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Best tool for the job (rust removal)

warrenpfo

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Jul 21, 2010
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I want to get under my car and start cleaning up some of the light surface rust that has started to appear on the chassis body and diffs etc. I had though that a bench grinder would be a good tool to use for those bits I can take off but what would you recommend I use whilst under the car.

Would a drill with a wire wheel be the best or an angle grinder or am I missing something?
 
Plain wire brush for any deep bits and a bottle of Kurust. Gleaming smooth black in no time. Nothing more to it than that. Any more than that is too much and more effort than you'd want.

Chris
 
Chris i was hoping for a lazy way out and a machine to replace the wire brush but if its the best tool for the job i will pick up a load from the pound shop on the way home.
 
Hi guys,

Stupid question, but how do you go about applying the Kurust? I only have axle stand height from the ground available or do I need to go and speak to my local garage and ask if I can put my car on one of their lifts for a couple of hours? Is this painted on with a hand-brush or do you need compressed air equipment? Will one of those hand-pump bottle thingies work?

Thanks
 
1 1/2 -2" paint brush. It's just like milk. It goes on white then turns blue then purple then black. Wire brush is only for any really claggy bits. Lie on your back under the truck. No need for anything fancy. If you can see it, reach it then paint it.. I go over it again as it's changing colour. Until I went off road last month the truck looked like new underneath. I have jet washed it and the finish is still under there, it's just covered in mud. You can paint it onto pretty much anything. On rust is changes the oxide to some sort of epoxy nonsense and on paint etc it dries a s a sort of plastic film - like lacquer.

Chris
 
reckon a wire brush, some kurust and some filler will sort this?

IMG_4712.jpg
 
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errr, ahhh, well, uhmm, now let me see... Applied with a bush, 5 ml, ahh hang on, 5 mins to convert - second coat applied, oh hang on...wait a minute..

Not a fnurkin chance mate.

But it will stop it in its tracks.

Chris
 
i'll second the vote for kurust. if you want bigger quantities, you can buy stuff called 'vactan' from ebay. its the same sort of stuff (tannic acid i think) although it turns a greeny colour before going black rather then the blue-ish colour that kurust goes. don't get it on your hands though, it won't wash off and you'll have to wait until the skin grows.

I use it on must stuff these days as its pretty effective and overpaintable.

if you sand that tailgate, hit it with kurust and some filler for the holes then paint it, it should have some miles left in it.
 
3M undercoat

Don't bother with steel brushes and such aymore.
Just a warm high pressure wash with some detergent and when it's dry apply 3M undercoat.
Application is great when you buy one of those compressed air 3M splatter guns.
Fire it on like a semi automatic, in short bursts :thumbup:

You can paint it too.
 
callum said:
if you sand that tailgate, hit it with kurust and some filler for the holes then paint it, it should have some miles left in it.

think i'll give it a go. havent really got much to lose!
 
Chris said:
On rust is changes the oxide to some sort of epoxy nonsense and on paint etc it dries a s a sort of plastic film - like lacquer.
Ahem (reaching for my lab coat and safety glasses) :ugeek: the active ingredient in most of the rust "curers" is phosphoric acid (other acids are also used in some formulations) and the fancier rust killers have a polymer additive (plastic coating) to form a waterproof and hopefully airtight seal over your converted rust.

I am not aware that kurust has any coating additive (but I don't know for sure) so I think you're just relying on the iron phosphate coating to stop further rust forming. The iron phosphate (which is what phos acid turns your rust into ;) ) coat will so a job for a while but it won't be airtight or waterproof so rust will return eventually. Or you could just repaint with more kurust to prevent this.

Don't get me wrong, I am not dissing kurust - I use kurust too and find it does a good job! And watching the rust turn purple also gives me a kick :mrgreen: But it won't give as durable a coat as a rust treatment with a polymer additive - or paint a suitable tough paint/coating on top of the kurust (which is what the kurust instructions advise IIRC).

So the fancier rust converters such as dinitrol etc will give a longer-lasting solution than kurust IMHO.

Cheers,
 
i think the phosphoric acid ones are 'rust removers', where as kurust et al is a 'rust converter', using tannic acid to convert the rust into iron tannate, hence the black finish (and black fingers).

I'd recommend the rust converter type as i'm lazy.
 
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