Questions RE: POR-15

[rangerenthiusiast]

Hey, all.

Got a ’92 Ranger with a solid frame, but lots of corrosion on the floor pans, underbody, etc. Going to have to cut and patch the floors where the rust has gone right through, then clean and treat the rest. Haven’t been able to find a sandblaster that will run off my crappy little pancake compressor, so I may have to settle for a LOT of wire-wheeling. When things are as clean as I can get them, I’d like to treat everything with a rust-converter (if such a thing exists). POR-15 keeps popping up in people’s threads, though the company describes their product as a rust preventive and protective coating, not a rust converter. So my questions are as follows:

1. Is there such a thing as a rust converter, or is it a marketing scam?

2. Does POR-15 work equally well whether you brush or spray it?

3. How important is it to use metal prep to degrease and etch the metal before
applying a product like POR-15? I’m planning to use it.

4. I’m planning to buy a gallon of POR-15, because I figure that it should store
for a while and I can use any leftover later on to coat my frame and keep it
solid. But it’s pricey, so if anyone knows where to get the best deal on it,
please lemme know.

5. POR-15 sells a ton of other complimentary products (top coats, etc). Are
these really necessary, or can I just use this? https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-45101-Clear-Preventive-Coating/dp/B00J6CLQ5Q/?tag=959media-20

Thanks for any insights and/or experiences you can share on this topic.

 

[dirtcowboy]

POR-15.

Use the POR-15 cleaner/degreaser, water based

Use the POR-15 metal prep as the last step.

STIR do not shake the product to mix and mix well, popsicle stix work great.

POR-15 takes several hours to setup, the product uses moisture in the air as a catalyst to harden.

WEAR RUBBER GLOVES and if it gets on you, CLEAN IT IMMEDIATELY, WITH SOLVENT, NOT WATER. Once this stuff dries it can only wear off.

Never-EVER buy a gallon at a time, UNLESS you are planning to use it all at once. Every time you re-open that gallon can moisture in the air will cause the POR-15 to solidify.

Whenever I use POR-15 I use the pint cans and if there is some left, I toss it away.

 

[Dirtman]

There is a product called corroseal which i can attest is a legit rust CONVERTER not just a protective coating or surface prep. It goes on as a thin whitish liquid and slowly turns rust to a black surface. Just knock the loose stuff off and brush it on. Then you can leave it or spray it with any ole enamel paint or even put POR-15 directly on top. No other prep work required. To me its the easiest method to deal with surface rust. It also cleans up with water so if you get some on a good painted surface its no big deal to clean off, it only effects the rust.

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

POR-15.


Never-EVER buy a gallon at a time, UNLESS you are planning to use it all at once. Every time you re-open that gallon can moisture in the air will cause the POR-15 to solidify.

Whenever I use POR-15 I use the pint cans and if there is some left, I toss it away.

Oh jeez, glad you told me. Thanks!!!

EDIT - I notice that POR-15’s website notes that their metal prep leaves a zinc-phosphate coating behind when it dries. I’ve been told never to weld anything with zinc in it. Does this seem right? If so, a person could never safely weld a panel treated with anything that contains zinc (such as zinc-enhanced weld-through primer, POR-15’s metal prep, etc). Just don’t wanna suffocate myself out there...

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

There is a product called corroseal which i can attest is a legit rust CONVERTER not just a protective coating or surface prep. It goes on as a thin whitish liquid and slowly turns rust to a black surface. Just knock the loose stuff off and brush it on. Then you can leave it or spray it with any ole enamel paint or even put POR-15 directly on top. No other prep work required. To me its the easiest method to deal with surface rust. It also cleans up with water so if you get some on a good painted surface its no big deal to clean off, it only effects the rust.

Hey, Dirtman. I looked up corroseal, but found something very similar at AutoZone today, so I picked some up. I think it’s the same stuff, just a different brand name. The only thing that worries me a bit about it is the fact that the label clearly states not to use latex or zinc-based products on top of it. I’m sure POR-15 isn’t latex, but not sure about the zinc part...

EDIT - I don’t see anything on POR-15s website about zinc being in the Rust Preventative product, but they do list their weld-through primer as “zinc enhanced.” I’m planning to use weld-through primer, so I may have to make a return trip to AZ. :-(

 

[cstarbard]

I'm in a similar mode to you right now, trying to figure out how best to prevent undercarriage rust...

As others said POR-15 sells a rust converter metal prep product, I saw pictures of before and after using that product elsewhere, honestly it looks like they sandblasdted the test area, the results looked that good

I get the fear of zinc; I'm sure they add the zinc because it is less corrosion prone than ferrous metals; I know a lot of modern cars actually have zinc dipped frames to help reduce corrosion

I think you don't really need to sweat the zinc too much because if its a coating and you need to weld something... you always grind the area down to weld it anyway, in which case you *should* grind away the zinc and have a weldable surface. All Grade 8 hardware you buy in stores has a protective zinc plating, I have successfully ground and welded a lot of that in previous projects, with those welds going on hot and holding up totally fine

 

[pjtoledo]

POR-15.

Use the POR-15 cleaner/degreaser, water based

Use the POR-15 metal prep as the last step.

STIR do not shake the product to mix and mix well, popsicle stix work great.

POR-15 takes several hours to setup, the product uses moisture in the air as a catalyst to harden.

WEAR RUBBER GLOVES and if it gets on you, CLEAN IT IMMEDIATELY, WITH SOLVENT, NOT WATER. Once this stuff dries it can only wear off.

