6 replies to this topic

[OllyD]

Hello guys and gals.


I just had a chat with my neighbour- who i turns out used to be an engineer and rebuilt old cars before he retired- and he's given me some rust convertor. He's told me I need to just remove any flakey paint and then just cover the surface rust in it.

The converter stuff that he has given me is the same consistency as water, and colourless. He said it works by turning the rust into a phosphate, sealing it from the air and causing the rust to become inactive.

This sounded very different from what i'd heard, and a quick search tells me that a few people here don't agree. So what's the verdict? Will this do the job or not?

Also, when I mentioned Metal Ready, and explained it was a zinc primer,he said zinc primers are not very good as they only act as a way of redirecting the reaction, causing the zinc to react rather than the metal due to being more reactive. Is this the case for metal ready also, or does it have something more going for it?

Thanks guys!

[davexdavexdave]

i use that rust convertor stuff and it works wonders but only on minor rust really.

[pikey7]

As far as I understand, por15 metal ready is a combination of both. Not only does it react with the rust to "neutralise" it in the same way as these converters, but it also leaves a deposit of Zinc, which when painted over with the por15 primer, seals the surface in a zinc rich protectant too.

to be honest, I've never had any issues with the rust convertor doing its job, what I have found is that sometimes it can be a bit "drippy" and need sanding down to get it good enough to cover in primer (which then destroys the covering and defeats the point), and also can react a bit funny to some primers. the por15 seems finer, which sort of stops the surface finish problem, and also I've never had a problem overpainting it, even not using the por15 primer.

Either way, it should be used on surface rust only. Its not as if its gonna penetrate deep into the sheet metal and turn the "solid rust" into solid metal! Otherwise we coud all just bathe our cars in it once a year!

[1984mini25]

I’ve only ever used that stuff once, and wasn’t impressed,

Just find it much easer and quicker to attack the rust with a wire brush in a drill which is much quicker.

[ginger_monkey]

I'm just doing some work on mine and have used KURUST from hamerite. It's wicked stuff that, like you said is clear but when brushed onto rusty area's (not too deep) it'll turn blue then black and leaves a nice finish to prime to. Can't swear by it as will have to see if the rust comes back but have heard alot of good stories about it. Like 1984mini25 said get a wire brush on it and get a sweat on getting as much off as you can.

[OllyD]

Kurust is supposed to be the worst stuff you can use! Might as well spread custard on it for all the good it does.


The stuff i've got seems to be industrial stuff- at least it came in a large container and non 'over the counter product' label. Dunno if that means it more or less likely to be efficent but hey. I think i'm gonna bite the bullet and just buy the the metal ready. It seems to be the stuff people swear on, so i'll dance to that beat.

[jack_marshall]

The best way to get around rusty metal is to chop it out.

Unless you can get to the bottom of the rust/rot and still have metal to work with.

Sandblasting will get to the bottom of rust but will probably blow holes through as it will be weak.

Depends how long you want it to last.