Actually Dealing with Rust

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Actually Dealing with Rust

For the record this is how I remove rust and so I have set up a little demonstration using the old brake disc from the Fiat Tipo I am re building.

1 . Get a bottle of Bilt Hamber Deox Gel rust disolver, its very thick so can be used on vertical surfaces.

2. Paint some on nice and thick as you see on the brake drum and leave it 4 0r 5 hours, then scrub it off using a stiff brush or wire brush is much better with water, after drying put some more on and leave another 4-5 hours, after every wash you will see more clean bare metal appearing, finally inspect with a jeweler eye glass and make sure all the pits in the metal are rust free, paint immediately with zinc galvanizing under coat , then top coat, .

3. Job done, this is a very slow process but it turns the rusty metal back into clean bare metal, if you want to make a perfect job this is the way to do it.I also use this rust dissolver on rusted up nuts and bolts because as metal rusts it expands so rather than shear a nut off trying to un do it get all the rust off first and then it will undo easy.
 

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I agree with MD, a bottle of that Bilt Hamber is good stuff. It does exactly what it says on the tin/bottle. Once you've got the clean metal, a couple of coats of primer & a couple of coats of good metal paint. Preparation is the key, as always.
 
I like your mindset in keeping rust at bay at an early stage on what's generally viewed an average car, it's the same approach I had with a '95 Cinq that I bought when it was only 2 years old. Any early stages of rust would get treated without delay. I had it for 12 years and I know it's current owner; the Cinq. looks well at 21 years. Rust had managed to perforate the floor at the rear arches despite my efforts to keep rust at bay and scrupulous cleaning of the underside of the car.

I mainly used Hammerite paint as it was normally around the engine bay and arches that it was required so a proper finish wasn't important. An amateur approach I'll agree but it did the job.

Waxoyl is a good job for box sections and inside doors but that's all, sealing rust is ok so long as it's not flaking, is dry and will remain dry and that's what the Waxoyl will do by keeping moisture out.

I also used a black paint called POR 15 which was designed to be painted directly onto rust and apparently is used on offshore oil rigs etc. If you were treating bare metal a spray on blue coloured etch primer was used before the paint. Only problem was it would react to UV light so you were then left with the additional joy of overpainting it.

I also used an electronic device that was attached to the bodywork with two probes that was meant to reverse the charge on the bodywork. I think it was a waste of money as I saw no benefit in it.
 
I also used an electronic device that was attached to the bodywork with two probes that was meant to reverse the charge on the bodywork. I think it was a waste of money as I saw no benefit in it.

Interesting.
I use similar devices on two of my classic cars, and they are ( almost) rustfree, altough hardly driven in rain and never in winter.
I bought the devices in Germany, and it was called "Corrotec". :hm:
 
best ways to deal with rust in my experience.

1. cut it out and weld in a new bit.
or
2. sand blast back to bare good steel, prime and paint.
or
3. spray with well burnt engine oil.

rust primer and phosphoric acid based wonder cures are not up to much and its hard to clean rust out of awkward corners with anything other than sand blasting. i spray the underside of all my vehicles once a year straight after MOT with dirty black oil. it is particularly good for inside hollow box sections and is quick to do and costs nothing.
 
Worn engine oil contains acid, that will speed up the rust process....
Not a good idea at all...(n)

I Don’t know where you get your information, when i look in the engine bay of my 17 year old work van it is clear that the metal near the oil leaks is beautifully preserved while in clean oil free places it is rusty. so for now I beg to differ
 
Simple, oil leaks means a constant stream of (more or less clean) oil.
If you will duplicate that process, you have to spray your car about weekly with worn oil.....
Still containing absorbed accid and ( metal) dirt particles..

:eek:
 
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This is a fairly old thread but here's my 2p worth.

Rust is frankly a B*****d to fully remove, as some have said a professional is probably the way to to go but there are some things you can do.

1) As some have told you before that sanding away the area is bad because it will remove the Zinc Galvanisation, I disagree. If the area is already corroding it will continue to do so.

2) Rust converters do have their place, however they can only do so much. If your prep is right they can help but slapping it on won't do much. A more methodical approach is needed.

3) While the rust on your car is by no standard 'terminal', if not treated right it's going to become a bigger and bigger problem.

In your shoes, I'll use the 3rd picture as a example, what I would do is:

*Ideally cutting the metal out and welding new metal in is preferable but this is fairly specialist and a faff to do. Can be expensive if a garage does it. If not then:

What you need: Hilt Hamber Rust Treatment, IPA (Rubbing Alcohol, not the beer [emoji6]), Acid Etch Primer, Angle grinder and disk/Dremel multitool, undercoat wax, Paint of your choice of colour, oil can or sprayer, seam seal or equivalent....see below, rubber bungs, paint brushes.

*Grind back using a grinding disk on a angle grinder (a dremel with a flexible drive tip is a beauty for this sort of job to help access too), get as much rust and paint off the area as you can, leaving the area shiny. Grind off any paint around 1 inch past the rust and onto the healthy steel.

*remove the seam sealer either by grinding out or cutting.

*The next step depends on if you can access the back of the panel or not. If you can, repeat the process so far and the rest of the steps on the behind area. If not, heat the area with a hairdryer for a good 10 mins at the minimum, rust and moisture is a match made in hell. This should heat the back of the panel well. Using a oil can/sprayer/ angled brush, use the space where the seam seal was (or drill a hole to get access around the area, get rubber bungs to fill the hole afterwards) and cover the back with a waxoil/undercoating wax. While this won't kill any rust behind, if it's been dried well enough, you will not be trapping any moisture in the rust and therefore if sufficiently covered will slow it dramatically or stall it.

*Use some IPA on a cloth to remove the grinding residue or paint dust left behind. Next use Bilt Hamber rust remedy on the area of bare metal. While as we said it's not a miracle cure, if sufficient bare metal is showing and only slight rust after grinding, it will work well. Follow the instructions on the bottle. I've previously found doing a coat, leaving to dry, grinding it back and doing 2 further coats is far superior to any other method.

*Once this is done, get a beer and a smoke if that is your poison, have a breather.

*Wipe down with IPA again, this will give a clean surface and help adhesion. Now, get some Acid Etch primer. Give the area 2 to 3 very light coats, doing the same for any holes you have cut or made, leaving a good hour in between. Check the area and make sure your happy with the coverage.

*Once again, IPA wipedown, then Paint the area with your choice of colour. Personally on most underbody/underbonnet rust repairs I would suggest using black stonechip, as it's colour helps when seeing if rust is trying to make a comeback.

*Now leave the area for 24 hours. Once this has been done, check the area and see if your happy. If you are, check the back of area, if you have wax coated the back of the panel, now is a good time to do so again, 2 coats are better than one in that situation. Once all is done, fill any holes you have made with rubber bungs. Reapply seam seal to the area which initially had it. While it's normally under the paint on a car, as you are fixing the paint and preventing its contact with air or water, it's best to do it on top of the paint. It won't do any harm. Most automotive trade suppliers sell seam seal, if not a good trick of the trade is to use flexible bathroom sealant. While not ideal it does the job very well indeed!

Now you are good to go.

I've used this method on a few cars and unless the rust is really bad this should treat it/slow it down massively. If the rust has left gaping holes in the steel then the only choice is to to cut it out, otherwise this could be a solution.

Hope that helps, if not you maybe someone else [emoji106]
 
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