Rust Converters, Fact or Fiction

[YotaBota]

I'm working on a rusty truck frame and am wondering if anyone has any experience with "Rust Converters" These products are supposed to neutralize rust and stop it from spreading. For every video/review that praises a product just as many call the product crap.
Do any of these products actually work for the long term?
Thanks

 

[Former Member]

They work on thin film rust in converting it to a stable form, expect it to turn a lump of rust into metal, nope.

 

[YotaBota]

expect it to turn a lump of rust into metal, nope

You mean that water can't be turned into wine???damn,, lol
I've read what they are supposed to do but do any of them actually work? I'm looking at Loctite SF 754, it's a top seller at the local auto parts store but I haven't seen any first hand long term reviews.

 

[Former Member]

Loctite is similar to Rust Converter as to further "rusts the rust" into a stable form (sorry forget the chemical reaction without doing some serious reading). Sorta like parkerizing. Yes it slows down further rust greatly.

There is another product that sorta reverses the rust process, great for delicate work and saving important tools. Lee Valley sells the product. Works well but is if a product isn't fully submerged it actual eats the metal at the transition point. It does require a final finish coat of something to prevent further rust.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/workshop/tool-maintenance/58771-evapo-rust?item=56Z8061

I have used both, tools and such I prefer the latter, less change in surface dimension. Outdoor exposure such as hardware, cars etc I prefer former. Short term its rust protected long term protecting is required.

One other note, on one you can re-use it, on the Loctite (or equivalent) it is a chemical reaction of the solution and it kicks off and renders the product useless in hours don't apply it from your storage container

 

[DavidR8]

I have used the Loctite product in the video @Degen linked and it works well. I was doing a body-off resto on a 1965 VW Karmann Ghia and I used the Loctite product to neutralize/stop the rust on the floor pans till I could get them properly treated. Worked very well.

 

[YotaBota]

I have used the Loctite product and it works well. I was doing a body-off resto on a 1965 VW Karmann Ghia and I used the Loctite product to neutralize/stop the rust on the floor pans till I could get them properly treated. Worked very well.

I'm hoping for this to be the long term solution. I bought a wrecking yard frame that has some flaking and a couple of places to repair but isn't to bad and I'm hoping the treatment will last years.
@David_R8 - by "properly treated" you mean blasted and primed/painted? How long after the Loctite before you had it properly treated?

 

[DavidR8]

I'm hoping for this to be the long term solution. I bought a wrecking yard frame that has some flaking and a couple of places to repair but isn't to bad and I'm hoping the treatment will last years.
@David_R8 - by "properly treated" you mean blasted and primed/painted? How long after the Loctite before you had it properly treated?

I eventually painted right over the Loctite product. Never had a problem.

 

[140mower]

I'm hoping for this to be the long term solution. I bought a wrecking yard frame that has some flaking and a couple of places to repair but isn't to bad and I'm hoping the treatment will last years.
@David_R8 - by "properly treated" you mean blasted and primed/painted? How long after the Loctite before you had it properly treated?

Out of curiosity, what flavor of truck are you working on?
I have used por15 in the past and it seemed to work quite well, fortunately (I hated that truck) we only had it for about five years after treatment, but it did appear to be an improvement.

 

[YotaBota]

2004 Tacoma, it has an "air-gap frame" above the rear axle on one side and mostly missing frame on the other side. If the previous owner had been a bit quicker he may have gotten a new frame under the recall but put off the inspection until it was to late.
@140mower - POR15 is supposed to be good but I've read quite a few accounts of it drying hard and brittle making it prone to cracking that lets the moisture back in to start the rusting over again. How long ago did you sell the truck and I wonder what it looks like now?
It's tough to know who to believe on the net, for every thumbs up there is a thumbs down. Nothing beats hands on experience.
Thanks folks.

 

[DavidR8]

2004 Tacoma, it has an "air-gap frame" above the rear axle on one side and mostly missing frame on the other side. If the previous owner had been a bit quicker he may have gotten a new frame under the recall but put off the inspection until it was to late.
@140mower - POR15 is supposed to be good but I've read quite a few accounts of it drying hard and brittle making it prone to cracking that lets the moisture back in to start the rusting over again. How long ago did you sell the truck and I wonder what it looks like now?
It's tough to know who to believe on the net, for every thumbs up there is a thumbs down. Nothing beats hands on experience.
Thanks folks.

