Rust dyeing

I tried some rust dyeing with two rusty bolt like objects found on the pathway by the river where I regularly walk.  I'd like to think they are hundreds of years old, but they could just be remnants from the 70s.  Still, they are from my place and in quite a decayed, rusty state.

I'm not sure this has worked. I'm not convinced that the grey areas are rust. I think they are an impression taken from the rolled fabric being left on the coal bunker. I can see there are brown rust line marks that are maybe from the rusty bolt. The cloth is a remnant of calico that had been soaked in tea.  I may stitch into it or cut it up and re-attach it in a rearrangement.

I am going to do it again too, but this time, hang the rolled up cloth in a place free of being contaminated by another metal surface.

I am quite pleased with the results though.  The blotches are very bold and the faint brown lines add division to the splodge pattern.  From a distance, it resembles a piano keyboard.  The second print must have had less contact with the surface of the coal bunker and the resulting marks are more staccato and sparse.