How would you treat this surface rust?

[john walker's workshop]

DP 90 epoxy primer on my old Diamond T truck for probably 8 years now and no one rust spot. Straight over bead blasted steel.

[Bill Douglas]

That's interesting John.

I didn't know what to buy, so I just chose one randomly I guess. I got PPG PolyEtch https://panelstore.co.nz/products/ppg-polyetch-base-primer-kit-yellow-1-litre which has worked out well.

I guess the secret to epoxies success is they are not porous so no oxygen or moisture can touch the metal.

[eastbay]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Buy some Evapo-Rust. It comes in 1 gal. plastic containers. I keep some on hand to derust/neutralize things pretty often. You can submerge an item, let it set, check on it once in a while, and pull it out when it's good enough. Not caustic, biodegradable, effective, & not too expensive. When I want to do something flat, I put cloth rags or paper shop towels on it, soak it (apply more to keep it wet) with the Evapo-Rust, and check it once in a while for progress. When done, remove from soaking or remove the rags/towels and flush with water, dry it off and primer/paint/POR-15 - whatever you want. It does a good job on fairly heavy runt too. I have two gallons now. Got them from either H.F. or off of Amazon.

This stuff kicks ass, check out the youtubes, buy it at Home Depot.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Thanks for all the replies everyone-

As an update, I got fine grain blasting coal which works MUCH better than the medium grit (I was using). After reading some more, I wanted to see how that worked before deciding what to do in terms of acid/rust remover/rust converter, etc...

Then, as always:

The rabbit hole thing happened, I pulled the dash, pulled the steering column, now rebuilding steering assembly, which got me thinking, I got TWO of these tractors off my dad's property, and both have sentimental value and both have rotten to high hell from neglect.

I'm thinking I could combine the two tractors into one, taking the best from each. It would have a solid 12 hp engine to start, but (if) I ever get around to it, I could rebuild his 16 hp engine which is due for a rebuild.

These things have no real $$$ value, perhaps $600 restored, and at my mountain house, there are borderline "not enough tractor" for the 5 acres. Particularly the 12 hp- it gets overwhelmed on the 5 acres. So this might be the best way to handle the balance between preserving my dad's stuff vs. throwing it all out.

He would approve the joining of the tractors.

Heres we's goes.....

[LEAKYSEALS951]

For an idea of how bad this stuff had gotten- Here's the gas tank once I cut the bottom out...There is no easy replacement from amazon...

And here was a spring dusting of snow on the mountain this morning. Brilliant!

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

So this might be the best way to handle the balance between preserving my dad's stuff vs. throwing it all out.

He would approve the joining of the tractors.

Heres we's goes.....

Thanks to covid-19 you have the time. AND it will bring a smile to your face every time you see tractor.

[gtc]

I've had good luck with evaporust, but it wouldn't be practical for something this size.

Originally Posted by eastbay

This stuff kicks ass, check out the youtubes, buy it at Home Depot.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by gtc

I've had good luck with evaporust, but it wouldn't be practical for something this size.

I was wondering why no one suggested a $5 bottle of naval jelly or Permatex rust treatment. Turns rust black.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

I was wondering why no one suggested a $5 bottle of naval jelly or Permatex rust treatment. Turns rust black.

Because those products are useless. You're not removing the rust, you're just creating a black passivation layer.

[sugarwood]

It's a $200 tractor that he has no use for. He's just fixing it up to pass the time. Blasting it is overkill.

[flipper35]

I spray the receiver for our hitch every couple years with the Duplicolor converter stuff and hit it with Plastidip. Works well enough for 10 minutes work.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

It's a $200 tractor that he has no use for. He's just fixing it up to pass the time. Blasting it is overkill.

(except to that buyer depending on crop harvest 50 years later)

[LEAKYSEALS951]

But if I mow the lawn with it, will I kill the resale value for the potential next owner?

Talk about a complete time kill- LOL- Huge rabbit hole. Benefits? Hmmm.... spending time outside wrenching on some nostalgia from my childhood. The spring breeze is incredible. It's just good to be outside. My wife likes her jigsaw puzzles. I like to shoot carburetor cleaner at stuff.

In my profession, I have to be very precise 24/7. It's nice to do something where it doesn't have to be perfect. Very relaxing.

It's also cool seeing my dad's handiwork over the years. I can tell exactly which bolts he used the anti-seize on, and even where he used some sort of copper spray. My dad taught me how to spread bondo on this thing. He showed me how to use a spray gun on this thing.

Sugarwood- $200 bucks for the tractor? Ha! That's way too much! You are shooting too high!

I don't remember if I shared this, but I was able to snag a 3-point hitch hookup from my dad's house for this. What will I do with a cat-o 3-point?

Nothing! - It's just looks cool!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Wow! That looks like so much fun!

[sugarwood]

I think it's a great project, please post a video when running and cleaned up

[911boost]

Very Cool I agree.

What in the heck took a big bite out of that rear tire Leaky?

[LEAKYSEALS951]

^Thanks everyone- I did. I sawzalled it today to look inside.
My dad filled the tires up with antifreeze in 1980 to give some extra weight to the rear. The antifreeze stayed in for 30 years, until the tires dry rotted and burst. (around 2010)- These are wide rims in garden tractor world- like 15x11 Fuchs rims, and I wanted to make sure they hadn't rusted too bad on the inside. Surprisingly- things looked good.

Which is good, because they will help with "the perfect stance" when things are done!



I'm going for the 'ever so subjective' rauh welt tractor look....

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Update-
Spent much time contemplating rust products.
In the end, went with (drumroll)........................................ ..............

A second air compressor off craigslist (found a WELL cared for unit close by). This upped my CFM to 12, enough to get by.



And me revisiting a maligned HF sandblaster I had hiding in the garage. I couldn't even give away on CL. Red POS you are.



There was simply too much rust to handle with magical potions.



In the end, with some fiddling, I was able to turn the POS HF sandlbaster into an effective beast, all for less than the $ of having someone blast it for me.

I am now a jedi of sandblasting. I can make a HF unit work. No fear of the dark side here. The youtube videos on this unit are so bad, even by the company rep, I'm thinking of making my own. I Certainly have the time.
Slowly plodding along...

[wayner]

Took the fender off to see if there was any dirt behind it, cut a hole in the tire to check inside, you really do have too much time on your hands

Nice

[sugarwood]

Make the video.
Time to give back