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Old 03-13-2017, 01:45 PM   #1
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Best Remedy for Rust?

Ok, so the seats are out and the subfloor as well, so we're preparing to build up the inside. I have found a few spots of rust that are deep, most of it is in pretty good shape.

I was thinking of painting the floor before building it up as a moisture barrier as well to inhibit any further rust. Does anyone have any good solutions to take care of this, to ensure that it is as long lasting as possible?

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Old 03-13-2017, 01:52 PM   #2
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Ok, so the seats are out and the subfloor as well, so we're preparing to build up the inside. I have found a few spots of rust that are deep, most of it is in pretty good shape.

I was thinking of painting the floor before building it up as a moisture barrier as well to inhibit any further rust. Does anyone have any good solutions to take care of this, to ensure that it is as long lasting as possible?
The consensus is to take care of heavy rust mechanically, patch any holes/voids, then treat with a rust converter (such as ospho) then paint with a rust inhibitive paint.

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Old 03-13-2017, 01:59 PM   #3
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The consensus is to take care of heavy rust mechanically, patch any holes/voids, then treat with a rust converter (such as ospho) then paint with a rust inhibitive paint.

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Says it all.
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Old 03-14-2017, 06:35 AM   #4
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I use this stuff for rust including the worst motorcycle gas tanks. Available at Home Depot.

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Old 03-14-2017, 06:37 AM   #5
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Yup that stuff is same as ospho.
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Old 03-16-2017, 03:06 AM   #6
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I saw it and wondered if I should get it and now I think I will. I was impressed when I read the label. I like that it etches the metal. Should make lighter work of removing the rust. I got one floor board up at the front of my bus and found alot of rust....I'm using sanding discs like they're going out of style and doing pretty good at it too but using this when I'm done I think will be awesome because the rust made the metal porous and leaves tiny dots of rust....the etching will work fantastic. I'm dealing with the rust one floor board at a time....take up a floor board, fix the rust....that's the way I have to do it so the job won't feel overwhelming

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Old 03-16-2017, 08:09 AM   #7
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It also leaves a coating on the fresh steel to help prevent flash rust.
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:17 AM   #8
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I took some advice without looking into it first and now I'm semi worried. If I were you I would definitely go the rust converter route, I did not. I angle grinded it down as much as possible, after that I bondo over it and now I'm preparing to paint Rust-Oleum over it. Really hoping that's enough. I don't think I could have possibly grinded it out anymore so fingers crossed
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Old 03-16-2017, 01:25 PM   #9
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On my first bus I wire wheeled the rust off the steel floor as much as possible and then coated it with Blackjack roof sealant. It's basically tar with thinners that's about the consistency of mortar when cold. It's obviously petroleum based and didn't stink up the bus as I had expected.

I had precut and marked the replacement plywood I'd cut for the floor. I used a mortar comb to evenly spread the Blackjack and laid the plywood down just like large tiles. Screw the plywood down and it's ready for linoleum.

Obviously I wasn't on a bus build site at that time as I didn't know they existed. The Blackjack actually did work quite well and I'd guarantee water has not rusted the steel sub-floor in that bus. The plywood has gotten soft again after 20 years, but that's because the bus has those bad large once piece windows that allow water to drain into the walls.

Blackjack is unorthodox, I know, but it was effective. It stops the rust permanently and prevents water from contacting the steel sub-floor. The Blackjack didn't stink even during the hot summer days when the bus was closed up. It also penetrated all the screw holes in the floor.

Now I don't buy buses with soft floors. Still in favor of bookmobiles.
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Old 03-31-2017, 01:46 PM   #10
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I'm using Etch & Prep and I really like it. Then I'll be putting a heavy coating of Rustoleum Metal Primer paint to cover the entire interior of the bus.

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Old 03-31-2017, 02:57 PM   #11
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I'm using Etch & Prep and I really like it. Then I'll be putting a heavy coating of Rustoleum Metal Primer paint to cover the entire interior of the bus.

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YES! That's what I've been doin!
Ospho then Rusty Metal Primer. Even added some hardener for the hell of it.
I MAY even topcoat the primer, too. For the hell of it!
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Old 02-08-2021, 09:45 PM   #12
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Needing some advice! Rusty bus floor and small wholes from bolts!

Hello!
I am currently in the flooring process of my bus. Everything has been gutted out at this point, we even started sanding the floor and spraying it.

Here is the process that we took sometime ago.
Gutted the bus, sanded the floor/rust, Painted corroseal on the newly sanded parts, then whatever didn't turn black we sanded again, did another layer of corroseal and then spray painted what was converted to prevent more rust.

Here's where we messed up...Leaving the windows down and the roof emergency door open, and it rained...oops!

So here's my question. To save time because I am heavily approaching my deadline...should I just sandblast the floor? I just watched a video of someone sandblasted with aluminum oxide and a sandblaster that he got from harbor freight. It worked pretty well...I'm just not sure that it's going to thoroughly do the job. I just want the rust GONE!

Most of the large wholes by the wheel well was so rusted that it ate through it. Those large wholes have already been wielded. Now there are only the small wholes where the bolts were for the seats. I've seen where someone put caulk and pennies on top. I don't want to have to weld those small areas. I don't think its worth it at that point. Any suggestions?

