Kella, sorry it took me so long to answer your question about protecting patinas. I use Dorlands Wax Medium straight from the jar. A little dab on a old rag, smear it all over the metal and then buff it up. It doesn't make the metal shiny and seems to give more depth to the patina.
The first picture is raw metal, the second with the wax medium.
This is a less textured piece of metal with the medium applied. As you can see it doesn't give the metal a overly shiny appearence. Although I haven't tried it on rust I think it would seal the metal and protect your clothes from any stains.
If you have any advice for sealing rusty objects please leave a comment!
