How NOT to DIY: Vintage Canister Fiasco

They were REALLY rusted and scratched up- this picture hardly does the damage justice

beginning the process!

So far so good... or so I thought

still shiny and happy

a peek at the fail

Once upon a time recently I found a little set of vintage kitchen canisters. They were yellow and copper and rusty and needed a little love. I took them home proudly spouting sonnets about how I would rescue them from their sad state and paint them a shiny red! Who doesn't love red? So I set about buying Rustoleum paint and a sanding block- so far so good. I set about washing, drying and sanding the cans. So far so good. I started painting the cans- and held the paint too close on one of the cans causing it to drip and dry that way. Well, ok. I sanded down the can and started over- forgetting to wash the sanding dust off. The paint re-dried in a crackled pattern. Well, less ok. Meanwhile the lids were drying next to a plastic bag I had used to paint on. Unhappily the paint from the bag stuck to the paint on the lids and MADE A MESS. Well, fooey. The end product? An ok set of canisters that I plan on refinishing...someday! Lets face it- not every do it yourself project really comes out perfect- and being that most of my projects have some type of snafoo I thought I would highlight my reality. A little more patience and some more practice will do me some good. Lessons learned? When the spray lacquer says hold 10-12 inches in an upright manner- DO IT.  :D And avoid trash bags as drop cloths. And don't paint under a eucalyptus tree- too many tree bits get stuck in the paint. Here are the before, durings, and afters.