I also looked at using POR-15 but at the time it was something like 4x the price of the Loctite product. Like you I had heard the same concerns around cracking. My impression of the difference between the two is that the POR-15 is more coating like vs. the Loctite Extend actually converts the rust to a stable form, similar to how rust bluing works.

 

[140mower]

It's been about two years since I last saw it, but it looked pretty good at the time. We wire brushed all of the loose scale before treatment and afterwards painted the frame with, I believe Valspar flat black rust paint, brushed on. I'm a believer in brushing paint on frames etc rather than spray as I think that it forces adhesion better than a spray gun does. ( I'm also pretty sure Santa is going to bring me a Red Rider BB gun for xmas this year as well. So, you know......) Did I mention that I didn't like that truck very much?

 

[YotaBota]

@140mower - Thanks, wire brush on the angle grinder is my plan and then also to brush paint the frame. I'm with you on the brush, that way I can work the paint into the nooks and crannies.
BTW - did you like the old truck? LOL

 

[140mower]

Loved the hell out of its taillights as it faded off into the distance......

 

[Felis]

Mike,
I did a frame off resto on a truck a few years ago. Stripping the frame to bare metal and painting it took me all summer to do.

I used an assortment of tools to strip it. Needle scaler, grinders of various sizes with a couple hundred dollars of disks and such, torch and scrapers, and finally glass media blasted. Every nook and cranny was stripped to bare steel.

I then applied epoxy coating and Raptor bed liner over the epoxy base. Yes, the polyurethane bed liner is somewhat brittle and it can chip with a hard stone hit, but the chip does not go into the epoxy base. The barrier remains intact.

I have used POR 15 too. It is good paint, but it needs rust, or at least a rough surface for it to stick to. On smooth bare metal, it will easily peel away. Further, it is not uv resistant, so it needs a coating of something if exposed to sunlight.

 

[YotaBota]

Every nook and cranny was stripped to bare steel.

I'm afraid that if I try going down to bare metal I'll be looking for another frame. That's why I'm going to just knock of the loose stuff and try the Loctite rust converter. It's not a restoration, the truck is my yard ape and garbage scow but it needs to be solid. I'll be topcoating with one of the name brand rust paints and probably an undercoating on top of that, hopefully I get another 15+ years from it.

 

[Dabbler]

I've used now-dufunct General Paints rust converter on trailer restorations before. You have to knock off the worst of the flaky rust with a wire wheel before applying it -- I found it did a great job and I just overcoated it with Tremclad, which is what I had on hand. About 5 years after, the rust starts breaking through again. These products don't worrk miracles, but I'm happy with the result.

 

[YotaBota]

I had some stuff called "Conquest" years ago that worked as well but searches have come up empty.
I bought the Loctite stuff so we'll see what happens.

 

[YotaBota]

Time for an update. The truck is on the road but I can't say I'm pleased with the frame.
I bought LocTite Extend because my research showed it was the best compromise of all the products out available. I followed the instructions to the letter, brushed on two coats and within two days the rust was bleeding thru. Talked to the local LocTite rep and he sent me another bottle to try, it was better but rust still bled thru within a week. I ended up putting on five coats of the stuff in a couple of places and the rust is still bleeding thru. So I used the rest of the bottle and covered the frame in a couple of more coats, added two coats of Tremclad and am hoping it last for a few years.
Maybe the rust on my frame was beyond the capabilities of the product but there are no limitations listed on the bottle as to the extend of rust that is treatable. It seemed to be okay on the light rust but then if the rust is that light, sand or blast it down to good metal and prime/paint it.
If I had been waiting for a better frame to come along then I would still not have a drive-able truck because good condition frames are hard to come by and there are no new ones available.
Bottom line, for me LocTite Extend did not work as advertised and if there is a next time I'll try something else or wait for a frame that only needs a blast and paint. I wasn't expecting "miracles" but I wasn't expecting rust returning within a couple of days of application.

 

[cjmac]

I have a lot of rusty metal to contend with in the future so, I have been reading lots about the various rust converters and processes. This past few months I started doing experiments. First with EvapoRust, which has been mentioned above and just for fun I put some rusty fittings in a jar of Coke (Classic) for a few weeks. EvapoRust is great, but expensive. The Coke did actually remove rust, but not as well as EvapoRust. Going forward, the next experiment is electrolysis with washing soda and water. I eventually want to try that with a hood for a 1959 Impala. I will post about my experiments as they get done.