Hammerite...direct to rust? REALLY?

Old stuff thet worked vs new environmentally friendly stuff that doesn't quite work. Not unique to paint. The Technical manager of a well respected company recently admitted to me that one of their products, an "instant grip" organic solvent based adhesive was infinitely superior to the "solvent free", water based one that outsold the solvent based one by around 10:1, even though the "solvent free " one was more expensive ( to buy, not to produce !). The solvent free one was only developed/ marketed because that was what consumers wanted and he recommended I used the solvent based one if I could find someone that sold it !
 
Had some things painted in Hammerite and also in other paint "on rust" chlorinated rubber kind. In the garden, not boat... Worked perfect. Not put on bad looking rust, but wirebrushed as much as convenient.
Held ok for some 8-10 years.
Last year wanted to renew painting, only to find this chlorinated rubber paint no longer is produced - primer was offered instead for this "paint systems (but naturally not right colour) and Hammerite altogether was different stuff than before.
Both were used, now after the winter I can see paint failing... lasted 5 months... :mad:

You know what? Get some red lead instead. Toxic. This worked through millenia. Long illegal in EU. Look into chinese ebay...
 
Last edited:
That's a disturbing moral to draw from this thread!

But I wonder which paint the trailer manufacturers themselves use on new products? I imagine (possibly mistakenly) that new ones are good for a long while.
 
dancrane said:
Interesting, thank you.

My trailer is indeed box-section (and tubes) and I dread scraping with a screwdriver and finding it pushes right through...
Click to expand...

No matter how mich time and effort you put into de-rusting and painting the outside of box sections the killer will come from inside.
Cars with chassis made up of box and U sections had the same problem. The old way to save them was to up-end them and fill the section with old engine oil, then drain.
Thankfully Mr. Finnigan came along with his Waxoil and a long wand.
Poke the wand into the section, pump away slowly withdrawing the wand and the inside is covered in a self-mending rust protective.
Then coat the outside with Zinga and any paint you fancy.
 
Agree that Hammerite is not what it was, except for Hammerite No 1 Rust Beater. This is a biege coloured matt paint that really does work. I buy it at Wilkinsons Supermarkets. It has totally cured recurrent rust break-outs on my cast iron bilge keels. For this use it needs to be overcoated with Primocon or similar else the Hammerite throws off the antifouling - must be some sort of chemical incompatability.

http://www.wilko.com/wood+metal-paint/hammerite-no1-rust-beater-beige-250ml/invt/2437546
 
I haven't even seen my trailer since starting this thread. It's been used in recent weeks, and I reckon the wobbly wheel is a greater concern than the rust...but then, we've hardly had the normal damp spring weather.

I daresay it has spent a quarter of a century or longer, gradually suffering from chips and invasive corrosion, but the rust doesn't look out of hand.

I'll go through all these replies and hope to judge what's best, with cost as a decisive factor. Thanks for all the guidance.
 
I use Epoxy Mastic paint from http://www.rust.co.uk on my steel ketch. Mix ratio is not critical, it cures down to 5C and otherwise does exactly what is claimed. Its not too hard to sand either. Side decks were done 3 years ago and never painted over in some places. No sign of return of the rust apart from one or two pin head sized spots.
 
nigelmercier said:
Totally agree. The original formula needed their thinners to dissolve it, now (as stated above) if comes off with Fairy Liquid, FFS.
Click to expand...
years ago, painted a tractor with it, used a spray gun, cellulose thinners woudnt work, ended up using petrol! Worked a treat, I hate to think what would have happened if there had been a spark anywhere near!
Stu
 
skipper_stu said:
years ago, painted a tractor with it, used a spray gun, cellulose thinners woudnt work, ended up using petrol! Worked a treat, I hate to think what would have happened if there had been a spark anywhere near!
Stu
Click to expand...

This reminds me - I sprayed my Talbot Sunbeam with thinned Black Hammerite (the smooth version didn't exist in the late 70s) and then used clear Hammerite on top. Thinning it stopped the hammered finish forming so the effect was very like some of the custom paint jobs that were populer 10years later.

We got high on the fumes by spraying it in the garage and one spark and it would have been like Top Gear's Reliant Robin orbiter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top