Simon Honours

RUST REMOVAL MADE EASY "The best paint-on application for rust removal” What is rust? Rust is a nasty consequence and result of oxidation to metal where it undergoes a chemical change to its exposed surfaces. It is exacerbated by harsher environmental conditions. It can happen to any metal surface and happens faster in the presence of moisture. It’s a real pain; it’s an eyesore and if left untreated, it’ll continue to get worse, eventually eroding away at the structural integrity of the material. North Carolina’s climate is fantastic for the development of rust: its high-humidity and sub-tropical climate eats at any metal surface with little relief from the short, mild winters. Heavy rainfall doesn’t help either. This might seem far from harsh, but the humidity and hot sun causes all the problems. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that exposed surfaces are correctly treated. The best way to treat rust is to prevent it in the first place. Let’s look some of the many ways to prevent or minimize rust in the beginning long before there’s any chance of corrosion: 1. Use stainless steel products wherever feasible. However, these can be costly and don’t always justify the spend. 2. Ideally, any metal product should be treated according to its estimated life-span and anticipated environment, but this is very hard to do effectively and cost efficiently. More importantly, manufacturers will generally keep production costs as low as possible to maximize margins. This means that poorer quality metals with a far higher risk of rusting are used in the process. 3. Manufacturers who deliver treated metal products will ensure that all metal surfaces are: 3.1. Cleaned before surface treatment; 3.2. Primed with a certified metal primer. Note that this must be specific to the metal type, for instance, priming copper uses a different product to priming steel. 3.3. After priming, paint the surface with a reputable topcoat (generally 2 topcoats are required). This seals it all in. 4. You can also treat the metal with hot-dip galvanizing: this is the process of coating metal with zinc. The zinc coating oxidizes over time effectively protecting the metal beneath. But alas, hindsight is 20/20 as they say. The best thing is to catch it early. Generally speaking, the longer that it’s left untreated, the worse it will get and the harder it will be to treat. Fortunately, there is hope and there are many ways to remove rust. Consider some of these mechanical options: ▪ Abrasive-blasting or sand-blasting propels abrasives under high pressure removing surface contaminants. ▪ Dry-ice blasting is similar but dry-ice is used instead. ▪ Sandpaper is a sheet of paper or cloth coated with abrasive material on one face. You sand something by rubbing the sandpaper directly to the surface you want to treat. These will only give a short-lived solution if not followed up with post-removal paint-on treatments and are generally only used where the rust is severe, and the material being treated is salvageable. The most important thing to do when using mechanical methods is to immediately apply paint-on rust-preventative treatments. Sadly though, in some cases, the rust can be so bad that the material needs to be replaced entirely. Applying rust removal paint is the by far the gentlest solution as it is non-invasive and requires very little effort at all. If you can use a spray gun or paint brush, you’re in business. Paint-on rust treatment is specifically designed to treat only the oxidized material and not the metal itself. Generally, it contains phosphoric acid in solution which causes a chemical reaction converting between the paint and the rust turning the rust into a water-soluble compound. It is simply brushed or sprayed thoroughly onto the affected surface and left to work its magic, afterwhich you literally wash the rust (the ex-rust, that is to say) away. It’s that simple! Industrial paint-on solutions are generally far stronger than their house-hold counterparts and will require specialized application processes adhering to safety standards. You can purchase rust removal paint at just about any general store or hardware store, otherwise, there are paint specialists easy to reach that will help you not only with the best solution but also give you the best advice. Simply Google “rust removal paint near my location” and you’re in luck. Most suppliers will even deliver or FedEx the rust removal paint-on solution right to your door! Some of the highest reviewed rust-removal paint-on products for 2019 are: ▪ "Rid O' Rust" Liquid Rust Stain Remover, ▪ "Whink 1081" Rust Stain Remover, ▪ "Summit" Brands Iron-out rust-remover powder. If you’re feeling really lazy or just simply don’t have the time to do it yourself, you can always hire a professional to do it for you. For Industrial cleaning give “Hennigan Engineering Co.” a call. Otherwise go knock on the door of any local cleaning service and they should be able to help out. Also check out these great suppliers in North Carolina: ▪ “Automotive Fasteners” have outlets in Greensboro, High Point, Wilson and Winston Salem, distributes flammable rust removers, solvents and rust-proofing compounds. ▪ “Milanco Inc.” in Gastonia manufactures all manner of rust preventive solvents, corrosion inhibitors, rust removers etc. ▪ The “Heritage Lumber Company” in Burnsville distributes all kinds of rust removers, and solvent and rust-proofing compounds. ▪ Go look at Wright Paint for some great products and advice. You can reach them at www.wrightpaint.com or call them on-. ▪ Why not give Hennigan Engineering call on- or visit their website www.henniganengineering.com All-in-all, don’t dismay, for help is at hand. We’ve explored: ▪ What rust is and how it occurs; ▪ How to prevent it in the first place; ▪ What treatments are available; ▪ We’ve specifically focused on paint-on rust removal treatments; ▪ And we’ve even provided you with some great examples on where to find the best products in North Carolina. The rest is up to you. Remember, the longer you leave the problem untreated, the worse the rust will get. So, don’t delay, go check out the nearest general store to you and get cracking on your paint-on rust removal solution today!