My attempt at Fluid Film rust prevention -PICS-

[stenerson]

Local shop did my wife's suburu for 100 bucks.
I did my truck myself. Bought a gallon of the stuff and sprayed it all over frame/undercarrage a couple years ago. This year I sprayed a diy mix of mineral spirits, non-detergent oil/parafin wax.
I used a can of LPS 3 Premier Rust Inhibitor. That stuff seems more durable than FF. The cans were priced the same but the gallon jugs are crazy expensive.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Does Fluid Film last as long as something like Amsoil's Heavy Duty Metal Protector?


Stuff like HDMP isn't suitable for exposed surfaces, IMO.. I've heard reports of thick wax not self heal in cold conditions and create water bubbles underneath.

I've gotten rust on some screws underhood that I coated too.


Good to know. I used it on my Amsoil HDMP on Jeep when I bought it new in 08, and re-coated it twice. I was satisfied with the results and mentioned it here a few times. I have no rust to report, but I won't be buying anymore. I will use something else in the future to re-coat it.

Do you guys think with a little time and patience you can achieve good results with a spray bomb and wands, or is a paint sprayer the way to go with these products?

 

[stephen9666]

I found a local place that does a dual-stage undercoating. Stage one is a waxy rust-preventative spray. The second stage is a black rubberized undercoating, which I'm not really interested in.

They seemed to indicate it was all or none, and I couldn't get just the rust preventative part. They wanted $499.

I think I'll stick to my DIY efforts at that price. I could stomach $100 to maybe $250 for something good quality, but not $500.

 

[FXjohn]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I found a local place that does a dual-stage undercoating. Stage one is a waxy rust-preventative spray. The second stage is a black rubberized undercoating, which I'm not really interested in.

They seemed to indicate it was all or none, and I couldn't get just the rust preventative part. They wanted $499.

I think I'll stick to my DIY efforts at that price. I could stomach $100 to maybe $250 for something good quality, but not $500.


Corrosion free for example is 59 and 129

http://www.corrosionfree.com/services.php

 

[supton]

I figure, I need to rotate wheels a couple times a year, it is easy to spray a bit more on. The straw on the spray can is very directive, and can be forced into small holes.

 

[stenerson]

One local shop starting doing fluid film this year now they all are.

 

[stephen9666]

UPDATE 11-30-2014

I recently decided to try a cheap airless paint sprayer to spray bulk Fluid Film and so far I’m pretty pleased with the results.

This method will be cheaper per vehicle than using spray cans of fluid film. But my airless paint sprayer doesn’t really have a way to get into places like frame rails, so I still may need some cans in the future to use with my 360 nozzle in the original post.

What I purchased:
-Harbor Freight 60446 paint sprayer for about $17
-One gallon of Fluid Film for $49 shipped
-Cheap ladle and kitchen spatulas to get the Fluid Film into sprayer's cup.
-Cheap store brand vegetable oil (soybean oil). This is what Fluid Film says you should use to thin the product.

What I did
The Fluid Film is pretty goopy and thick at our current temps (it’s late fall and chilly here) and right out of the box it sprayed in big globs.

I decided to try thinning it and heating it. I added a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. Then I heated water on the stove and placed the cup into the water.

Don’t go crazy heating the water, it only needs to be warm, not scalding. You don’t want to melt the plastic cup or spray yourself with scalding Fluid Film.

This worked pretty well and sprayed in a pretty even pattern.



I later tried another cup without the vegetable oil and it didn’t seem to spray quite as well, but it still worked. It seems the smaller tip may also give a slightly better pattern if you have it thinned.

I have some experimenting to do as far as thinning/not thinning and which tip to use, but overall I’m pretty pleased with the early results.

 

[Cujet]

I apply corrosion inhibiting compounds on aircraft structures. I have better results if I concentrate on the hidden and tight areas first. As they are often (and easily) overlooked once the majority of the surface is coated.

 

[Colt45ws]

We use a pesticide sprayer at work for IronClad. Sprays good until you get to the bottom of the barrel and nobody has ever shaken it; the lumps don't spray very well.

 

[jrmason]

A Shutz gun can be had for a reasonable price (under $50) and is the proper gun for applications like this. I sprayed my truck myself with Fluid Film for a handful of years but have since given up and am now paying a KROWN dealer to rust proof it annually. It costs about $100, not too bad considering I'd have $50 bucks into the Fluid Film every year. It's worth the extra $50 to pay someone to do it considering I would have several hours invested into the project by the time I was done.
As to the question does it help if your vehicle is already starting to rust, yes it absolutely does. Both Fluid Film and KROWN are oil based and wick into the steel unlike a traditional undercoating that seals moisture and rust in and allows the oxidation of steel to continue. Living in a humid climate where the road departments use some nasty materials I would never apply a true rubberized undercoating to any vehicle unless it was right off the showroom floor, and then I would still continue to treat with an oil based product like KROWN or Fluid Film.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: jrmason
A Shutz gun can be had for a reasonable price (under $50) and is the proper gun for applications like this.


Well, an undercoating gun is the "proper gun" if you're using an air compressor. I sold my large air compressor several years ago before a move, and I don't feel like buying another one just to spray Fluid Film.

There is a lot of info online about spraying FF with airless paint sprayers, so airless paint sprayers are also a "proper" way to do it. But I didn't see any info about spraying it with this cheap HF gun, so I thought I'd give it a try.

So far, it's working pretty well for a very small investment. If you read earlier in the thread you'll see there aren't places in my area that do oil-based undercoating, so it's either DIY it or nothing for me.