Epoxi Resin

When I attended the Village Art Festival last month another artist suggested that I try Epoxi Resin to seal my rust pieces. I was and still am looking for something that will seal the rust solution the sits atop the metal surface with changing the initial composition. I was excited at the idea of Epoxi Resin and went out and bought Ultra Glow. The packaged contains Resin and a Hardener. After much reading and prepping I decided to give it a go. Below I have posted a rust piece that has not been treated and two that have been treated with the Epoxi Resin. I am not sure how I feel about the shiny surface because I feel that it changes the piece and takes away from the idea of a rustic look. I'm thinking that I will look into another approach to seal the rust solution or work with different chemicals that actually rust metal instead of the current solution that sits on the surface. What are your thoughts, suggestions?