Advice needed - rust for aesthetics

I'm putting a new roll cage on my sxs and  I love the colors that this guy's intentional rust recipe creates. 

so I'm considering doing it. I'd pull the cage off the machine, spray it down with the rust juice and then clear coat everything to keep the rust from (hopefully) doing any damage long term.  My questions are:

-should I clean the rusted cage with anything before clear coat? 
-should I just rinse it off before clear coat?

-is this a terrible idea?  Stop being an idiot and paint it like a normal person?

I'm not worried about it from a tech inspection standpoint.  In the series I've raced it in, there are a couple guys who are too lazy to paint their cages and the naturally forming surface rust has not raised any eyebrows.   

so what does GRM have to say?
 

I am highly rust adverse.  I think inspection should be a real issue.  Even if it is not to you, resale could be abysmal given that you have to them have a buyer who is okay with the look and that buyer (possible from another area) has to have an inspector who is also not rust adverse.  

Furthermore, if you live in a "rust state."  Selling this to anyone in a non-rust state will be near impossible as you play into the stereotype rust.  

Nopenopenope.

https://www.amazon.com/ECYC-Vinyl-Sticker-Scooter-Motorcycle/dp/B07V27HZYD
 

here's your answer!  Or a version of that.  Way easier and easily removable.  

I had a feeling that'd be the consensus.  I'll paint the cage.  Might try the rust on the sheet metal roof that bolts on. 

Just paint it a burnt orange color. Might look cool with the yellow.

I wonder if you could achieve a similar look with an antique bronze base coat with something like an orange water color applied to it. Or regular orange with a finishing technique like wrapping it in plastic wrap and then removing.

Making stuff rusty on purpose is how you know you've lived in the south for too long.

Come up north and drive in our salt. That thing will be berkeleyed up and rusty in no time. You'll embrace the crust

Here we go!

edit.  Crap, it's water based.  
 

I think I can at least get close to the effect I want by layering a few colors with different coats/techniques.  

Lof8 - Andy said:

Might try the rust on the sheet metal roof that bolts on. 

Not to, uhhhh, rain on your parade, but prepare for it to stain everything from dripping runoff.  Unless you're planning to clearcoat it heavily.

Glad to see you're going for fake rust over real rust!

In reply to GameboyRMH :

lol.  I don't have a lot of experience dealing with real rust, so maybe that was swaying my thought process.   Hoping I can make it look like rust from a few feet away at least and now I can control how much of the bright orange it has, which is what I was really liking about the rust.

Duke said:

Lof8 - Andy said:

Might try the rust on the sheet metal roof that bolts on. 

Not to, uhhhh, rain on your parade, but prepare for it to stain everything from dripping runoff.  Unless you're planning to clearcoat it heavily.

 

The roof will now be gloss black, but heavy clearcoat was the plan - for the cage or roof or whatever item I "rusted"

It sounds like you are looking for something like http://www.rusty paint.com .  I don't know much about it except that it is NOT water based.  Also, they are in the UK.  No idea if they have an American distributor but it can't hurt to ask.  Video below shows the bike that Matty (urchfab) paint with it.  
 

https://youtu.be/pQf9c8GCFjc?si=5IzTj96-NHNgJxFB