig.   So I have seen a few with no paint!  Full on rust!  some look like they have been rubbed with Boiled Linseed oil.  Ive been playing around with Copper sulfate crystals, make the raw steel reddish,  Muaritic Acid, that stuff is dangerous, removes mill scale!   Also salt, vinegar and water helps the rusting process.   Any suggestions?It seemed like a good idea at the time!
Reply:Others will have more experience but I’m totally looking forward to seeing the “new” rig!Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk:
Reply:Why in the hell you would WANT to rust anything about a truck frame is beyond me. Salt has destroyed about two ENTIRE truck bodies and frames under my care. You do that with guns, it's called blueing. Maybe you should visit Brownells.
Reply:Well, if you want to learn about patinas, I would recommend Fireball Tool's video as a good first step....And if you're wanting to learn about truck bed ideas, there's no better video, imo, than Essential Craftsman's short bit on what he did for his rig.  Of course, he's a carpenter rather than a welder, but I think you'll find more than enough good info in the video to make it worth watching.Any patina you put on is just rusting the metal.  It's not a protective coating at all, especially on something that'll be out in the rain and sun, getting chipped by road debris and the like.  Anything you do short of powder coating will require some kind of protective layer sprayed over it.  All the patina products do is accelerate the rusting process in a controlled manner, but it's still oxidation.
Reply:Powdercoating working truck beds is a total joke. One nick and the stuff starts blistering and peeling in huge flakes. When I build beds they get nearly a literal soaking with rustoleum primer then a coat of rustoleum color. It's not a super fancy job, but it's practical. Back to the patina thing, I've matched a few new rifle receivers to older parts kits, using chlorine bleach on warmed up metal, gives you a nice tight, light rust that looks really realistic after a rub with oil and fine scotchbrite.