I recently bought a G&B visible pump with that nice rusty aged appearance with a perfect blue cylinder. At some point someone used tin snips and cut off the globe holder for some reason. The guy I got it from had a replacement top with the globe holder for it, but it was nice shiny metal. I wanted to leave the pump as it is as I like the original weathered finish. I took off the old top and checked the fit of the new top, but couldn't stand the shiny metal top.
I had heard of people using muriatic acid to create a rusty look, but don't like using caustic chemicals. I used 1 pint hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 2 tablespoons table salt and mixed together. Then put into the spray bottle. It's amazing... the minute you start spraying the unfinished metal, it immediately starts creating a rusty patina. I let it sit for about 40 minutes and applied another spray to it. Waited another 30 minutes or so and did it again. Once I got the appearance I was looking for, I poured Hydrogen Peroxide over the whole thing to neutralize the acid and stop it from rusting any further. Then rinsed off good with a hose and let it air dry. I was trying to get to the same rust color as the pump. Here are the results.
P.S. Do NOT pour any remaining solution down your sink.
The final picture is with the new "aged" top.
Mac
Last edited by Mac; Sun Mar 31 2013 05:18 AM.