Best Rust Inhibiting Undercoating

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Not interested in rubber undercoating or paint but something I can apply yearly to prevent further rusting of my plow truck.

Homemade suggestions consist of, motor oil, diesel, kerosene, bar and chain oil, soybean oil or vegetable oil.

Dedicated rust inhibiting products also suggested are fluid film, boeshield, waxoyl, lps3 and krown.

I would like to stay with a homemade rust inhibitor to save money but am still open to all ideas. I'm leaning towards soybean oil or fluid film. Any suggestions are appreciated. Please lets not turn this into a discussion over what coatings are better or worse for the environment, I am well aware. Thanks.
 
I like Fluid Film because I can comfortably do it myself.

Drips aren't super toxic, and it is relatively benign.

It doesn't go crazy attacking rubber on your vehicle, but I would try to avoid getting it on boots and rubber as best as I could.

It is very pricey for us up here in Canada, 15$ a can.

But, if you know what to spray and what to not bother with, you can do a lot of good for your car doors with only one can.
 
Best I can tell, anything is better than nothing. From what I've read there is stuff better than Fluid Film. But it costs more. Supposedly it lasts longer. But if I have to be around/under the car twice a year for rotations/oil change/etc, well, it's not hard to reapply as necessary.

I found the best price for the spray cans at McMaster-Carr. This summer I might buy a gallon with a sprayer just to try out, as it is signficantly cheaper per ounce, but the spray cans are pretty easy to use.
 
McMaster-Carr
12055K74
$7.71/can if you buy 12+ cans.
I think I bought 16 cans for $120 shipped, would have to find the receipt, might have been cheaper than that.
 
Gallon of fluid film on eBay 43 bucks. Would I be able to apply this with something like a used windex spray bottle or a pump sprayer?
 
Originally Posted By: DoiInthanon
You can use cosmoline.

Where do you find your Cosmoline? Brownell's used to stock it until the manufacturer stopped making it. But Brownell's now has a very similar product called "Rust Veto", which I use for small applications.
 
Wow the McMaster deal is awesome.

12 cans of FF is nothing if you have 2 cars to treat in the rust belt.

I think the only way to effectively spray FF out of gallon paint cans is to have access to shop air.

This stuff is like thick maple caramel, people pre-warm it to get it to spray properly IIRC.

With the McMaster deal Supton listed I wouldn't bother with the gallon cans.
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: DoiInthanon
You can use cosmoline.

Where do you find your Cosmoline? Brownell's used to stock it until the manufacturer stopped making it. But Brownell's now has a very similar product called "Rust Veto", which I use for small applications.
I got mine at Brownells. Gallon can. Gonna last me a long time. I was shocked at the price for Rust Veto!
 
italian68,

Here's a link to a Canadian Defense department study. Starting on page 8 is a test review of 7 commercial products.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshufti.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fp526285.pdf&ei=BP_FUpSkJOScyQGrqoDACw&usg=AFQjCNGpAvEEfOjh8XwDm74XehUyAtsz2w&bvm=bv.58187178,d.aWc&cad=rja


Edit; trying to find a better link!!!
 
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Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Here's a link to a Canadian Defense department study. Starting on page 8 is a test review of 7 commercial products.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshufti.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fp526285.pdf&ei=BP_FUpSkJOScyQGrqoDACw&usg=AFQjCNGpAvEEfOjh8XwDm74XehUyAtsz2w&bvm=bv.58187178,d.aWc&cad=rja


Edit; trying to find a better link!!!

Here are two better links:
doitmyself's original long link, properly coded

...and what the above Google search actually brings up:
http://shufti.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/p526285.pdf
 
Originally Posted By: italian68
Gallon of fluid film on eBay 43 bucks. Would I be able to apply this with something like a used windex spray bottle or a pump sprayer?


That's a great question! I don't think so, but I'd love to know for sure!
 
