Stopping Surface Rust On Sheet Metal

The best way to avoid surface rust is to keep a small bottle of automotive paint color to match your vehicle in your garage and touch up minor nicks and scratches as they happen.

Stopping surface rust on sheet metal.

However if the surface still has pockmarks swirls or scratches use a sandable or filler primer to fill in the depressions. Then when no more rust. Light surface rust use 000 or 0000 steel wool and polish the surface until you re free of rust and have a smooth surface. No matter how you get the rust off you still have to prime before painting.

Begin by prepping the metal s surface by cleaning it with mineral spirits which will remove any grease and grime. The gempler works just like any other car rust treatment. Once it s applied it reacts chemically with the rust on your metal s surface converting said rust into an inert black protective barrier meant to keep both oxygen and moisture out. It can also stop rust and prevent it from further spreading on the surface of your favorite machinery.

Structurally surface rust is not a problem and depending on the metal s thickness and alloy composition a level of passivation may even be reached where the surface rust actually guards the. Moderate rust depending where you are on the rust scale a more aggressive steel wool like a 0 1 2 grade may do the trick and then finish with the 0000 to put some polish on the surface. Surface rust is the easiest to eliminate especially in sheetmetal where excessive pitting has not formed. You can paint over rust and tight paint.

There are a number of rust removal products but the simplest is a quick scuffing with. Rust doctor can be sprayed brushed or rolled over rusty metal. To avoid this detach any hardware screws nails etc from the metal surface then run over it with a wire brush or sandpaper to scrape off as much rust as possible. The chromium in the alloy oxidizes quickly to form a protective layer of chromium oxide on the metal surface which prevents oxygen from reaching the underlying steel.

After rust doctor has cured it can be topcoated with virtually all types of paint or you can just leave it black. Rust doctor turns the rust to a non rusting black iron oxide that will never rust and protects the base metal from rusting. Prevent oxygen and moisture from making contact with the metal.