Never-EVER buy a gallon at a time, UNLESS you are planning to use it all at once. Every time you re-open that gallon can moisture in the air will cause the POR-15 to solidify.

Whenever I use POR-15 I use the pint cans and if there is some left, I toss it away.

a while back one of the truck shows on TV had a tip on Por -15 storage. they used propane to fill the top of the can then sealed it with plastic wrap.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

^^^ Don't use a lighter to see the level of gas....

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

a while back one of the truck shows on TV had a tip on Por -15 storage. they used propane to fill the top of the can then sealed it with plastic wrap.

Great tip!

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

I'm in a similar mode to you right now, trying to figure out how best to prevent undercarriage rust...

As others said POR-15 sells a rust converter metal prep product, I saw pictures of before and after using that product elsewhere, honestly it looks like they sandblasdted the test area, the results looked that good

I get the fear of zinc; I'm sure they add the zinc because it is less corrosion prone than ferrous metals; I know a lot of modern cars actually have zinc dipped frames to help reduce corrosion

I think you don't really need to sweat the zinc too much because if its a coating and you need to weld something... you always grind the area down to weld it anyway, in which case you *should* grind away the zinc and have a weldable surface. All Grade 8 hardware you buy in stores has a protective zinc plating, I have successfully ground and welded a lot of that in previous projects, with those welds going on hot and holding up totally fine

Thanks for all of the kind input. I actually have their metal prep product, but it doesn’t claim to be a rust converter. On the instructions, it lists the possibility of using it as a rust remover, but leaving it on longer and taking extra steps. Unless of course, they have another metal prep product that I’m unaware of...

 

[cstarbard]

Thanks for all of the kind input. I actually have their metal prep product, but it doesn’t claim to be a rust converter. On the instructions, it lists the possibility of using it as a rust remover, but leaving it on longer and taking extra steps. Unless of course, they have another metal prep product that I’m unaware of...

No problem. That may have been my misunderstanding. I thought it said rust converter but I may have mid read rust remover. I'll go look again at the product I was looking at. Also is the camo ranger in your avatar yours? If so nice job on the camo paintjob. Not easy to make it look good! As a former owner of a 1984 US ex-military Chevy CUCV truck I love a good camo paint job !

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

No problem. That may have been my misunderstanding. I thought it said rust converter but I may have mid read rust remover. I'll go look again at the product I was looking at. Also is the camo ranger in your avatar yours? If so nice job on the camo paintjob. Not easy to make it look good! As a former owner of a 1984 US ex-military Chevy CUCV truck I love a good camo paint job !

Hey, ‘bard!

Sorry about the late response - just saw this post now. Thanks for your input. Yeah, the Camo Ranger in the avatar is indeed a picture of mine, but it was like that when I bought it. Wasn’t so sure how I felt about it at first, but it was a real hoot to drive around (for a mere 1500 miles) after buying it before I had to take it off the road for long-term repairs.

It got so many funny looks and waves around town, as well as folks stopping to ask if I had done the job myself. Gave me such a case of the giggles that folks took notice in a positive way that I started to really enjoy it and call it my “G.I. Joe” truck. The local building inspector came by a few months ago to check some electrical work that my landlord had done and the first thing he said was, “Now I can finally tell my little kid who owns the Army truck! We drive by your place every day and he always asks about it.” I got a huge kick out of it..

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

There is a product called corroseal which i can attest is a legit rust CONVERTER not just a protective coating or surface prep. It goes on as a thin whitish liquid and slowly turns rust to a black surface. Just knock the loose stuff off and brush it on. Then you can leave it or spray it with any ole enamel paint or even put POR-15 directly on top. No other prep work required. To me its the easiest method to deal with surface rust. It also cleans up with water so if you get some on a good painted surface its no big deal to clean off, it only effects the rust.

Thanks, @Dirtman. I did actually buy some Corroseal cleaner and converter, though I haven’t tried it out yet. One thing I’m really curious about is whether or not you can weld on metal that’s been treated with Corroseal? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that it converts the top layer of the steel into some other kind of oxide, thereby rendering it inert. Would really like to treat a bunch of parts after cleaning them with a wire wheel, but before MIG welding them.

Anyone know?

 

[Dirtman]

Thanks, @Dirtman. I did actually buy some Corroseal cleaner and converter, though I haven’t tried it out yet. One thing I’m really curious about is whether or not you can weld on metal that’s been treated with Corroseal? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that it converts the top layer of the steel into some other kind of oxide, thereby rendering it inert. Would really like to treat a bunch of parts after cleaning them with a wire wheel, but before MIG welding them.

Anyone know?

I "think" it converts Fe2O3 (red oxide or common rust) to Fe3O4 (black oxide the same coating on black bolts)

Neither form of oxide are great for welding on. You always want bare metal to make good welds. I would treat everything and then grind down the areas you need to weld, then cover the welds with normal enamal

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

I "think" it converts Fe2O3 (red oxide or common rust) to Fe3O4 (black oxide the same coating on black bolts)

Neither form of oxide are great for welding on. You always want bare metal to make good welds. I would treat everything and then grind down the areas you need to weld, then cover the welds with normal enamal

Sounds good to me. I’d kind of been thinking along the same lines (as far as treating, then grinding the edges where I need to weld), but it’s nice to hear it from a second brain...

Thanks a bunch, Dirtman!