|
The label on the can basically
explains everything you want out of a product
like this. Now lets see how it works...
|
A little elbow grease with
a wire brush or wheel easily takes care of removing
the semi-loose flakes of rust. While this is
an important part of the job, keep in mind that
if you can't get to some of the harder-to-reach
areas, Rust Bullet will--if used properly--soak
through the flaky rust to penetrate into the
steel. This is why Rust Bullet was the only
product to pass the impact resistance test.
|
Carefully mask any parts
and pieces you don't want coated. Notice we
used the aluminum foil tip from Street Rodder
magazine's article, "Pro Painter's Tips" by
Ron Ceridono (Mar. '03). Lets just say this
tip works so good, someone should package foil
to sell in automotive paint supply stores. The
foil wraps around any shape and stays without
tape.
|
No matter how you choose
to apply it, just pour and go. Don't forget
a strainer if you are using a spray gun. Also
make sure to fully stir the chunks that settle
to the bottom of the can. This is normal as
with any other high-solids type of paint or
primer. The trick is to stir without folding
too much air into the mix. Stir like it's your
first cup of mud in the morning.
|
While
your spray gun/brush/roller is in service, you
may as well cover any other parts and pieces
in similar shape. Take care to prep these pieces
in the same manner before spraying.
|
|
This article
was written by Jason Walker, Associate Editor for Custom
Rodder Magazine, and is featured in the
September 2003 issue.
Successfully dealing
with a rusty car can be as exasperating as troubleshooting
electrical problems. Once you start, it's like opening
the proverbial can of worms. Rust travels under paint,
rubber, carpet, and just about anywhere else you might
not look until it's too late. Normally this would mean
spending many hours grinding, cutting, and forming patch
panels to replace the cancerous metal that needs to
be cut out. So what about a rusty chassis or any other
part that simply has been affected on the surface? You
wouldn't want to cut out a section of rusty windshield
frame, only to have to build a whole new channel section
to fit in its place, unless you are extremely competent
with bodywork or the rust has completely deteriorated
the metal. Sometimes the best way to deal with small
areas of surface rust is to simply grind through the
top layer until you see clean, shiny metal. The problem
with grinding the rust off is knowing how deep the rust
has traveled and when to stop grinding. Simply put,
if the affected area is too far gone, there really isn't
anything you can do but cut it out and replace it with
new steel. But, if the affected area is suffering from
surface rust only, you will want to read on.
When someone says,
"Hey, check out this new rust treatment; you just apply
it to the rust and it becomes neutralized," most of
us think of some late-night infomercial gimmick. Truth
be told, when we first heard about Rust Bullet we had
those same feelings. Being a body and paint man, yours
truly was extremely skeptical before trying this stuff
out. The first thing we did was read the literature
Rust Bullet sent to us. The entire brochure was dedicated
not to how "cool" Rust Bullet is, but rather an in-depth
look at how this product was tested against all 319
other brands of rust control products. Every test from
seawater immersion to impact resistance was performed
at independent laboratories following the standards
of the American Society for Testing and Materials. As
far as we are concerned, any company that believes in
their own product enough to put it through eight types
of rigorous tests at six different laboratories, including
the National Testing Standards Inc., Atlas Weathering
Group, and B.F. Goodrich Aerospace, earns some consideration.
So now, the real
question is what kind of preparations need to be performed
for maximum benefit? After all, a chemical this complex
must be equally complex to apply, right? Wrong! Rust
Bullet can be applied by brush, roller, or out of a
normal automotive paint spray gun. Surface prep consists
of simply scraping away or wire wheeling any large flakes
of rust from the surface. The directions add to this:
if scraping or wire wheeling cannot be done, a heavier
first coat will overcome this problem, and then soak
through the flakes to penetrate the steel. After two
to three hours of drying time for the first coat, the
second and final coat can be applied. Rust Bullet needs
no reducer or catalyst, and the equipment can be cleaned
with mineral spirits, toluene, xylene, or MEK. One of
the only stipulations with using this product is that
it cannot be applied when the air or surface temperatures
fall below 35 degrees F.
|
