how can you rust metal?

Question

preferably sheets of steel you find from domestic tin cans

Answer 1

Most cans are now made of aluminium, these will not go red rusty as it is a nonferrous metal ( it contains no iron) it's surface when oxidising (going rusty) goes chalky. The steel cans are coated with an alloy , this prevents the cans going rusty and contaminating it's contents. To make it go rusty you could try scratching the surfaces all over and then leave it outside where the elements, ie wind and rain, can react with it

Answer 2

Ferrous metals (ie. iron and steel) rust in the presence of air and water. Tin cans aren't, they're either aluminium which doesn't rust as such, or sometimes they are steel, but with a tin coating to keep the air and water away. Tin doesn't rust.

If you want to demonstrate this, find a can that isn't aluminium (a magnet will help here), scrape the coating off the metal and leave it out in the rain. Job done.

Answer 3

Tin is best known for its use in the manufacture of tin cans. It is most commonly seen as the outer layer on tin-plate or tin cans. It does not tarnish in the air, and protects iron only by excluding oxygen from the iron. This is in contrast to galvanizing where the protection by zinc is due to its higher activity than iron. Since tin is an expensive metal and tin is usually recovered from scrap tin-plate.

So the tin in tin cans is there to make the cans NOT rust. If you scratch the tin, or remove it, then the metal underneath being protected would rust, and as others have suggested, exposure to salt water and air will hasten the rusting.

Answer 4

Salt water.
Tin cans are made of tin, steel can are obviously steel. Steel will rust faster, especially if exposed to salt and water. Heat also helps accelerate rust too.

Just ask anyone who lives near the ocean!

Answer 5

It takes water AND air (specifically, oxygen) to do this, so yes, leaving it out in the rain should work well. Rust is ferric oxide - which means that, in general, metal containing iron will rust.

Aluminium cans don't rust. (Actually, aluminium itself is very reactive but normally forms a thin surface layer of aluminium oxide.)

Answer 6

Most tin cans are aluminum and do not rust. Steel rusts.

Answer 7

Water, but salt will help. That's why cars here in Utah don't look like cars in California. Utah puts salt on the road when it snows. This makes any bare metal, and your under carrige rust badly. Well good luck. I hope this helps.

Answer 8

in case your college has a voag or steel save, i could ask them for some scraps from a mill or slag from torch or plazma reducing. it particularly is extraordinarily easy to get all the rust you elect from those (even in spite of the undeniable fact which you're able to could desire to help it alongside mutually as rusting)

Answer 9

all you need to cause rust is water and air - soak your metal in water and let air do its job - it may take a while but the more water and air there is the quicker it will work - to speed the process up add salt to the water.

Answer 10

Rust is simply oxydation! That is to say that it is oxydating bt soming in contact with oxygen. You can fromote this by simply placing the iron into salt water and exposing it to the air.

I hope this helps!