How would you treat this surface rust?

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Up fixin der garden tractor. This is another old ford I got from my dad. 1972 ford lgt.

My sandblaster/ compressor sucks. It doesn't have the wheaties to get all this.
After some time with strypeeze... I am here.

What do you suggest?
I've had mixed results with por-15, for me, it works well staining my hands, but the rust comes back.

When I try HCL or phosphoric treatments, I bungle the neutralization process, and the rust comes back.

I'm thinking trying some ace hardware rust converter. Cheap, easy, and gets good internet reviews in relation to Por-15.

This is versus sucking it up and buying more sand to just plug on through the sandblasting process.

edit- I'm not bashing the acids/por-15 product either, I may have been doing it wrong in the past (last time I used either one, I was a teenager).

Since I'm currently on partial sabbatical due to a certain pandemic, I don't want to pour $$$ into a garden tractor project that I don't even need. It is sentimental value only. It's easy to dump $2k into a project like this if not careful. Need to keep the expenditures on the down low.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Oh yeah... pics...

[Tidybuoy]

I've had pretty good success using oven cleaner on parts like that. Also great for cleaning filthy dirty transmissions.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

I've had pretty good success using oven cleaner on parts like that. Also great for cleaning filthy dirty transmissions.

Ha! I've got some filthy dirty transmission too... I had no idea alkaline concoctions could remove rust like acids- cool.

Do you just wash it with water afterwards on the bare metal?

[widebody911]

Personally, I'd media blast it and then shoot it with an epoxy primer, but I have that stuff on-hand

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Personally, I'd media blast it and then shoot it with an epoxy primer, but I have that stuff on-hand

I'm also thinking I might use some spare plastic I've got laying around and make a blasting booth. I'd need something big enough to get the rear fenders into. My biggest gripe right now is that the sandblaster makes slow progress, and the media is just blowing away. I've had some luck blasting some smaller things in a trash can, but the larger pieces don't fit. Also think I need some finer grit to get into the some of the deeper pitting. current grit is not getting it.

I'm not averse to buying some epoxy primer. Arghh. Big $$$ project here I come!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

$25 to $50 at local blasting shop then epoxy primer.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by widebody911

then shoot it with an epoxy primer

My thoughts too.

The hood on the 911 had some rust and I couldn't be bothered doing a proper job on it. I just wanted it to be legal. So I scraped the rust off with a house paint scraper, scotchbrite scrubbed it with phosphoric acid, then dumped a couple of coats of epoxy on it. Wow, best rust repair I've ever done. Years ago and no signs of rust.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

$25 to $50 at local blasting shop then epoxy primer.

Wow! That's a huge savings. Okay- let me ask this- Seems like every time I have "my guy" do this for me, it ends up costing a lot more, like $3-4 hundred at least. IIRC- they were a machine shop, and didn't do a lot of blasting, and they did some welding, but still, it seems like they don't like to blast, and were passing the hassle onto me (this being a previous similar tractor as well as some other odd projects.)

You've probably got much more experience with this- would you have any ballpark what something like this should go for- blasting hood/rear fender/mower deck/rims? Just the bare parts, I'd do all the disassembly etc...

I've always thought that I was paying a "reasonable" fee, but I've never shopped around. Pretty rural out here. I'm thinking with the extra stuff, deck, wheels, etc, I'd be right back at what I paid the first time.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

When I try HCL or phosphoric treatments, I bungle the neutralization process, and the rust comes back.

Same here.
I've always experienced same-day phosphoric flash rust treatment after following directions sourced from a good paint shop.
Frustrating. Probably user error. It said to clean with water after application.
Local bad weather and having to leave bare metal exposed for days ruins any work done.

Here is one direct metal treatment found on the 'net:
https://www.bing.com/search?form=MOZTSB&pc=MOZI&q=hydrate+80+rust+killer

After painting and touchup:
https://www.bing.com/search?q=acf50+vs+corrosionx&qs=AS&pq=acf50+vs+c&sc=1-10&cvid=E7508A740CEF4B5E8BEB88E1B49E2180&FORM=QBRE&sp=1 ACF-50
https://www.bing.com/search?form=MOZCON&pc=MOZI&q=Collenite+Insulator+Wax Collenite Insulator Wax
https://www.bing.com/search?form=MOZCON&pc=MOZI&q=LPS3 LPS3

The option of spray can seems like an easier option for the layman and small jobs.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

You've probably got much more experience with this- would you have any ballpark what something like this should go for- blasting hood/rear fender/mower deck/rims? Just the bare parts, I'd do all the disassembly etc...

Find an industrial powder coating facility.

My place in rural Ohio is about $80 per hour but they have a flame-thrower sized blaster.

My guess is $200 for the lot BUT then they like you to powder coat in conjunction with the blasting.

[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.

[Bob Kontak]

This guy uses muriatic acid. It's a little scary but sure looks effective. He talks about the neutralization process.

[john70t]

Is baking soda actually conducive to rust?

Acid will eat the rust but it will also eat the metal a little bit.
UCSB Science Line
"However, the acid will also oxidize the metal further, forming more rust,"

He brushes on the acid. Shouldn't he spray any potential treatment instead?
The brush only fixes what it touches.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

okay- I'm over at my wife's house (it's complicated ) and only have the hood. She had some oven cleaner- so I sprayed that on for tonight. I have never heard of using a base to remove rust. So let's try! This will give me time to go over all the links suggested here.

Tell you what, it hasn't had time to remove any rust, so I will report back tomorrow, but the oven cleaner really cleans up dirt fast, and gives the hood a nice clean oveny feel! Just look at that bacony grease coming off!

Will report back tomorrow.

[cabmandone]

I'm gonna sell my water blaster attachment for my pressure washer! You just need a pressure washer that'll do 4gpm flow. Then you need some media and some rust inhibitor to rinse the piece with when you're done.

[Crowbob]

Surface rust? What’s surface rust?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Wow! That's a huge savings. Okay- let me ask this- Seems like every time I have "my guy" do this for me, it ends up costing a lot more, like $3-4 hundred at least. IIRC- they were a machine shop, and didn't do a lot of blasting, and they did some welding, but still, it seems like they don't like to blast, and were passing the hassle onto me (this being a previous similar tractor as well as some other odd projects.)

You've probably got much more experience with this- would you have any ballpark what something like this should go for- blasting hood/rear fender/mower deck/rims? Just the bare parts, I'd do all the disassembly etc...

I've always thought that I was paying a "reasonable" fee, but I've never shopped around. Pretty rural out here. I'm thinking with the extra stuff, deck, wheels, etc, I'd be right back at what I paid the first time.

I've got a huge blast cabinet myself but have had an entire 911 body blasted and a pair of doors and then random sheetmetal. Place in NH. Female owned blaster. 911 was $500, doors were $100 for the pair. Maybe she was sweet on me. Don't know but pricing seemed right too. She wears a complete deep sea diver outfit with air and blasts away in a room. Doors probably took her 10 minutes if that. 911 body, an hour. So she's making good money.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

She wears a complete deep sea diver outfit with air and blasts away in a room.

I got wood dood.

Stop.

[Brian 162]

I had rusted steel wheels for my winter tires. I used a wire wheel and sanded everywhere else.
I tried POR-15 for the first time. I used their metal prep before applying POR-15. After it dried I painted over the POR-15 with Rustoleum. So far so good, it held up this past winter.