The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop E-tek tests paint-on rust products

Take a look at my latest blog posting for some experiences I've had with various rust paint products:

E-tek Restorations Rust Paint Tests

Have you had similar - or different - experiences with these products?

I like it!

...you don't have to sell me on Por15. It's been my drug of choice for years.
I had to grind some off the chassis to weld a bracket for the power steering box on my panel. While I'll admit I used a flap-disk on it I could still tell its some tough stuff. Nuff said!.

In using POR as a stand-alone product, painted over slight surface rust as you described, it was on there as if it had been powdercoated. Smacked it with a screwdriver a couple times, didn't even leave a mark.

On another occasion, we had some bare metal with some factory finish paint (from mid 50's) next to it, and the POR was used to cover both surfaces (for consistency). After curing, the POR peeled off in sheets from the painted surface.

This result told me it doesn't play nice with others, but as a stand-alone product was a good protectant for metal with slight surface rust. I'd be curious how the other products you tested adhere to other paint products. Got any leftover painted parts from the 56?

My experience was with Magnet Paints product Chassi Saver and mirrors yours. Great over rust... sucks over smooth bare metal, painted surfaces. I left it on the frame areas but removed it from the cab where I'd used it.

Number ONE most important thing about POR15 is that it NEEDS soemthing to bite to. Rust is perfect, but if you want to coat new metal or previously painted surfaces, you have to prepare them properly. New metal can be prepped with their Metal Prep, which gives it a slight etch, or it can be sanded with 80 on the DA, or hit with the grinder (though I'd still go over with the DA to make sure it's evenly scuffed). Painted suraces have to be well-sanded. I'd go with 320.

I full well understand sanding paint finishes, mechanical and chemical adhesion, and despite paint prep the POR peeled off. As someone responsible for the rust repair, the prep, and the painted products in my shop, I have to remove any such liability as this adhesion failure from my processes that would lead to rework.

I will use POR in inaccessible areas not affected by topcoat, such as inside of doors or other cavities. But for any area that is accessible for proper prep, ie: sandblasting or other abrading process, I use epoxy primer followed by the topcoat (given all the proper sanding steps in between). To date, using this process in my shop has been without any failure/peeling issues. Other than wetsanding, no special adhesion promoters or other crutches are required to insure one paint product plays nice with the others.

When POR was first formulated, I would suggest it was designed as a stand-alone product to combat rust issues. I've been there, done that. Bought POR years ago when all they sold was the black and silver, no other products. It wasn't until they realized it had UV deficiencies (fading on the black, silver turned a greenish shade) that they came out with other top-coating products, and it wasn't until they had adhesion issues that they started marketing their own adhesion promotor and metal etch. I don't need all these band-aids for epoxy primer to be compatible with the top coat of my choice, as a simple mechanical adhesion (wet sanding) will suffice. I stand by my statement that POR was/is a stand alone product as it does have adhesion issues with other manufacturer's products. Any calls to their tech line to discuss any failure of their product is quickly dismissed as an improper prep issue. As many of their customers are hobbyists who may be unfamiliar with how paint products should work together, they are more than accomodating to sell them more products to get the POR to function correctly for their circumstances.. If they are using it in conjunction with a top coated finish, hopefully it works for them.