surface rust

[Matt Agnel]

Dear Lads
On my big Case there was some surface rust on the side panels so I used some Vim to remove in the fall. I was thinking in the spring all the rust would be back and I have to strip the panels with my D.A. sander and etch prime them and then paint them. Well it is almost spring and very little to no rust on them. So will they stay this way for long? You thing painting them would be a waste of time?
Thanks matt

 

[GlenIdaho]

Hi Matt;

I don't know what Vim is, nor your climate or storage of the panels, but if I was going to paint them in the future, I'd remove all rust and then use a product like Picklex 20 which can be applied and prevents rust while you're waiting to paint. Second option would be to remove the rust and use a good epoxy primer. It seals the metal to help prevent rust. Down side, the top coat needs to be applied within a 72 hour window. If it's not top coated the primer must be scuffed re-primed and then top coated. Hope this helps.

 

[CNKS]

Depends on your climate and how tight your building is. I don't bother with protectants or epoxy, and just let my bare metal sit until I am ready to paint it. It does not rust. Southwest Kansas. I have a feeling it is the tightness/insulation of the building that matters most. We have had higher humidity and more wet weather than average this winter, (not even close to the northeast) no rust on my Super A parts.

 

[CNKS]

As to etch priming sanded metal, that is redundant and unnecessary. Although it won't hurt anything, etch primer is for new metal in body shops that don't want to take the time to sand. Epoxy is far and away the best primer.

 

[Matt Agnel]

So you are telling me it is unnecessary to etch prime on all sanded metal parts if so do you use a primer /sealer. I always use etch prime if I am stripping to the steel, them I put on a layer of sand able primer/base coat sealer.

 

[CNKS]

It is not necessary to use an etch primer on sanded metal, use epoxy instead. If you do use etch primer, some of them require another primer sealer over them. Read the spec sheet for the one you want to use. I use epoxy followed by a sandable surfacer on the sheet metal, epoxy followed by topcoat on the cast. And, epoxy acts as a sealer also, but most are not sandable. If you insist on using etch, epoxy will act as the sealer. But, there is NO advantage to etch primer on sanded surfaces. Don't use etch primer on cast, there is a chance that the acid component will lift the topcoat.