You Put the Suds in the (Olive) Bucket, Pt. 2

Hi everyone!

When last we met, I was all excited about the new olive bucket from WalMart and was on my way to aging it with a formula found on the internet.  Well, let me tell you - it has been a long process and I am continuing to wait for a little more "aging" to take place.  I first tried a bleach, vinegar,  and salt formula.  That worked a bit, but not as much as I had hoped.  Today I am going with the "toilet bowl cleaner" approach and that seems to be moving things along a bit more quickly.  I think I will need to keep this up for a few days to get to a patina I like.  Still, for $12-ish, I am willing to wait!

BEFORE:

ONGOING: 

In the meantime, Mr. Bluebird and I went to one of my favorite flea markets in Elkhorn this morning, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? A genuine, real deal olive bucket!  Gloriously rusted and weathered and crusty - in other words - perfect!  And get this:  the dealer was asking $35, but sold it to me for $30!!!  He had a lot to choose from, in a variety of shapes, sizes, and conditions, so it was great fun searching out one to take home - at a bargain price.

Isn't she a beaut?  I wire brushed it off and then gave it a couple coats of matte clear sealer to stop the rusting process - enough is enough!  Plus, I did not want rust rubbing off on whatever indoor surface I use it on.

So, never say never, but I think I have enough olive buckets now - not planning to be a bucket hoarder or anything like that.  I did a little research at home to see what prices these things get on the internet, and it looks like anywhere between $48 and $75 - so I am very happy with the $30 I paid out, plus I didn't have to pay shipping!  This was the only dealer that I found at this huge flea market that had olive buckets and prior to today, I had not seen any available before - either at the flea market or area antique shops.  In the end, a lucky find!

I do not know what will become of my WalMart faux bucket, but even if I can't get quite the patina I am looking for, I am confident I will find the perfect use for it here at home (outside or in), and it will fit right in with the rest of the family "treasures!" Hopefully there will be a part 3 of this story, but who's to say?

Hope you all had a terrific weekend!  Did you score any bargains? Real or faux?

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

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