How do you guys stop rust from returning while you work on other parts of the car? I know you have to prime a few times b4 painting but is there anything needed to be done immediately after sanding? My car is brown like a penny. Its all surface rust from what i can tell so far but its the driver fender, roof, rear pass and driver quarters that all need sanding down to metal. I started on driver fender in the spring with a angle grinder and got pretty decents results but gouged the metal some because of the type of disc i was using. I left the car alone for months until i bought the proper tool to finish working on the body. I've been in and out the garage working on other parts of the car etc and the metal was shiny like a nickel the entire time. I recently bought a 7" orbital sander/polisher with variable speeds. I redid the panel with 80 grit smoothing out all gouges and knocked out some more of the rust that i left untouched. When i came back into the garage the next afternoon there was a light brown haze over everywhere i worked when the first time i did this it didn't have this haze. Was this because of the humidity? It was pretty humid on the east coast for the last cpl weeks or so. A few drops of my sweat did fall on the bare metal but they dried and the others i wiped off. How do i stop this from happening? I'm not set up to prime yet although I do have a small cheap compressor, but my garage is too small for priming inside i would have to have the car outside for that and its not running of its own free will yet. I do have 6 or 7 cans of rattle can primer though...
I have just started experimenting with this stuff. http://www.evapo-rust.com/ http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=evap...d:1&source=og&sa=N&tab=wv&fp=f9519659d5d079d0 I'm not sure how well it would work on body panels, before paint. ElectraJim
I'm no body expert. But the one time I did some of my own body work -- in my parents driveway, when I was a teen -- I remember literally watching flash rust form on a freshly sanded surface. It only took about 10 minutes to go from bare steel to orange haze. There's only one possible explanation: humidity. And with it forming that fast, I think there's only one solution: you've got to work in a lower-humidity environment. Probably not the answer you were hoping for. I'm interested in hearing responses from those who are body experts.
It sounds like you're working on a tight budget and under less than ideal conditions. In high humidity you're going to get rust fast. I know, I live in Florida Perhaps you should strip one section at a time and then spray paint it with some cheap rattle can paint to keep it from further rusting until you get around to working that area, then when you do you can simply wipe that paint off with some laquer thinner and go to work. There are products that will treat bare metal to keep the rust from forming but most of it is short term and will not allow you to leave it open for long periods of time.
It was very humid the last month or so that confirms my initial thought but why no flash rusting until I started again?? I see on other sites many ppl frown upon using extra steps in the preparation of bare metal like picklex and other "metal prep" because of the having to "wash" the bare metal, but the picklex20 doesn't need to be washed off? Are the steps for proper metal prep: sand to metal, wipe with some sorta wax degreaser, wipe with clean dry cloth then prime with epoxy primer? Then the bare metal can sit until ready for paint?? Just curious does epoxy primer come in rattle can? also I've been reading on some of the hotrod boards and constantly hear " get a good epoxy primer..." Can someone Define "good epoxy primer"?? I've never worked with any so i wouldn't know the difference. Any suggestions for epoxy primers? Thanks you for the replies also
Picklex doesn't need to be washed - Its very easy to use -nutreulizes any left over microscopic rust and works great with modern epoxy primers. You can scuff it a bit then degrease it - then shoot right over it. The best way is to sand only where you need to do filler work - get that done and level. then sand entire panel down then epoxy - then shoot 3 coats of 2k primer the same day. Epoxy has about a 3 day topcoat window (depends on grand) so you want to shoot 2k within that window. If you wait longer than 3 days you will have to scuff the epoxy then shoot another coat of epoxy then shoot the 2k. So its alot easier to shoot 2k or slicksand right away. DO NOT use rattle can - No comparison to a 2 part epoxy. Omni epoxy EP170 is a good primer for the price
I use OSPHO. I believe it's a phosphoric acid. You can get it at your local auto parts store. Used on bare metal, it coats and protects. When you're ready to go to the next step, sand it off and put your primer or filler on it. I'd recommend an etching prime on bare metal, even if it's just a light coat. -Josh
I would not recommend leaving phosphoric acid on metal. The white residue will cause the acid to activate if it gets damp. This is why some car bodies that get dipped rust at the crevisses. The acid was not rinsed out. Use it only to get the flash rust off. Don't let it dry and rinse it to neutralize the acid. If left on wet and long enough it will eat the metal. A mechanical way remove the rust if heavy are these pads 3m pad and for light rust scotch bright pads that hook on to a drill work well but wear quickly. I use etch primer to cover and is easily be taken off at a later date with the same scotch bright pads effortlessly. The ones I use are 6" round that hook to a drill but I can't find them on line to post link. Ray
I have been using a "home brew" solution that works very well and panels/parts have been left for days without paint or primer and can easily be re-prepped with another shot and a wiped down with a rag. I mix two parts distilled water, one part 91% rubbing alcohol, and one part KleenStrip Concrete Etcher in a spray bottle(Home Depot). Spray, let sit for a few minutes, wipe down with a damp rag, immediately follw with a laquer thinner dampened cloth to expedite drying and clean the surface of any water or minerals from the initial wipe. When you are ready to prime/seal, hit the area with sandpaper/scuff pad and wipe down with Laquer thinner and you are ready to go.
This was a subject about three weeks ago. Here is the thread address: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=216457
Buy a spray can of etch primer for the local paint store after each panel is bare and clean just spray it on the bare metal. It does not need alot of heavy coverage it sprays watery thin anyway. Then dont let people touch the car with their bare hands.
I use phosphoric acid, I get it by the gallon at home depot. I spray it on with a spray bottle and wait 5 min. then wipe is down with a rag to get the excess. works great.