Fluid Film's web site FAQ says:

I have a gallon of FLUID FILM and want to thin it down. How can I do that?
The first recommendation is to thoroughly mix the product. FLUID FILM is thixotropic, and will get heavier upon sitting. Achieving room temperature with the product will help as well. If a thinner version is wanted, start by mixing a small amount of vegetable oil to the product until the desired consistency is reached. It is not recommended that FLUID FILM be used in a pump type sprayer even after thinning. Airless paint spraying equipment is what is recommended for proper application, applied at approximately 2000 PSI as a minimum.


What can I use to spray FLUID FILM in its bulk form? Will a pump up sprayer work?
No. The most efficient way to apply FLUID FILM in its bulk form is with the use of standard airless paint spraying equipment. Airless paint sprayers operate under high pressure, usually between 1500 - 3500 PSI, which atomize paint into tiny droplets, propelling them towards the desired equipment. We recommend a minimum of around 2000 PSI. Applied at a film thickness of 3 - 4 mil, this will cover approximately 250 sq. ft. per gallon. We also recommend a spray tip of between 515 -517 for best atomization.


Check out the FAQ at this site also, which sells an air compressor powered spray gun.

http://www.kellsportproducts.com/ This link has been posted at BITOG many times.

And, regarding a pump bottle: http://www.kellsportproducts.com/NAS12big.html
 
Originally Posted By: DoiInthanon
I got mine [Cosmoline] at Brownells. Gallon can. Gonna last me a long time. I was shocked at the price for Rust Veto!

So was I, but my pint can -- bought in the '90s -- finally ran out and all Brownell's had was Rust Veto, so I bought a new pint can of that.

Hey Brownell's, your "Rust Veto" is a pretty good product but...that name...that name...it's dumb. Can't your marketing guys come up with something better? How about "CosmoTec"? The "Tec" is meant to suggest "protection", not "technology", while the "Cosmo" maintains a link to the original, now-discontinued product. The name is yours, gratis; copyright-free; no strings attached. You're welcome. PM me if you need any further info.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
McMaster-Carr
12055K74
$7.71/can if you buy 12+ cans.
I think I bought 16 cans for $120 shipped, would have to find the receipt, might have been cheaper than that.


For future reference, check ebay. You may be able to do better if you want a 12 pack.

I just looked and you can get a 12-pack for $6.65 per can shipped from one seller that seems to sell a lot of fluid film in bulk. I bought a 6-pack recently and it came out to $7.93 per can shipped.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUID-FILM-CORRO...=item417793c052
 
AMSOIL Heavy-Duty Metal Protector or CorrosionX HD. Fluid film doesnt hold up well in high wash areas.
 
Rub the rust with aluminium, with a light coating of sunflower oil, on a dry, sunny day.

By hand, use aluminium foil, but power abrading with tube/beercan is better.

Works really well and costs essentially nothing, provided you don't buy the beer cans specially.

(Boiled) linseed oil would probably be a better binder but I havn't tried it, since I can't get it here AFAIK.

You want as unstable oil (with a lot of double bonds) as possible, so it'll set. Castor oil/rapeseed/cannola oils are relatively stable (hence their use as lubricants) so unsuitable.

Soy bean tends to grow a black mould, not sure why. Perhaps it has a higher carbohydrate or protein content.
 
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Above was assuming a surface coating (essentially a paint, as I thought "undercoating" implied, though I've never tried to over-paint it.)

I've also sprayed SFO (optionally mixed with motor oil) thinned with diesel, kerosene or water. It works, but I dunno what the optimum mix is, and you loose the protective benefit of the aluminium when you spray it.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...ick#Post3229614
 
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When I bare-metalled my floorpan to re-seal, after a weekend of wire wheels and heat guns and scrapers, I used high zinc primer on the bare metal, 4 litres of cavity wax till it was dripping out of every seam, let it dry and then 2 coats of epoxy mastic. let that seal then gave it a thick coat of stonechip, then colour ontop of the stonechip to seal it all in.

Very OTT, but I like to do things properly and know that I wont have to do the job again in 6 months
 
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