Rusty mason jar lids are GORGEOUS! I love them but they can be so hard to find. If you can’t find them easily they can take forever to naturally rust in the elements outside, like months and months of time. But if you’re impatient like me you don’t have to wait for nature to work her magic on your brand new mason jar rings. You can rust them yourself in your kitchen using ingredients you probably already have!
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Yes, you read that right. You can rust up your own canning jar lids right on your kitchen counter in about a week!! I know that the method I’m sharing today isn’t the only way to get this done, and thank goodness it’s not because there shouldn’t just be one way to do things. This is just my preferred way to rust my own mason jar lids.
Here are a couple of projects I made using this same technique to rust mason jar lids
DIY RUSTY PUMPKIN FROM MASON JAR RINGS
DIY RUSTED MASON JAR RING PERSONALIZED ORNAMENT
Check out the video below or keep scrolling to read the written/picture tutorial.
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Here’s what you’ll need to rust your own mason jar lids at home
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1 week’s time
HOW TO RUST YOUR OWN MASON JAR LIDS INSIDE THE QUICK AND EASY WAY
ONE- You will need a glass bowl. I use glass because it doesn’t break down like other materials such as plastic or metal. Glass is wonderful! I start by filling the bottom of the glass bowl with salt. I DO NOT MEASURE THIS. If you were hoping for a recipe with exact measurements this tutorial might not be for you. I just add enough salt to cover the bottom of the bowl lol.
TWO- Pour in some distilled white vinegar. I just eyeball this as well. You want enough to completely cover the mason jar lids once you put those in the bowl (that will happen in just a couple steps).
THREE- Give your ingredients a good stir. I use a popsicle stick for this and I stir till the salt starts to dissolve.
FOUR- Add in your mason jar rings. You can add in as many that will fit in to your bowl.
FIVE- Now add enough vinegar to your bowl so that your mason jar rings are completely submerged.
SIX- Now sprinkle some salt on top. I’m not sure if this step makes a huge difference but I do this just for good measure lol!
SEVEN- Let the mason jar lids sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours has passed take them out and let them dry on a towel. Once they are dry place them back into the salt & vinegar mixture.
EIGHT- Repeat step 7 for at least a week. After just a couple days you will start to notice the canning lids turning color and they will look like they have scratch like marks on them. This is exactly what you want to see happening. The longer you do the soaking/drying process the rustier your mason jar lids will get. You’ll also notice that the salt/vinegar solution is changing from a clear to a really gross color/consistency, this is supposed to happen too.
NINE- Once you’re happy with the rust on your canning jar lids you are all done and you can discard of the salt/vinegar mixture. I don’t rinse mine off after I just simply let them dry then use them or place them in my rusty mason jar plastic bin for safe keeping till I need them.
