Why Do I Love Rust?

This week, a little ‘rust and dust’

Don’t get me wrong. On the car? Not so much. In the basement, I’d prefer not. But out and about on a photo walk, sure – give it to me. I love rust. The rustier the better. Perhaps because I’m not much of a mechanical gear head, I can appreciate things that are rusted beyond repair. I don’t have to fix ‘em.

I captured these rusty gems in the Catskills in late winter. (Well, sure I know there’s more snow on the ground now than there was a month or two ago. But it’s officially spring.)

These may be some sort of pipe fittings. I think they could be nearly a century old.

This section appears to hinge open on one side

Then bolts closed on the other.

Here it is from above and in profile (at least the way they were sitting). Look at the patina inside this beauty.

Not quite sure what this did, but here are two views – at least I think so.

They’re big. How big? I was shooting for the aesthetic, but now I wish I’d also shot for scale. The tip of these nuts is bigger than the diameter of a silver dollar. Perhaps 1.5 inches or more. You can see parts of full size pallets in some shots- so that should help.

Weight? Couldn’t tell you. Didn’t test ‘em. They looked heavy.

Just sort of a hit and run with the camera.

Want to read the history of the bolt? Here’s one version.

Do you find beauty in rust? Maybe an old tractor in some overgrown field or something else? Email a shot my way and we can share them in a future post. If you’ve got a blog or website, be sure to include it.

Thanks for reading and taking a look. It would be great to hear from you.

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