Also I am learning all of this mainly on my own. I learn fast and can do thorough research once pointed in the right direction. So please be patient with me! Thanks!
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Old 02-08-2021, 10:09 PM   #13
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sanded the floor/rust, Painted corroseal on the newly sanded parts, then whatever didn't turn black we sanded again, did another layer of corroseal and then spray painted what was converted to prevent more rust.
So, this should have done the trick as far as protecting your floor, such that leaving the windows open and getting some water inside wouldn't affect the floor at all. I did essentially the same thing as you, only with Ospho instead of Corroseal and then Rustoleum primer and enamel paint; a few times since I have gotten water inside the bus, and it just beads up on the surface now and eventually dries up. If you're seeing rust through the spray paint after it gets water on it once or twice, that's an indication that some step in the process isn't working - probably that the primer and paint layers are not going down correctly or are the wrong type of primer and paint or are not thick enough.

I think sandblasting is something that is effective but unnecessary. You can remove all the rust chemically with rust converters and it's a lot easier and cheaper than sandblasting.

Gluing pennies over the bolt holes is fine - very common and nobody has fallen through their floor as the result of galvanic corrosion yet. I welded all the holes in my floor and I probably should have just glued pennies down, but it's all good.
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Old 02-08-2021, 10:22 PM   #14
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Thanks! Humm...have to do some more research on why to understand what went wrong because it has never beaded up like what you're saying. Do you recall what you used and how many layers?

Since I'm still seeing rust through it all would you advice to remove it all over and then treat it? Or can I go ahead and treat it? It has also gotten somewhat gunky, it kinda seems as though it needs a scrub down at this point.
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Old 02-08-2021, 10:24 PM   #15
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Is rust washing off the walls onto the floor?
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Old 02-08-2021, 10:27 PM   #16
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No the walls are actually ok. I think one corner has a window leak. I'll be sealing those soon.
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Old 02-08-2021, 10:33 PM   #17
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Thanks! Humm...have to do some more research on why to understand what went wrong because it has never beaded up like what you're saying. Do you recall what you used and how many layers?

Since I'm still seeing rust through it all would you advice to remove it all over and then treat it? Or can I go ahead and treat it? It has also gotten somewhat gunky, it kinda seems as though it needs a scrub down at this point.
I probably did at least 4 or 5 layers of Ospho, brushing it on and letting it dry overnight after each coat, then lightly wire-brushing the residue and applying the next coat. I did this until I stopped seeing brown (rust) when I scraped the ospho residue with a screwdriver. I think Corroseal would be applied the same way but I've never used it.

I then wiped the floor down with mineral spirits and rags and let that all evaporate, then painted with a single coat of Rustoleum rusty metal primer. I let that dry for at least a day then sealed the edges of all my welded floor patches with Dynatron-550 (and then let that dry for at least a day). I then painted two coats of Rustoleum high-performance enamel, with more like two days in between coats. Each coat was pretty thick, a lot thicker that you'll get from a rattle can sprayed just enough to cover the surface.

I would definitely brush (or roll) the primer and paint on the floor as opposed to spraying. It doesn't matter at all what it looks like and you can get a thicker coat on with a brush.
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Old 02-08-2021, 11:05 PM   #18
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Ahhh! Makes sense! I'll roll it in this time! Thanks!

Did you wait so that it could thoroughly dry, or just being extra cautious? Did the weather affect the curing process at all. It was very humid for me. I felt like that prolonged the process 10 fold. I honestly don't know if that has anything to do with it.
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Old 02-08-2021, 11:32 PM   #19
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I was trying to do the painting as quickly as possible, so I let stuff dry the bare minimum before I felt I could do the next coat. Usually the first coat of the HP enamel was still a bit tacky when I put the second coat down.

Humidity does slow down drying and curing, as does cold. I did most of my floor painting at the lowest possible temperatures above 50F but it all came out pretty well. I did some scratch testing on it more than a month afterwards and it's adhering very well. Which doesn't surprise me because when I first bought my bus and removed the seats, a bunch of rusted brackets came off the underside (these are used on the underside to allow the seat bolts to go through the crossmembers - I only became aware of them as they gradually fell off once I had cut the seats out from above) and I used these to experiment with various ways of treating and painting rusted metal.

One of the most effective ways was to just wire-brush the loose rust off and paint with the rustoleum rusty metal primer and then the two coats of enamel - without even using ospho or naval jelly. The primer is formulated to encapsulate the rust layer and to bond through it to the healthy metal below; according to their documentation this involves fish oil of some sort. This all sounds totally preposterous to me, but on the samples done this way it is as difficult to scrape through the paint layer with a screwdriver as it is with the factory paint on the outside of my bus.

I treated the floor with ospho anyway just because I don't like the thought of the rust layer still being there under the paint. It's also very, very satisfying to apply ospho to badly rusted steel and watch it foam away. Like, I might drive an hour each way just for the chance to ospho somebody else's bus floor. Maybe farther if it's as bad as mine was.
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Old 05-02-2021, 08:42 PM   #20
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Has anyone used Oxalic Acid to remove surface rust before Phosphoric Acid? I tried sanding and grinding but it’s going to take too long to dol the entire floor.



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