Keeping unfinished items from rusting...

Steve Plucker

Steve Plucker

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In a post below, Brent told us of his method from keeping unfinished items from rusting (besides cad plating) like nuts and bolts.

Are there any other ways to do this?

How about from you Blue Ribbon car owners? What is your secret?

Thanks.

Pluck
 
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I have been very happy with Zero-Rust brand "Prep-Step". It'is a powder that you dissolve in water, spray on the parts, and let drip-dry. It is phosphate-based, but it is NOT acidic, so you can get it on your hands, let it drip on the garage floor, etc. with no ill effects. It is not quite effective as a phosphoric-acid product, and it won't get rid of existing rust, but it is inexpensive ans easy to use. For example if you are working on a panel over a period of several days (or weeks), you can just give it a spritz of this stuff when you are done for the day, and you won't have to worry about flash rust.

Doug
 
On plain steel i used to use an eastwood product 'crystal' something. it's no longer made as I remember. I have used a flat or satin extermely thin coat clear. I don't like the way it looks, but ports in storms.
As for the white bloom on the cad parts, i'm not sure you even want to prevent it. cad is a sacrificial coating and the blooming is the cad oxidizing instead of the part. As the cad oxide builds it protects the cad underneath from further oxidation. if you rub the CdO off, eventually you would remove the cad plate. Again, any clear coat over the cad would change the look too much for my taste.
 
I use the Gibbs oil. I started out using a satin clear coating on the fasteners but after a year or so noticed rust forming under the coating. Prior to the coating I had beadblasted them and/or wire brushed them.


The only problem with the Gibbs oil is that if your restoration goes on a long time (12 years in my case) you have to remember to recoat the fasteners with the Gibbs oil. It seems like I oil my fasteners every 3 to 4 months.

Hunter
 
Clear DOPE ..... or eastwood spray paint for CAST METAL [looks like bare metal ] I am going on 7 years now with no problem on the 180A [Check it out at Hershey] and a standard roadster going on 27 years now...
 
When working on fenders, sheet metal, new bare metal, I use Dupont 5717S, a metal conditioner. It come in a plastic quart bottle; you mix the quart with 2 quarts of water. I wear rubber gloves when using it, also in a good well vented area.

I have put this on new metal and left it exposed for several years with no rust film what so ever. After sand blasting a fender, for example, I go over the fender with 400 wet or dry to remove ruffness then wipe the fender down with the metal conditioner. When I primer I found it is not necessary to remove the conditioner; I have never had any primer or finish paint lift from the surface.

Ron
 
Used to have this problem on new garden tools in a nursery I worked at in So Cal. Old Navy chief brought in a case of cheap hair spray and took care of the problem.
 
I use a product called Penetrol. It's a paint conditioner to help paint flow better and is a metal protectant. It works very well to make brush strokes disapear. I've used it straight on several of the flywheel faces on my hit and miss engines that I leave bare metal. Going on 7 or more years and no rust at all yet. Keeps brass looking nice for a long time too. Recently used it on my original reconditioned spark plugs and the ends of the head studs for my AA truck, working well and the heat doesn't seem to be bothering it at all. It does have a semi gloss finish. You can get it at any of the Home Depots, Menards, or most any hardware store in the paint section.
Dave
 
1crosscut said:
I use a product called Penetrol. It's a paint conditioner to help paint flow better and is a metal protectant. It works very well to make brush strokes disapear. I've used it straight on several of the flywheel faces on my hit and miss engines that I leave bare metal. Going on 7 or more years and no rust at all yet. Keeps brass looking nice for a long time too. Recently used it on my original reconditioned spark plugs and the ends of the head studs for my AA truck, working well and the heat doesn't seem to be bothering it at all. It does have a semi gloss finish. You can get it at any of the Home Depots, Menards, or most any hardware store in the paint section.
Dave
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If you can find it, try Marine Penetrol. I use it on 18th-century hand wrought exterior hardware such as door handles, latches, strap hinges, etc. If you apply it lightly to hot (say 300 degree) iron it makes an effective moisture barrier... no more rust or streaks running down from the hardware... in all weather.
 
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DuPont 5717s is phosphoric acid, that's all. It is what started me in using phosphoric acid to remove rust. It is available much cheaper than through DuPont :)
 
Never, ever use WD-40 when you live in an area that has salty air. I.E. northeast and around the oceans. WD-40, salt air and sunlight actually causes rust.
 
28ACoupe said:
Never, ever use WD-40 when you live in an area that has salty air. I.E. northeast and around the oceans. WD-40, salt air and sunlight actually causes rust.
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This is the first I'd ever heard of this. I used to soak my dirty diesel VW Rabbit with diesel fuel for a day, then take it to the car wash to spray the engine compartment, then drive it a few miles to dry everything off, then spray most of the engine with WD-40. This kept the road salt from corroding the aluminum for up to a year, when I'd clean and spray it again.
 
28ACoupe said:
Never, ever use WD-40 when you live in an area that has salty air. I.E. northeast and around the oceans. WD-40, salt air and sunlight actually causes rust.
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I wish I had had this information before I moved to the coast! I wondered why everything rusted in spite of the WD-40. Now I know it was because of the WD-40! I have since moved back inland... with a bunch of rusty stuff. :rolleyes:
 
This might sound insaine but it works pissa if u dont care what the underside of your car looks like (get ready to get filthy) get your avator gogels on amd the worst cloths u have take a drill with a wire wheel on it and a drain pan full of waist oil and let it spin under your car till everything is soaking sopping sripping wet with oil then get in and drive up and down the losest dirt raods till everything is coated in dirt get back under a day latter and redo oil spray till everything is driping soaking wet with oil again and drive up and down dirt road untill everything is coated in dirt again makes a hard water proof shell coating that is actualy pretty damed hard i do it to my jeep every 2 years i have no rust and i live in new england and only ever washed it (ie to get salt off once in 11 years and 150,000 miles) i also liek to smear greese all over everythin in the A on top of that coat every time i gresse it. :P i know a little nuts but i promis you it works
 
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